Palm Beach County, Boca Raton Rat Control Situation:
Hello: I just read the information from your email. I recently moved into an actually nice home in the Boca Raton area; however the backyard is a woody area and cross from it is the swamp. The owners of the home told me they had a cat so they never saw a rat except what the cat bought in after killing it. When I moved in which was 3 weeks ago, I started to experience rats in the kitchen, saw droppings all over my stove area. I became overwhelmed and my two children (girls) are now petrified. The owner reluctantly paid for an exterminator because they swore they never had a problem. When the exterminator came out they did a walk through. In the attic rat droppings everywhere, in the downstairs closet rat droppings and in the garage. The exterminator sealed up two openings from the attic, and I was told a tree need to cut down because that was how they were getting in, but in the closet downstairs they seem to have inhabit that area. The exterminator wanted me to remove the poison that was put down and they set traps in all 3 areas mentioned. Do you think this will rid the problem or do I need to relocate?
Hi David - I'm in Boca Raton FL and you don't have anyone here!!! I've had mice in my attic since we built our house - 10 yrs ago. I've snap trapped probably over 100 over the years, and again, now that its getting cold here, we hear the scratching at night. I've also used poison blocks that I scatter throughout the attic. I find them scrivelled up sometimes, but with blown in insulation it is hard to find their paths etc. I've got a stone veneer which results in lots of gaps where the top of the wall meets the metal soffit, so I'm wondering how to proceed on sealing that up? Any help you can suggest would be much appreciated. Thanks Bob
Boca Raton Rat Control Tip of The Week
Do Rats Enjoy Cold Locations?
For human beings, winter means dealing with a drop in temperature, but for animals like rodents, it might mean a whole change in their metabolisms and lifestyle. Rodents prefer warm places with easy access to food. Weather change for them might be deadly, so the best way for them to survive cold locations is to find an ideal refuge.
Burrows In Your House
During summer we can find burrows anywhere in the woods or other outdoor land, but with the arrival of rain, many of these shelters are torn apart. Rodents must leave in the pursuit of a new home with food, a warm environment, and away from the wetness of the outdoors.
Rats are innate explorers and are able to enter any living area because they have a very flexible bone structure able to pass through a crack. They also have claws to climb any surface. Their appearance in homes is more common with the start of cold, snow, rain, or even cloudy days.
Just One Rat Can Cause Immense Damage
Rodents love to gnaw. It is known that their teeth never stop growing and if they stop chewing, they can die. On the other hand, it is also known that due to their capacity of chewing hard things it can open up an opportunity to get their treasure: food. Food is enough motivation to keep biting anything.
When there are rats and mice appearing all over homes, there is plenty of damage that might be hard to fix. Economic losses can be alarming and because of this, it is necessary to take preventive measures such as eliminating areas that facilitate a shelter for rodents in your home during cold and humid seasons.
If you do not only want to prevent but also exterminate, you have a great advantage during winter since rodents' reproductive capacities slow down by not having adequate conditions for pups to survive. So, if you exterminate a population, chances of regeneration are minimum.
