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Updated 04/26/19
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RATS !!!
WHY, we need to keep rat infestations from escalating ....
Rats instinctively chew a LOT on whatever is at hand, in order to keep teeth sharp and healthy.
Chewed wiring can burn a house down; chewed water pipe can cause expensive leak damage;
it is considered a good idea to inspect attic wiring and plumbing after dispatching these guys.
Another reason to take appropriate steps to control rat populations -- even rats with NO poison
in their systems can endanger our pets and wildlife .....
http://www.pest-control-products.net/724/rats/just-how-destructive-are-rats/
RAT REPRODUCTION:
- The rat is capable of having an average of 3 to 8 young every litter.
- The offspring are born around 20-21 days after conception
- The rat pups are nursed for a month in a half and weaned
- Independence and sexual maturity for the rat is around three months
- Reproduction can occur three to five times a year
- Rats can live up to 8 years or longer
RAT FACTS:
- A rat can go longer without water than a camel. Camels can typically go without water from a week to up to 2 months.
If they do drink water they only need .5 - 1 ounce a day. - It can fall some five stories without injury, or survive large doses of radiation, swim for half a mile across open
water, and survive by treading water for 3 days. - Over generations, they tend to build up certain immunities to poisons.
- Rats’ tails help them to balance, communicate and regulate their body temperature.
- Rats take care of injured and sick rats in their group.
- Without companionship, rats tend to become lonely and depressed.
- Rats have excellent memories. Once they learn a navigation route, they won’t forget it.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/all-about-rats-c-21_577.html
NOTES:
I do NOT condone ANY second-generation rodenticide products offered by DIY Internet sites
such as the above.
Unfortunately, those products are still readily available to the ignorant.
When rats are first sighted, please contact a responsible, professional exterminator to minimize
propagation before dangerous alternatives may be required to protect health and property.
I currently use AIPM (Advanced Integrated Pest Management):
"These days, people are more environmentally conscious than ever – and for good reason.
We all play a part in protecting and preserving the world around us, including all of the planet’s
plants and animals.
It’s fine to not want pests near you in Northern California or Northern Nevada; given the
dangers they pose, they’re better off somewhere else. But it’s important that your chosen pest
control solution doesn’t create additional dangers – to you, your pets, or the environment."
https://advancedipm.com/eco-advantage/
PERSONAL ADVENTURES WITH RATS:
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Rats invaded my attic in October, 2016 for the first time since I moved here in 2000.
Exterminators told me that years of drought and ground-breaking construction have triggered something of a rat epidemic in our area. Natural predators such as hawks, snakes, barn owls and coyotes are apparently failing to control population explosion. My rodents were very large, and did a lot of chewing (sounded like gnawing on wood) and random thumping racket at all hours – I could hear a half dozen or so scampering around up there night and day for over a month before exterminators successfully sealed off their entry point. -- I was told that it takes longer to get rid of rats these days because they are increasingly "bait-shy", or "rat-trap-savvy". -- I also learned that California no longer allows the D-Con formula I had used with great success years ago during San Jose roof rat epidemic. We can still get D-Con, but not with the dangerous-to-pets-and-bird-life, "second generation" poisons: https://www.epa.gov/rodenticides/canceling-some-d-con-mouse-and-rat-control-products (Cats proved very effective back then, but that strategy might not be prudent around our hawks and coyotes.) The over-sized peanut butter spring traps set by exterminators in my attic managed to catch only two of suspected half-dozen rats over three weeks. These guys were BIG, and had furry-haired coats with white, silver, and dark gray pattern..... (Each dead rat filled approx 1/3 of a plastic grocery produce bag.) The others apparently moved out after witnessing buddies' prolonged, tortured fate -- I could hear thumping and squealing going on for several minutes after each trap banged shut. After sealing off the suspected entry point, all has been quiet up there for several months; however, the three spring traps will remain set, close to attic door for easy monitoring and good visibility to unwary HVAC maintenance folk. TIP FOR POSSIBLE RODENT ENTRY POINTS: In addition to sealing off the obvious entry point (AC outside tubing left just enough room to squeeze past into attic; I could hear at least 4 rats jumping down onto my ceiling whenever they came back from foraging) -- my exterminator also reinforced three perceived, vulnerable-to-rodent-entry roof junctions: Evidently, a common entry point in our type of construction can be the junction where the garage roof or extended window roofing breaks away from the house roof, exposing a little section of plywood -- no biggie for an interested rat to chew through. -- Heavy metal screen patches were installed at the roof junctions for my garage and two rear box windows; although, I have been told that a sufficiently interested rat can chew through just about anything, including metal. There are minimal signs of nibbling at any of the rat bait stations duly placed in line with all my fences -- apparently, remaining pack members are propagating happily elsewhere at SCLH ... (sorry, neighbors). ------------------------ Update 08/01/17 Our HOA newsletter observed that rodent populations have indeed increased this year, and cautions all residents to use responsible, experienced exterminators. -- Such exterminators use minimal strategies to get the upper hand on rat infestations before resorting to the still-available, second-generation poisons that are killing our wildlife and pets... Rats may also carry poisoned bait/food back to nests for sharing with rest of family: http://www.pest-control-products.net/835/rats/ten-essential-rat-trapping-tips/ The "never use rat poison under any circumstance" folk who are of course, concerned about harming pets and wildlife, are likely unaware that these can be seriously hurt and killed by escalating rat populations. http://www.pest-control-products.net/724/rats/just-how-destructive-are-rats/ TIPS FOR AVOIDING DRASTIC MEASURES: -- It may be prudent NOT TO WAIT, till we actually discover rats in our own attic ............. Monitoring a couple outside rat traps year round can postpone using the second-generation poisons to handle seasonal, out-of-control epidemics (see "Rat Reproduction" above). However, when there are many more rats than traps, the rest of the pack might become 'trap savvy' ..... and go off to propagate in considered-safer territory. This apparently happened in my own attic; three traps were set up although I could hear activity from 4-6 invaders right from the start; only two were caught -- the others abandoned ship before we sealed off the attic entry point. I was happy to resolve attic situation, but did not feel comfortable knowing that at least two other rats would continue to propagate. Technically, the litters from just one mating pair can escalate into several hundred more rats in the coming 12 months, and every rat can live up to eight years or longer when natural predators are unable to keep up. Advanced Integrated Pest Management exterminator currently monitors a combination of ten bait and spring traps on my 7200 square-foot lot where there are over a dozen trees and many large bushes: http://advancedipm.com/ ------------------------ Update 07/28/17 This week, my exterminator found all seven outdoor bait traps EMPTIED. On previous checkups we had minimal, if any, nibbling at any trap ..... This was a concerning finding, since there had been enough bait to bring down at least a dozen varmints; the fact that no bait remained can indicate many MORE rats in this area......and the Fall nesting season is right around the corner :-(. I do not live near any open spaces or natural habitats....exterminator said he has never seen such heavy rat infestations in this area -- confirmed by our HOA August newsletter. ------------------------- Update 06/18/17 I came across Audubon Society article suggesting several 'safe' rodenticides: "....Natural rodent control is not always available in heavily developed areas. Nor does it help much if rodents are multiplying inside your house. But that doesn’t mean you need weapons of mass destruction...." "Safe alternatives include single- and multiple-entrance snap traps, electrocuting traps, glue traps (provided you use them only indoors and frequently dispatch stuck rodents), and even the first-generation baits with these active ingredients: chlorophacinone, diphacinone, diphacinone sodium salt, warfarin sodium salt....." “Take Action: Don’t buy baits containing 'second-generation' rodenticides." (Unfortunately, these deadly poisons are still avalable...) "And if you see them on store shelves, urge managers to remove them. If they resist, give them a photocopy of this article*.” (Second-generation anticoagulants registered in the United States include brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, and difethialone.) * "Poisons Used to Kill Rodents Have Safer Alternatives" http://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2013/poisons-used-kill-rodents-have-safer About National Audubon Society: http://www.audubon.org/about Easy to use bait stations for these 'safe' active ingredients are available on Amazon. Other related info: http://saferodentcontrol.org/site/problems-with-rodenticides/ April 17, 2017 https://www.epa.gov/rodenticides/restrictions-rodenticide-products -------------------------- This is not a fun experience, but IMHO, it could be much worse: Whenever attic rat activity woke me up at night (late summer, 2016), I had some consolation that I'd chosen to repipe with copper instead of easier-to-chew plastic; no signs of metal pipe chewing after rats were finally dispatched. (We can do a simple Goggle on "PEX, rats" for horror stories regarding rats chewing on today's popular plastic plumbing in ceilings and walls.) -- Rodent chewing issues may be yet another reason why 9 out of 10 plumbing contractors reportedly do not use plastic PEX pipe anywhere in their own homes: https://www.copper.org/applications/plumbing/restools/cu_brchrs/why_chse_cu.html About Copper.org: https://www.copper.org/about/ My own water repipe project info: http://ourimaginalcells.info/improving-water-quality.html BTW ... -- Frequent chewing is a natural reflex for many rodents to keep their teeth healthy and sharp.... Rats can decide to chew on anything that's handy, including electrical wiring; I had an electrician take a look around after my rats were dispatched. Rats do not need to be thirsty before deciding to chew on water plumbing pipe ... Even if we do not use dehydrating rat bait in an attempt to discourage rats from chewing on water pipe, they may have already dined elsewhere... Logically, if rodents choose to nest (propagate) up there, or are trapped after all entry points are sealed off, they will eventually be thirsty .... -- If someone suggests coating PEX pipe with a “rat deterrent”, be aware of recent NSF studies indicating that PEX can absorb / leach many toxins into drinking water. ....Also, filters on all faucets (kitchen, bath, shower, laundry, etc.) are now strongly recommended for all PEX-using homeowners.....routinely flush all house plumbing, etc.. https://www.angieslist.com/articles/does-pex-piping-affect-drinking-water-quality.htm About Angie's List: https://www.angieslist.com/basic/angie-s-list.htm -- Using moth balls to repel rats in attics might seem like a good idea, but there are several well-studied reasons why this is actually ILLEGAL for homeowners to do; any undesired results can be next to impossible to reverse: http://npic.orst.edu/capro/mothball.html http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1023 About NPIC (National Pesticide Information Center: http://npic.orst.edu/about.html ( .....It is also not clear, that today's confirmed-absorbent PEX pipe can NOT leach mothball off-gassing toxins into drinking water): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135414006289 About Science Direct: https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/sciencedirect |
