FAST FACTS
PREVENTING PESTS
If you’ve got a rat problem, it’s probably time to call in a professional, says Chad Flemming of Aegis Pest Control Solutions. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to prevent rodents from moving in. “Unfortunately the DIY thing from a pest control perspective has a lot less benefits than it used to. As a homeowner what you really need to do is focus on what you can control easily. No. 1 is control harbourage on your property — when I use the term harbourage in my business that’s quite simply a place to hide.”
VISUAL INSPECTION
Fleming said the first thing people should do is take a walk around their home to look for signs of rat activity and close-off any places where one might be able to enter any structures. If you have an older house that might even mean replacing the wood on an old boarded-up coal chute or checking the sills on your doors and windows.
“As soon as that snow goes you should be taking a walk around. Is there activity? Are there burrows? The bottom of that plywood that maybe I should have replaced last year, is it soft? Does it look like somebody’s chewed a hole in it? That’s absolutely something that’s really quick, it’s really easy to go through and keep on top of. We’re all bad for it but this year especially, we’re all home, we all have more time than we usually do — that’s usually our excuse, we don’t have enough time — well everybody’s got time this year and it’s worth the little patrol inspection.”
HIDDEN HOMES
Rats don’t need to make it into your home to find shelter on your property.
Flemming said woodpiles should be at least 18 inches off the ground, and you should get rid of any brush piles or debris that could provide a rat with safe shelter. Also consider trimming back any landscaping around your home. “I know that everybody loves to not see their concrete foundation but it’s kind of like a burglar — if you’ve got more places to hide, it’s all going to add up. Debris in your yard, construction waste, or you took that deck down last year and it’s piled up behind the shed, those things are a move-in condo for a rodent that wants to exploit that food source that you have at your house — your green bin, or your vegetable garden, or what have you.”
BIN WATCHING
Speaking of green bins, Flemming said one problem is people put it close to their homes because it’s more convenient. That often just gives a rat food and a place to hide.
“I know nobody wants to go wander 20 feet to their green bin when it’s raining or whatever, but if you put that green bin up against your house, next to your deck that’s got all that nice lattice, you’re just making it so that he can break into that without you noticing. You’re giving him a kitchen with a lounge next to it where he’s safe from predators.”
SHED STIGMA
While sanitation can definitely be a factor in rodent problems, Flemming said having rats on your property doesn’t mean you’re dirty. He said many customers over the years have even been hesitant to tell him they had a rat problem.
“I’ve shown up to people’s houses and they don’t want to tell me after they’ve called me to engage my services. We have a non-marked vehicle for a reason,” he said, adding he usually tells those people rats like the same things about our homes as we do, “If you like your house even a little bit they do too. Your house, your barn, your shed, your garage, offers them something unique that they normally can’t find in nature, which is a predation-free space.”