Norway rats can cause a lot of damage in the home. They are known to gnaw on everything, including electrical wires, and steal insulation from inside the walls in order to build their nests. Both of these activities can be dangerous and costly to repair, which is why it’s important to prevent rats from entering the home in the first place.

Blocking off access to the home

If there are no access points into the home, rats can’t get in. These access points will be found in the exterior wall of the home, and they can be any cracks or gaps that are wider than half an inch. So if you want to stop rats from entering the home, you will have to perform an inspection, especially around doors, windows, the foundation of the home, and in spaces where pipes or wires enter the home. Once you’ve performed this inspection, you will need to take steel wool and some sealing material, and then fill these openings up.

Removing incentives to come inside

Rats have several incentives to come indoors, and if these incentives are present in your home, the odds of an infestation go up. One of the main incentives is food, so you will have to store all the food items in the home in sealed containers and be careful with leaving out leftovers and dirty dishes. Rats are also looking for shelter, and clutter is perfect for them. This is why you should try to keep clutter to a minimum in your home, garage, basement, attic and in your yard.

Controlling an existing Norway rat infestation

If a Norway rat infestation is underway in the home, then it’s time to move onto control. These infestations can be controlled using either traps or poison, depending on their size. Traps can handle small infestations, while poisons can be used against large ones. Poisons are very effective, but the problem with using them is that you will have to find and clean up the dead rats, and you have no idea where they could die. This is why hiring a pro for the job is the best course of action. Not only will a pro be able to implement the most effective measures against the rats, he will also handle the entire control process from start to finish.

For more information on how to prevent the damage caused by Norway rats, or if you have an infestation in the home and you need professional help to get rid of it, contact us today.