Riverside County, Riverside Rat Control Situation:
David, Read your entire website with interest as we recently purchased a home in the Palm Springs area and the inspection of it passed but did not mention any rats/mice. However within the first week of moving in we heard the distinct scratching of feet in our attic. I have since been up there and we do have droppings and signs that they have been there for a while. Our plan is to seal the entry points, lay traps and then have the attic insulation removed, attic sanitized and new insulation put in. See questions below if you would be so kind as to assist. To this point, we have no droppings in the living area, no outside obvious entry points (we walked the premises with a professional extermination company that handles rodents) and now moving to the roof to get a roofing company to come in and close all entry points, seal caps etc. Garbage is in the garage in sealed containers, we have no trees close to the house and no citrus at all on the property. Reason for this email is that the only company you show in this area is in Riverside and I wonder if you have any recommendations for a firm in the Coachella Valley. If so, could you please send me the contact name and phone number as we will be following your recommendations to the letter. QUESTIONS: Assuming we get all the entry points closed and sealed properly, should we use the extermination company as you show to do the re-insulation of the attic? We have been quoted on the service that they will trap and remove, then using HEPA vacuums and in proper gear will remove all insulation in bags for safe destruction and then they use a bleach/water combination to sanitize. Obvious next step is to re-insulate the attic. Your thoughts on the process and the bleach/water solution? Recognizing that we have no contacts within this industry, what questions should we be asking the firms we are talking to so as to avoid getting ripped off or worse...not eliminating the issues and problems? Last question: roof is most likely the entry points. Am I going down the right path to get a roofing company to seal these points from the outside and ask that they use steel within the closure? Really appreciate the reply as Canadians that just bought the home, we don't have quite the issue back where we are from. Thanks, Tim
Riverside Rat Control Tip of The Week
The Myth That Poison Makes Rats Thirsty And Die Outside
No, rat poison doesn't make the rat thirsty. Poison doesn't make the rodent go out to drink, and along these lines die outside. Rat poison makes the rat dormant, and it dies any place it happens to be at when the poison takes effect. Since the rats living inside a house or building invest most of their energy inside the structure, they usually die inside that building, not outside.
Will Poison Make A Rat Thirsty And Die? (NO - That's A Myth)
Individuals use poisons since they think it is a protected, viable, hands-off strategy for evacuating pests. They have certain thoughts regarding it, but what amounts of those thoughts are true? One thought many convey is that poison will make rodents thirsty. When they consume the poison, they will out of nowhere have a solid, insatiable thirst. That will lead them outside, looking for water, where they will inevitably die. With this thought, poison appears to be the undeniable answer. It gets the rats out and kills them, getting rid of your concern with few to no drawbacks. The problem is, none of that is valid. Poison won't have this impact on rats or mice, or some other animal so far as that is concerned.
Using poison doesn't prompt thirst. It won't cause the rat(s) to leave the property, and go outside to find water. None of this is true; they are all myths. Poison will kill rats, however, not through thirst. Poisons kill rats in different ways, contingent upon the kind of poison you use. No poison will make the rodent want to leave the property whatsoever.
With each one, there is a higher possibility of the rat dying in your home. Ordinarily, this is going to mean within your dividers. Poisoned rats and mice are likely going to build up inside the dividers, and that is if they all eat the poison. There are various issues with poison, such as its ability to kill other animals, and the pain it inflicts on the rats, which adds to the negatives of it as a solution to pest invasions.