Author: Michael Potter Updated: May 15, 2020
If you want to get rid of rats, but still haven’t found a method that works, don’t despair – you can get rid of rodents! We will tell you how to get rid of rats in a private house and apartment, about rat poisons and poisons, how effective electronic ultrasonic repellers are and why it is better to remove upholstered furniture from the room when using them. Is it possible to repel rodents with essential oils alone, and should you trust your grandmother’s folk advice on removing rats? You will find answers to all questions in this material.
There are many methods to combat these parasites that will not give them the opportunity to drive you crazy and destroy your home. But you must be prepared to fight comprehensively. We will tell you how to drive rats out of your house, what methods you can use to scare away or kill such unwanted neighbors, and how to make sure that they no longer appear on your territory - in an apartment or private house.
Nutrition and vital activity
Rats, like other rodents, are nocturnal, but as their numbers increase, you may encounter them during the day.
If we look at the Pasyuk’s diet, we will see that animal feed makes up 33-38%, vegetables – 14-15%, grain feed and bread – 48-52%. They eat best fish or minced meat and porridge. The most preferably eaten grains are oats and wheat. Corn, barley and millet are much worse for rats to eat.
The question arises, which folk remedies for rats should we choose? Let's consider everything in order: physical (mechanical), biological and chemical methods.
Physical (mechanical) method - 5 useful techniques
In the current unstable economic situation, this folk remedy is the simplest and least expensive. The owner of the house just needs skill in installing traps and crushers for catching rats, as well as various tricks.
There is a large selection of fishing gear on sale. What I would like to recommend first of all:
- When choosing a crusher or rat trap, look at the elasticity of the spring and the weight of the wooden or metal base to which the spring mechanism is attached.
- The spring should be tight and charge with force. This will allow for a more lethal effect when triggered. There should be no gap, or it should be minimal, between the activated spring and the surface to which it is attached.
- The base for the rat trap must be stable both in area and in weight. When the spring is activated, so that the rat trap does not bounce.
- And the most important thing is to constantly change the bait, as well as the position of the rat trap and be able to disguise it . Then you will achieve results.
- A positive effect can be achieved by “flooding” rat holes with water or digging up a garden plot. Rats make shallow passages between burrows, so you can disrupt their livelihoods by digging up the ground.
Homemade rat traps
The simplest and most humane option is the classic rat trap made from a can and a coin. The jar is placed upside down and the bait is placed at a low height. A large coin is placed on the opposite side so that the container is raised and does not collapse on its own. When the rat tries to get the bait, it will move the jar and become trapped. It is recommended to place a lid or any hard flat surface under the neck in advance. This will help you lift the trap without releasing the rat.
Homemade trap made from a bucket and a jar.
Is this method effective?
Thanks to this method, you can catch 1-2 pests, but such rat traps are useless against large flocks. Rats are social and intelligent animals. They warn their relatives of danger by squeaking and do not fall into the same trap twice.
Why is it better to choose Hawk devices?
When purchasing Hawk repellers, you will not have to build any additional traps using step-by-step instructions. It is enough to connect the device to the network and leave it indoors. The repeller acts more humanely because it does not kill rodents, like some homemade rat traps. You don't have to take the animal outside or think about what to do with it.
Another advantage of the devices is their effectiveness against single individuals and large flocks.
Mousetraps are able to cope with a few rodents, but later the pests are no longer caught in the traps. In the case of repellers, rats cannot avoid the effects of ultrasound, so even large flocks have to leave their habitable place.
Biological method - a traditional folk remedy for fighting rats
This folk remedy for fighting rats involves keeping specialized breeds of cats or dogs in the house, which can become biological enemies of rodents. Not all cats and dogs decide to fight rats, since they are larger and more aggressive than other synanthropic rodents.
This folk remedy for fighting rats is ineffective, as it depends on your pet who lives in your house. But sometimes it gives its results if you alternate it with other methods.
Measures to prevent re-infestation of rats
To prevent repeated rodent invasions, you must:
- cover ventilation outlets with fine grilles;
- seal all cracks and rat passages with concrete mixed with glass;
- strictly monitor food products, which must be stored in tightly closed containers;
- remove garbage and food waste in a timely manner;
- clear the area of fallen leaves and debris;
- use fragrant herbs for preventive purposes.
Chemical method - 8 ideas for independent struggle
You can expect more tangible results from this method if used correctly.
In the folk recipe there are a lot of methods for using available food and industrial chemicals or using plants with toxic properties to get rid of rats:
- A good result comes from adding construction putty to various cereals, as well as porridge. When eating this bait in the stomach and intestines of pasyuks, this building material hardens, which causes the death of rodents.
- It is also advisable to add medical or construction plaster. Freshly prepared bait is placed in places most frequently visited by rats. The effect is fatal when food enters the gastrointestinal tract of rodents.
