Dallas County, Dallas Rat Control Situation:
I have been dealing with a "critter" in my attic for a few months, I called a pest professional in and they told me it was a mouse. I set several traps with no success. I figured then it was a bird and eventually I did not hear any further noise. Just recently the weather finally warmed up, I was leaving for work yesterday when I heard running in my eves on my back patio. Wood was removed from the corner of my house and a rat was looking at me. I left for work thinking it would leave. I had my son in law come over and fix the missing area of wood, only to hear later that evening it never left. We removed the wood to allow thw rat to leave. So this si where I am at now. What do I do?????? Help , Nancy
Hi David, I want to thank you for your article about the squirrels in the attic. I just found out that I have them and have called a professional to try to trap them. Your article gave me a lot of information to go on when the pro gets here later today. I didn't notice the big holes in the soffit of my roof right away, but I did notice some chewed up insulation in my driveway and was wondering where the heck did that come from. Then the next morning I noticed the patter of little feet. So I am pretty sure it is rats that I am dealing with. I know one of my neighbors feed the little rascals peanuts as I have found the peanuts buried in various places in my yard. So now they have found a home which of course I am not happy about as it probably will cost a lot of time and money to get rid of the squirrels and to patch the hole in my soffitt. Anyway as I write this I noticed two small rats or mice scamper across my garage roof. Too bad the trap was not in place this morning. Thanks again for your article. Very informative. Marilyn
Dallas Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Are Mothballs And Ammonia Ineffective At Repelling Rats?
When it comes to repelling rats, the use of mothballs and ammonia are quite common, as many people consider using them to help keep rats away from their home. Despite how common these repellents are, their effectiveness is still questioned.
Mothballs and ammonia emit a strong smell that is believed to help repel rats by making them feel irritated, with the hope that the effects of the smell will make them lose interest in staying in a particular place and keep them away. The fact is, this might seem effective at the onset. But within a short time, these repellents lose their effectiveness and will no longer be able to repel rats.
Rats are covetous. When they see a need to stay around your home because there is abundant availability of food, they will ignore the effects of these repellents and continue with their activities. This simply means that if you choose to buy either mothballs or ammonia to repel the rats in your home, provided they see a greater need to stay, you will only be wasting your time because neither of the two repellents will help you in making your home rat-free.
Instead of using any of these repellents to help keep rats away from your home, you can focus more on making your home rat-proof. To do this, all you have to do is fix all the cracks and holes in your house which could serve as an entry point, get a very agile cat to help hunt them, and also keep your house and surroundings clean by removing trash. These are better ways to repel rats when compared with the use of mothballs and ammonia.