Rat Control London

Rat pest control in London

Rat Removal London

Residential pest control or commercial pest control we will solve your pest problems fast, creating a rat control treatment plan, all of our pest exterminators are BPCA Level 2 Certified.

You need to act fast on rat infestations as they breed and multiply very quickly creating a major health hazard, Rat pest control treatment is very important, do not leave a rat infestation as it will spiral out of control.

we offer pest control services across London and most of the U.K, we specialise in Rat Control, Bird control & Bed bugs.

Prevention is the most effective thing you can do when it comes to controlling rats. Like humans, rodents need food and shelter and by removing these, you can make your environment less susceptible to an infestation. 

When it comes to prevention, the first aspect you should address is hygiene. It is essential that any sources of "free food" are eliminated from your environment and this can be achieved through regular rubbish removal and a high standard of cleanliness. In particular, you should ensure that you do the following: 

1) Keep food in sealed containers and only in the kitchen. If dirty used dishes/food are left in other areas of the house, rats may thrive off the leftovers. This includes rinsing cans and bottles before putting them in the bin as the residue left in them could attract rodents. 

2) Vacuum/sweep your kitchen at night (to collect any excess crumbs from the day) as being nocturnal creatures, rats tend to come out at night to forage for food. 

3) Keep your home as tidy as possible and extend this to all outdoor areas as clutter provides an ideal harborage for rats. Garages are also particularly prone, so you should ensure that any potential nesting materials such as cardboard and paper are also removed.

Once you have adequate hygiene measures in place, the next step is to look at proofing your property. Proofing involves the introduction of barriers into potential entry points and essentially blocks rodents from accessing your property. 

Rats will find their way into buildings through cracks/holes in walls, doors and crevices. The best way to stop them from coming in is to seal/cover these openings. You can use clear caulk which is quite effective if applied in the correct areas, as well as copper mesh and steel wool which is also handy for filling holes. A pest control technician can pest-proof the property. Our pest control service includes proofing.

In order to effectively control rats, it is imperative that we understand how they interact with their environment. Like humans, rats rely on their 5 senses and respond appropriately to ensure their survival.

1. Touch:
   Touch is one of the most important senses for a rat and Infant rats respond to touch from the moment they are born. Rats use touch to judge the shape of objects and for identifying common landmarks in their surroundings. They use the hairs (guard hairs) present in their fur, vibrisse and whiskers to help them with this. Along with smell, this helps to geographically position the rats, allowing them to establish familiar routes.
2. Taste:
   Like us, taste enables rats to assess the palatability of certain foods and they are thought to be able to distinguish between the four tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty. If they do not favour what they have bitten into, they can eject it from their mouth by tucking their upper lip behind their incisors, blocking the back of their mouth. This highlights the importance of using an attractive bait, suggesting that rats have an element of intelligence that is underestimated.
3. Smell:
   Much of rats' information is obtained via smell and they use it to ascertain the presence of permitted members of the colony. A colony will be bonded together by an identifiable smell, allowing them to defend their burrow from intruders who do not omit the same odour.
   
   The smell of urine can also communicate information and rats selectivity urinate in certain spots to ensure that messages are communicated. The most popular reason for urinating is to alert other members of the colony to the presence of food.
4. Sound:
   Rats have an acute sense of hearing and are highly sensitive to sudden noises and high frequency sounds. This is why humans rarely see a physical rat in their home and instead only find signs of their presence. The slightest movement can result in a flight response and this helps to ensure the species' survival.
5. Sight:
   Rats are colour-blind and as a result of this, the sense of sight is of minor use. The main function of the eyes is thought to be the identification of light intensities and for detecting movement at close range. A rat's sight assists its other more acute senses and serves as an addition rather than a reliable single source.

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Signs of Rats

As mentioned, you are very unlikely to see a live physical rat in your home/premises so it is imperative that you recognise the signs of their presence. You should lookout for the following indicators to help you determine if you might have a rat infestation: 

1) Smell:

Rats produce stale odours that can be quite strong, especially when infestations have been long-standing or undisturbed.

2) Droppings:

Rats defecate black spindle-shaped droppings that resemble grains of rice. Each rat produces roughly 40 droppings per day and can be found in an area that they have visited.

If the droppings are soft and shiny, this could indicate that they are fresh. In contrast, if they are hard and dull, this suggests that the droppings are old.

3) Urine:

Norway rats produce roughly 15ml of strong-smelling urine per day. The excretion of urine is linked to territory marking and communication and is often consciously left in a particular place.

Rodent Control London

Contrary to popular belief, rats are not comfortable living with humans. A few however have adapted to human presence and thrive in such environments. These types of rodents are known as "commensal" rodents and their adaptability has enabled their survival. 

Rats are nocturnal creatures and are mainly active during the hours of darkness where human activity is at its lowest and food sources are at their highest. Despite this, certain circumstances such as shift work could change this pattern so it's always important to consider environmental factors and factor them into your control plan. 

When adequate food sources and shelter are present, rats tend to have a restricted area of movement and stick to common, known routes. They live close to their food source which is usually within 30 meters of their burrow. 

How To Get Rid Of Rats

After you have ascertained that you could possibly need rat pest control, you should contact a professional rat exterminator such as Pestcure Limited to successfully control the infestation. Many people think that rat control simply consists of laying poison and traps, but the reality is very different.

Time must be spent carrying out an initial survey as the information collected is the driving force of the control operation.

The initial survey stage incorporates targeted objectives to identify: 

1) Species causing the problem?

2) Extent of the infestation? Horizontally and vertically?

3) Extent of infestation? Light, moderate or heavy?

4) Main areas of activity and potential baiting points?

5) Food source?

6) Harbourage? 

7) Water source?

8) History of infestation?

9) Source of infestation?

10) Immigration? 

11) Non-target hazards such as children, pets and wildlife?

12) Proofing defects?

13) Hygiene defects? 

Your pest control technician is unlikely to learn all there is to know about the infestation on the first visit. Subsequent visits to the property are essential as they are used as "secondary surveys" that help to build up a complete picture of the extent of the problem.

If you attempt to tackle the problem yourself, the casual unplanned use of control techniques is unlikely to provide effective control and you could essentially worsen the situation.  

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Getting rid of rats requires patience and expertise; we don't recommend tackling an infestation by yourself. Prevention is key, but if it's too late, you can rely on Pestcure Limited.

We have rat control technicians available near you and all of our technicians are BPCA level 2 (British Pest Control Association) certified so you can be confident that we possess the skills needed to control your rat problem.

We are also members of the British Pest Control Association, our details can be viewed if you click here.

Remember, if you call in a company that is not competent or experienced, you actually risk enhancing a rat's neophobic instinct thus worsening your situation.