Albany County, Albany Rat Control Situation:
Hi David, I am writing you from Albany NY and I've had /have mice and rats around my property and mice in my roof. A licensed pest control company has done a quick inspection in my roof and because of insulation he put blue/green dry/dried blocks in the roof (forgotten the name!), and he has done this at least twice. He found one mouse in the roof space/ cavity. This mouse was the only one and he found that was underneath one air-conditioning duct. The stink in the house was bad but he placed a deodorising item in that spot. I really feel that there is still activity as I seem hear persistent cracking sound coming from the roof space on occasions. Evidence of having rats (lots of poo was found) in my garden shed. Bait was placed in the shed and it seems that the rats may have "relocated" after having eaten this dry stuff and probably would have died somewhere else. Nothing observed but I really feel at un-ease about my beautiful house that is only just 7 years old. I am really thinking that a few run down houses away from me is where the offending creatures are coming from. Both on the left and right side of my house are the course of the trouble and I have parted with $600.00 in pest control and $3.500.00 in gutterguard, professionally installed. The council has written letters to the occupiers of these houses. Also the weep-holes are fitted with a barrier against vermin. I cleaned out the shed and have disposed of as much stuff possible. My family has helped cleaning that area and sealed the holes and entry points as well. How am I able to find someone who can address my needs to identify possible hick-ups which may have been overlooked? You are saying that I may need professional wildlife removal instead of pest control, as they really don't address the problem properly? Hope I make sense with my letter and I live in Salisbury,South Australia, 5108 Thanks in advance
Albany Rat Control Tip of The Week
New York City's Rat Problem
The Norway Rat:
The majority of rats in New York City are Norway rats, otherwise known as brown rats. Brown rats typically weigh 1 pound and they can grow up to 16 inches long. A brown rat needs just 1 ounce of food and water every day to survive.
Agile Creatures:
Brown rats are known for their ability to climb through pipes and get through small spaces. Even though some of the largest brown rats can be up to 20 inches long and weigh more than 2 pounds, it's easy for them to fit through a hole that's the size of a quarter. Rats have some serious superpowers and are capable of falling up to five stories without any injury and leaping up to 4 feet for climbing.
Going Through Any Material:
Rats also have extremely strong jaw muscles and quality teeth. There are rats in New York that are capable of chewing through cinderblocks and sewer pipes.
Where Rats Live:
Most rats will rarely travel more than 600 feet away from the area that they were born. Most rats like to nest and burrow in soft ground as well as below ground to live in colonies. A rat colony is usually between 30 to 50 rats and the number of rats in a burrow or family is usually between 8 to 12. Rats stay close to their food source and they can often be found just a few hundred feet from where they go every day to be fed. Public garbage areas, alleyways, and more can be a hotbed for rats and NYC produces its own information portal on areas where rats are heavily concentrated.
Massive Population:
It's estimated that there are roughly 2,000,000 rats in New York City and this means that the rat population in New York City sits around 25% of the total number of humans.