Do you have nightmares of rats taking over your home or business? For some, this scenario is more than a nightmare - it's reality. To keep your property safe, you need to know a thing or two about effective rat control.
Guide To Rats In New Jersey
In New Jersey, there are only two common types of rats. One of the most well-known rats is the Norway rat. This frequent home invader is also one of the largest rodents around. They have heavy bodies and are rather long. Although these New Jersey rodents are mostly brown, they have some black hair and a light underbelly. While Norway rats aren't good climbers, they are very capable of getting into homes. They usually inhabit basements and the first floor of homes or businesses. This is unlike another common local rat - the roof rat.
Roof rats are dark brown or black and have speckled gray hairs. However, their behavior is what sets roof rats apart from Norway rats. They are excellent climbers and often use trees to climb into roofs. Both rats rely on humans for food. They enjoy your leftovers and crumbs. As long as you have food in your home, you're vulnerable to a rat infestation.
Are Rats Dangerous?
Rats are more than a nuisance. Pest prevention is key because rats are very dangerous creatures. As with some other rodents, rats can transmit diseases. Their urine and feces could make you or someone else on your property sick. As rats walk across your counters and food, they could be leaving behind pathogens.
Rats can also cause allergies and asthma. If you don't want someone in your home to experience a reaction, you should try to keep rats out. Some parasites live on rats. When rats enter your home, they could bring these parasites with you. Ticks and other parasites could become additional pests.
Do Rats Cause Damage?
As if causing harm to your health wasn't bad enough, rats come with another consequence. They can do significant property damage, all thanks to their large and sharp teeth. To keep their teeth from growing too sharp, rats gnaw on everything they can find. The wood in your building structure, plumbing pipes, and electrical wires won't be ignored. If you have sentimental items in an area infested by rats, you can expect to lose those items. Rats might chew on them or urinate on them.
Rat Prevention Tips
You can take a few precautions to keep rats out of your home. That said, rat prevention is more difficult than you might imagine. You may need an experienced professional to help you. All of the following are tips for rat prevention:
- Consider Food Storage: Your dried food isn't just food for you; it's also food for rats. To keep your food out of their hands, you should store your food properly. Glass and plastic containers are excellent choices.
- Keep A Clean Yard: Your yard could be what's attracting rats. Keep your trees and bushes trimmed, and now your lawn regularly.
- Consider Trash Storage: You also need to store your trash properly. Make sure every trash can on your property has a lid. If there is no lid, you can expect to have rats nearby.
- Work With A Professional: The key to rat prevention or elimination is to work with a professional team that has your best interest at heart. Here at Heritage Pest Control, we're ready to take on your rat problems. Whether you have an infestation or want to work on prevention, we can help.