Rats are a Clear and Present Danger

Despite the Warm November, Rats are Still a Threat

By this time of the year, we are usually talking to people about how the cold weather drives rats to look for someplace to keep warm for the winter months, however with an unusually warm November so far, the rats are still out here scavenging for food.  Despite the warm weather, winter will settle in eventually, and with that, the rats are going to need a place to stay, and your home is on the list of possible residences.

While most people do not think about rodent or pest control until it is too late, the best time to protect your home and family is before you have an actual problem.  Rats are not a nuisance that you can easily take care of if you have a problem.  Rats are a real threat.  They are a clear and present danger to your family’s health and wellbeing.

Rats Carry Diseases, and Haven't We all Had Enough of Viruses at this Point?

While we are going into the eighth month of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all getting tired of hearing about sickness and disease.  Unfortunately, we cannot wish the pandemic away, and we cannot wish away the threat posed by rats and the diseases they carry.  Common diseases carried by rats include Hantavirus, leptospirosis, lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, and Salmonella.   In all, rats have been known to carry 35 different types of diseases.

Depending on the disease you want to look at, the estimated percentage of rats that carry any particular disease might be relatively low.   The chances of a rat having Hantavirus is about 5%.  The chances of a rat having leptospirosis are about 14%.  63% of rats carry the organism that causes cryptosporidiosis.

Of samples tested, 100% of rats have fleas, and fleas carry their own diseases that are transmissible to humans, such as typhus.

Rats are a Fire Hazard

Rats are also a real hazard to your home.  Rats will chew through anything, including electrical cables. When you have frayed wires, you can get an arc of current, igniting a fire in the wood or insulation.  We have all seen the news about the wildfires.  We don’t have to tell you how dangerous fire is.

As a homeowner, you know the importance of proactive maintenance.  If you wait to take care of an issue after it becomes a real problem, the cost goes up significantly.  When it comes to rats, we are not just talking about the cost to eradicate the infestation.  There is the cost of ripping out the damaged wood, insulation, wiring, and replacing everything.   If a person in your home gets sick due to rats, the medical costs can also start to pile up.

Rodent Exclusion is the Solution to Implement Before the Real Problem Begins

The best bet is to come up with a plan before the problem occurs.  The process of coming up with a plan is called Rodent Exclusion.  Exclusion is when we inspect a property to look for all the ways a rodent can get into your home.  Since you are in your home all the time, you might lose focus on this thing that needs to be repaired or replaced around the outside of the house.  These are areas where rats could get in. Remember that rats only need an opening the size of a quarter, and mice only need an opening the size of a dime.  You might not notice openings that we will see.

Our rodent exclusion services will protect your home and family and force the rats to look elsewhere for food and shelter.

The warm weather isn’t going to last forever.  The winter temperatures will come eventually, and when it does, then it could be too late.