Wyandotte County, Kansas City Rat Control Situation:
I pray that you receive my email. My house in Kansas City was infested with roof rats this year while my Daughter and four year old grandson were living in the house. I was living in the back guest room. They were continuously ill with flu symptoms and moved out. We had hired Tru Pest Control to help with the rats with no avail. Finally after they moved out the rats disappeared. However as my husband and I removed some built in cabinets in the family room, we uncovered two rat holes, nests, lots of feces. We disposed of the cabinets and haven't done anything else since. We are still living in the guest room in the back of the house. We do not have any rats. The house was built in 1940. The main house which was infested with rats has original wood floors and the entire front house has a crawl space. The guest room was originally a garage so it sits on the ground and has a cement floor. I am 58 yrs old, my husband is 59 yrs old and has been disabled since 1992. He has had his aortic and mitral heart valves replaced with mechanical valves and has a pacemaker. The BIG question is, will the house ever be safe for us to live in again? The decontamination sounds brutal and I am very sensitive to chemicals. We will never own the home free and clear in our lifetime. Should we even attempt to fix it up to live in or move??
Kansas City Rat Control Tip of The Week
Black Rat Biology
The black rat (Rates Rattus) has likewise been known as a ship rat, rooftop rat, and old English rat, among other names. It is a long-tailed rodent that is native to Asia. However, it is found in practically all parts of the world today. Black rats prefer hotter zones, however, are profoundly versatile, and will look for cover in natural (woods) and unnatural (homes and structures) areas. It is bigger and more aggressive than its brown-colored cousin, but is more vulnerable to cold and has a more constrained diet. Black rats are generally omnivores. They are a genuine threat to ranchers since they will eat a wide scope of farming harvests, seeds, and feed. A large population of black rats can decimate a field of crops, or contaminate a barn full of feed and hay.
A common black rat is 5.02-7.19 in long, including its tail, and weights 4.12 oz. when fully grown. Notwithstanding its name, the black rat is normally not black. Its coat is typically extremely dark brown. In the wild, black rats want to settle in burrows made using the ground litter (leaves, twigs, etc.) found on timberland floors. In urban settings, they like attics and upper floors of structures, making homes from discovered litter, destroyed paper, and insulation.
They are also tasty meals for coyotes, wild dogs, and other predator winged animals. These obtrusive pests are difficult to dispose of once they move in. Talk with your neighborhood experts on approaches to shield your home from being overrun. Keeping your yard free of clutter, yard debris, standing water, and trash will deter them. You should keep all garbage in fixed holders, and pick up outside pet food and feed. Routinely check your home and building for cracks and openings that would give black rats a path to your home. Black rats are keener on living in their normal habitat than in your home; however, they will consistently exploit food, water, and safe shelter.
