Kent County, Grand Rapids Rat Control Situation:
My name in Nia, I have a horrible mouse and rat problem under my outside deck. I have called a local company and they put down bait traps. Every month they check them and all the bait is gone. I looked out the back window at night and see the mice ru Ning around from under deck into garage and along the sides of the house. I am soooooo scared one will get in the house. I hope it's not already. Please call me and direct me as to what I should do next. My husband acts as if he thinks it's not a big deal. Help me please.
Hi David, just been looking at your website. I have found a run into my compost bin and also in the 1/2 foot wide gravel soak away around my house this week. I obviously now need to get rid of the source of food, i.e. the compost bin and remove any shelter, so my mission is a good old tidy up in the back garden this weekend. However tonight i was kept awake by scratching in the house, gotta say freaked me out a little. I have already put poison down in a bait box this week which is already all gone!! So do i continue baiting or shall i trap them? Am i right in thinking that the poison will try them out so even if they die in the wall they wont smell or will they go seek water and hopefully die outside!!!! wishful thinking on my part i guess!! I just don't want stinking rats rotting in the walls! Anyways hope you can help, Kind regards Hayley in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids 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.