Rats are notorious for carrying contagious diseases, so you never want to have a rodent as a roommate. Unfortunately, rats often enter homes in search of places to nest, nesting materials and easy sources of food. It’s hard to get rid of rats once they move into your home. When you understand that rats can fit through holes as small as 20 millimetres in diameter, you realize that the rodents often have easy access to your home through holes in the exterior. Here are four common entry points for rats and how you can block them to keep rodents out of your home.
1. Around Windows
Windows often have small gaps between their casings and the side of your house. Although these gaps are usually a quarter of an inch wide or less, they are big enough for rats to squeeze through whether they are noticeable to you or not. You should thoroughly inspect the interior and exterior of all your windows to check for cracks outside the casings. If you find any gaps, you can easily seal them with caulk to keep rodents out.
2. Roof
Because you probably don’t spend a lot of time on your roof, you are less likely to notice any holes that could give rats entry into your home. There are often small gaps in your eaves, and if shingled are loose, rats can burrow under them and gnaw holes in the plywood underneath. Inspecting your roof at least once a year is the best way to ensure that it is a strong safeguard against rats. If you aren’t comfortable checking the roof for holes, contact a home pest control professional instead.
3. Utility Lines
Some of the most common entry points for rodents are the places where utility lines enter your house. For example, the place your power line runs directly into your house often gives rats access to your home because there is a small gap around the wire. Contacting your power company to fix the issue may be the best course of action, but you can also fill the gap with caulk to keep rodents out.
4. In the Attic
Rats prefer to avoid human interaction, so they tend to take up residence in the least frequently used spaces in your home. Attics make prime environments, and because you probably do not use the space often, you may not notice if there are holes in the exterior. Go up to your attic and turn off all the lights to see if you notice any natural light filtering inside. if you do, you have a hole that is likely big enough to give rodents access and should patch the crevice immediately.
What To Do When Rats Get Into Your Home
You should get in the habit of inspecting your home’s exterior several times a year to check for holes and crevices that could serve as entry points for rats. Depending on the size of any holes you find, you can patch them with small pieces of wood or fill them with caulk. Covering large holes is a more extensive project and may require you to replace one or more pieces of siding.
Sometimes rats get into your house despite your best efforts to patch any potential entry points. When this happens, it is always best to contact a professional for help with rat pest control in Kitchener. The experts at Truly Nolen understand rodents and know how to get them out of your home before they can cause significant damage or pose a threat to your health.
Make an Appointment for Rat Removal Today
Call Truly Nolen in Kitchener for quick and professional rat removal when you need residential pest control. Our technicians are experts in residential pest control and have a thorough understanding of the habits of mice and rats, so contact us today to schedule an appointment.