(Newswire.net — July 24, 2019) — Rats are the most common pest found in attics. Rats love attics since they provide a safe place to hide as they wait for the perfect opportunity to invade your food supplies. Another reason why rats love attics is that they provide a perfect environment to have multitudes of babies. Rats are active all year round so if they move into your attic, they will definitely multiply if you don’t take steps to get rid of them early. So if you rats in attic at night, there is a good chance that you have a pest problem.
Rats in Attic at Night
Having rats in your attic is annoying due to the gnawing and scratching sounds they make, especially when you are trying to sleep. Secondly, it can be dangerous; rats can carry various diseases and their feces can corrode the internal structures of your home causing damage. Therefore, if you have a pest infestation, it is important to eradicate it immediately.
How to know you have rats in the attic?
1. Hearing Sounds – Rats make all sorts of sounds. You will hear them running in the attic, scratching, or gnawing. They are usually active at night when they think it’s safe to come out and look for food and water.
2. Seeing Droppings – rats leave a lot of droppings in the place where they have decided to call home. Make it a point to check your attic regularly and if you see many tiny droppings that look like dark brown rice grains, you have a rat problem.
3. Entry Points – rats leave tunnels and trailways in the palaces they used to gain entry into the attic and the pathways they use to get around. They also leave tiny chew marks and brown smudges on their commonly used routes. Look out for such marks on wood, pipe insulation, and electrical wires.
How to get rid of rats in the attic?
If you do not want to handle the infestation yourself, you can always hire a professional to get rid of the rats. Otherwise, getting rid of rats in the attic requires a calculated approach. Using poison may sound like a quick fix but it will only make it worse. Here’s an effective way of doing it:
Step 1: Find all their entry points
Inspect your home thoroughly to find any open holes or gaps that rats could be using to enter your attic. This includes leave gaps, vents, rooflines, among other things.
Step 2: Seal all the holes
After finding all the entry points, seal them up using steel. The reason why you must use steel is that rats won’t be able to chew through it. Bolt the steel in place then use a sealant to block airflow and discourage rats from attempting to get in.
Step 3: After everything is sealed up, use rat traps to capture the rats that are already in the attic.
There are many types of rat traps you can use but the best type is snap traps. Place the traps strategically in the rath pathways or use bait to draw the rats to the traps.
Step 4: Get rid of trapped rats
Check your traps regularly and remove any trapped rats before they start decomposing.
Step 5: clean the attic
When you are sure that all rats are gone (you don’t hear rat sounds for a few days), clean the attic thoroughly to get rid of dangerous rat droppings and other filth.
Hopefully, if you have rats in attic at night, the tips above should help you solve this pest problem and prevent a pest problem in the future. Always remember to address a pest infestation in a timely manner, this will save you time, money, and prevent health issues.