Although you may not need much motivation to call for professional rat control services after spotting rodents on your property, some homeowners put off this simple task for a variety of reasons. Advanced IPM, serving Reno, NV and other locations, explains why roof rats and other pointy-nosed pests must be banished from your home at the first sign of their existence.
1. Rats can make your family sick.
The Centers for Disease Control blames the rodents for spreading these diseases and pathogens:
- Plague
- Lassa Fever
- Leptospirosis
- Salmonellosis
- Rat-Bite Fever
- Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever
- Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
- Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis, or LCM
- Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome
Some of these illnesses can have serious health consequences, making rat control services a must.
2. Rats can damage your home and its contents. They chew through plastic and wood, leaving behind a trail of useless items and damaged structural wood. They’re also known for contaminating stored food in both homes and businesses, leaving large chew marks as signs of their handiwork.
3. Roof rats and other rodents sometimes cause electrical fires. Their tendency to chew can become dangerous when rats eat through the coating on your home’s electrical wiring.
4. Rats reproduce quickly, bearing as many as 14 pups in a year. If one rat can cause house fires and food poisoning, imagine what a family of rats can do.
5. A rat sighting can signal an infestation. Rats like to stay out of the limelight, but they are sometimes forced into the open when there is a large rodent population in the area. Putting out rat traps might be futile because a single rat is often the tip of the iceberg. Rats are also wary of new objects in their daily paths and will avoid them if at all possible.
Rats may leave other clues to their existence. Tracks in your lawn or low-growing plants can indicate their paths to your house. You might also find greasy marks on floors and walls tracing their comings and goings. Roof rats can often be found in attics; a professional inspection can uncover where these climbers are hiding out. If you see any signs of rats, call Advanced IPM immediately. We provide effective rat control solutions to residents and businesses in Reno, NV and other area communities.