- Extruded food, which quickly swells and is eaten by rats with pleasure, is of great attractiveness to rodents. You can add baking soda or boric acid to these feeds. The effect of this bait will not be long in coming. Both of these components, when ingested, will enter into a chemical reaction with gastric juice, and the gas released will poison the rats.
- Minced meat can also be used as a base for bait. Minced meat, of course, is a little expensive for these purposes, but freshly prepared minced fish is very suitable for mixing it with ash. If ingested by a rat, this mixture will also lead to the death of the bees.
- In addition to the bait method, folk remedies for fighting rats use treatment of rodent burrows with bleach, which can easily be found in any home.
- Found rat holes can be treated with kerosene or diesel fuel, but this only applies to those rodent holes that are located outside the house. Fire safety measures must be observed.
- Exhaust gas, which is produced when an internal combustion engine is running, can be released into rat holes. When gas appears from other holes, they must be trampled down to achieve the poisoning effect.
- Calcium carbide can be used with caution. By placing it in a hole and watering it with water, the carbide will begin to decompose, releasing acetylene, which irritates and affects the respiratory tract.
Tips and recommendations for choosing methods of deratization at home
Measures against rodents should not adversely affect human health, so they are different for different premises.
10 ways to catch a rat in a house or apartment
Living spaces
In rooms where people are constantly present, preference is given to various types of deterrents and traps. Domestic predators can be of great help here.
Before starting a systematic fight, it is necessary to strictly limit the access of rodents to food products, it is necessary to identify places where rodents accumulate, cover up all suspicious holes and cracks with a mixture of concrete and broken glass, check ventilation shafts for the presence of rat nests, and replace the grilles with them. It is very important that rodent control is carried out in all residential areas at the same time.
Animal sheds
In utility rooms where animals and birds are kept, toxic substances, as well as various types of traps, will have to be abandoned. Here, products such as wood ash, fumigation with burnt wool, and burdock scattered on the floor are better suited here.
5 Best Ways to Get Rid of Rats in Your Shed For Good
Attics and basements
In rooms that are rarely visited by people and have a large area, killing rat traps have proven themselves, and potent poisons are also used here.
Sheds and garages
In utility rooms they use strong-smelling substances, traps, and traditional methods of killing rats (gypsum, dry putty, soda). It is possible to use smoke bombs.
How to get rid of rats using folk remedies (plants)
- Blackroot (ratweed) is a poisonous plant that can be found everywhere, it grows like a weed. This plant, namely a decoction of crushed root, causes suffocation. An infusion of ratwort root is mixed with well-eaten food for rats.
- Swamp wild rosemary is a plant that repels rats with its smell and creates unbearable conditions for their life.
- Wormwood and peppermint - these plants are recommended to be planted in a personal plot, and dried plants can also be laid out in the house in places frequently visited by rats. These plants scare away and cause the beekeepers to flee.
- Elderberry and tomato tops are plants that contain solanine (a poisonous glycoside). The specific aroma of these plants causes panic in rats, rodents leave the house.
- Tansy - under the influence of the aroma of this plant, rats stop breeding and subsequently disappear from the territory inhabited by them.
- Essential oils of camphor and other plants, more resistant to fresh or dried plants. It is better to use essential oils to repel rats, as they stay on the surface longer and produce results.
- Tobacco – this plant can be planted in your garden; rats do not like to be near tobacco. The use of smoking tobacco (shag) gives a greater effect. Shag can be scattered throughout the house where rats have been seen. It is recommended to periodically wipe the floor with the prepared tobacco infusion.
Signs of rodents
It is easier to drive away rodents in the early stages, when a whole flock has not yet settled in the house.
You can tell that there are pests in your home based on the following signs:
- The appearance of strange sounds. Rodents make rustling and squeaking sounds, scratch the floor and walls with their claws, and make noise when they damage things. Rats can jump up to 0.5 m in height, which is why you may hear rumbling noises at night. At night, animals are more active.
- Presence of excrement. The droppings are round and raisin-like. It is larger than a mouse.
- Damage to property. Most often, rats gnaw grocery bags, cereal packages and bags of flour. This is how they get their food. However, rodents can also ruin cosmetics, children's toys, clothes, etc. They chew holes in baseboards, walls, doors and pipes.
- Unpleasant smell. Rats often mark territory. They can leave excrement in their homes and hard-to-reach crevices.
- The appearance of nests. Animals construct them from polyethylene, papers, torn rags and other similar materials.
conclusions
- First of all, localize the area where rodents are active.
- Experimentally select their diet by determining what they eat more often
- Based on the priority products, prepare poisoned baits
- Constantly change the placement of fishing gear and camouflage them to match the surrounding environment
- You cannot expect an effect from only one folk remedy; you need to change them periodically or combine them. Rats are “intelligent” - they immediately identify an object that is dangerous for them.