While San Jose rats can get into your home all year long, they tend to be more of an issue in the fall, as the insects they feed on start hiding inside homes when temperatures drop. It might seem strange to have a pest control company that specializes in ground-dwelling pests helping you to take care of fall pests, but it actually makes sense. Here are a few things you should know.
Norway rats are a serious issue in the bay area. This is because these ground-dwelling rodents love the water. They’re great swimmers and they can travel quite a distance underwater. They come into our yards and create burrows underground. At night, they scavenge for food outside and inside our homes. While they prefer to be outside in ground burrows, they can get into homes and stay during the cold months. Before they do, you can do a few things to stop them.
Home Rat Control
- Do a detailed inspection of your exterior and seal any holes that rats may use to get in or that rats might chew on to make large enough to get in. It only takes a hole the size of a quarter to give most rats entry into San Jose homes.
- Make sure all of your exterior trash is in sealed containers. This will keep the smells inside and the rats on the outside.
- Move bird feeders away from your home. While rats don’t prefer seeds as much as mice do, they can make a snack out of seeds that fall to the ground underneath feeders in your yard.
- Remove clutter from your yard. Norway rats are drawn to yards with stacks of objects. They prefer to create their burrows under these stacks.
- Keep your landscaping trimmed. Norway rats prefer to explore areas that give them hiding places and protection from predators.
How Smith’s Pest Management Can Help
- It can be difficult to completely seal your home in a way that will keep Norway rats out. While we don’t provide exclusion services, such as patching and sealing holes, our technicians can deploy rodent repellent to naturally repel rodents and reduce their populations.
- We can actively monitor for rodent activity around your home, trap rodents and remove them from your yard. This works to directly reduce and control the number of rodents around your home.
- Your technician will make recommendations and help you understand what food sources or conditions are making your yard more attractive. Some of the conditions that draw rodents into your yard may really surprise.
If you have questions or you’d liked to meet with one of our expertly trained technicians, connect with us today. Fall is an important time for pest control in San Jose. We can help you get the protection you need to prevent fall and winter rat problems.
