The market is filled with new tech that can prevent and control rat infestations, and if you do a quick Google search, you’ll find no shortage of advice on how to deal with these rodents. However, a lot of the advice that goes around and the products that are currently available are not that effective. Let’s take a look at some of these methods and their alternatives.
Pets
While cats, dogs, and even pet snakes have pheromones that repel rats, rats can still start an infestation in a building if the outdoor conditions are desperate enough. So having a pet is not a foolproof rat prevention method. When it comes to control, pets can’t do much either. A cat might be able to kill a few rats, but the rats will outbreed the rate at which the cat can kill them.
Essential oils
Rats hate the smell of several plants, including peppermint, and essential oils can be extracted from these plants. You’ve probably read that essential oils can then be used to prevent rats from entering the home or exploring certain areas. At the very least, they can mask the smell of food. However, just like with pets, when rats get desperate, they will overcome their repulsion to these smells and enter the home or areas of the home where there is food.
Ultrasonic repellents
Ultrasonic repellents seem like an elegant solution to the rat problem. They completely terrify the rats and you can’t even hear them working. However, while they may be effective at keeping the rats out of one room, ultrasonic sounds cannot pass through walls. On top of that, rats get used to the ultrasound after a while, and will actually return to the room where the device is in.
What works best
There are many other odd techniques and products out there, but we’ve focused on some of the most popular. With that being said, when dealing with a rat infestation, you can’t go wrong with the classics – traps and poisons. Not only do these two work very well when trying to control an infestation, they are also useful for prevention. They are still the preferred control methods for professionals, and they still work just as well as they did centuries ago.
For more information on effective rat control and prevention methods, or if you have an infestation in your home that has to be removed, contact us today.