Onondaga County, Syracuse Rat Control Situation:
Hi. I have recently noticed poop in one area of my garage which is also right next to where I have piled up a bunch of stuff I planned to sale at a yard sale so it is very possible there is more that I am not seeing easily within that stuff. We live next to a lot of undeveloped wooded land where we know there are a good bit of deer and presumably many varieties of wildlife and some cats we see around our house have killed a few rats lately but I looked at your rat droppings and what I saw in my garage doesn't seem to fit into the rat poop pictures or descriptions I found on your site. I an sending in separate email to see if you can tell me what I am most likely dealing with. My house is in a rural area outside Syracuse NY.
David: I live in Northern New York State and recently purchased a home that has have roof rats, and I've been told when the rats are beaten back some, the mice will come. There is already evidence of this, as I've noticed half eaten mice carcasses at various points. I hired a pest control company to trap the rats moving forward, but their plan is not as systematic and comprehensive as yours, so I want to do the sealing up myself. Though the task is daunting because I live in the country and my house has a Spanish tile roof that many describe a porous, I have done this before and think I can at least slow the problem to a light crawl. That said, I'm interested in equipment recommendations. I notice you use full body jump suits and face masks. What brands do you use? And your vacuum, does it require a hepa filter. You mention multiple speeds, will I need various vacuums to do the job? Can you recommend people who do this in Sonoma County (Santa Rosa City), California? thanks, John
Syracuse 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.