Came for ants, left resolving rat problem - Pest Control in Gillette, NJ

Challenge

I was dispatched to a residential housing development in Gilette, an area of Long Hill Township in Morris County, for which we handle all of their pest control needs. I was contacted after a homeowner in the development had complained of ants outside his residence. It was fortunate that Cowleys was contacted. As often happens, when we are called for a particular insect infestation, we find other potentially more serious problem. In this case, while inspecting the home’s exterior for ants, I found evidence of a much more serious problem — rodents. And not just a few field mice, but rats! Rats top the list of troublesome and damaging rodents. They eat and contaminate food, damage structures and property, and transmit fleas and other parasites and related diseases. Every so often, you’ll hear about some horrific story of rats biting and severely injuring the helpless like babies and those who are bed-confined. The problem with rat infestations is that they can go unnoticed for quite awhile. Rats stay out of sight because they are nocturnal and live underground in burrows. 

During my pest inspection, I located two significant Norway rat burrows along the foundation and by the air conditioning unit. Norway rats, sometimes called brown or sewer rats, are stocky burrowing rodents that are larger and more aggressive than roof (or black) rats. They are the largest of the “commensal” rodents. Rats have adapted well to human habitats and thrive in close association with humans where they easily find food, water, and shelter. Norway rats burrow, forming tunnels in the soil. These tunnels have a 2- to 3-inch wide entrance hole and one or two exit holes to escape. Their nesting burrows are often built along the foundation of walls, and as the infestation grows, more burrows are built. The result is a network of underground tunnels potentially hiding dozens of rats. As nocturnal pests, rats try to enter homes during the night to scavenge for food and then return to their burrows before daylight. They can squeeze through a half-inch gap, which is often the space under a door, and if their isn’t a gap, they can easily make one by gnawing through wood with their razor-sharp teeth and claws. Once inside buildings, they usually remain in the basement or ground floor. If you come across a rat burrow near your home’s foundation, you can’t just close up the holes. The only way to resolve an infestation is to eliminate the rats. Otherwise, they’ll immediately re-open the the holes and be back in business.  

The Norway rat has distinctive characteristics. Its muzzle is blunt, its eyes and ears small, and its tail is shorter than its head and body combined. They can grow to be quite large. Some can weigh one pound or more. They have poor sight, but keen senses of smell, taste, hearing, and touch. They are shy about new objects and very cautious when there are changes in their environment. This is one reasons why rats can be a challenge to trap. It often takes time and patience. 

These particular rats had formed a runway in the grass from the burrow to the "buffet" of excess bird seed spilled on the ground (see attached picture). Sanitation is fundamental to rat control. Areas must be kept clean and firewood, crates, and other equipment should be stored off the ground to deny them potential harborage areas. Of course, potential food sources must be eliminated as well whether it is garbage, pet food, or bird seed. . The last thing you want is spilled bird seed all over the lawn. I would be hard-pressed to think of a better attractant for rats than a nice variety of seeds available to them on demand that is constantly replenished by well-meaning humans. The problem with bird seed is that it does not only attract birds. It also attracts a variety of nuisance wildlife including squirrels, mice, and rats.  I informed the management company that the neighboring homeowner had to remove the bird feeder immediately and clean up the spilled birdseed. As long as the rats had a virtually unlimited supply of food, any other measures taken to eliminate the infestation would be for naught. It  would only be a matter of time before other nuisance pests showed up.

Solution

As long as food, water, and shelter are available, rat populations will increase quickly. The most permanent form of rat and other rodent control is limiting food, water, shelter, and access to buildings. Direct population control is necessary if there is an active infestation that needs to be resolved. Here, I secured two exterior rodent bait stations in close proximity to the rodent burrows. Fortunately, with this infestation, the rats had not yet found their way indoors. Finally, I scheduled with a two-week follow up to check the traps and make sure that my recommendations were addressed. Because rats often are suspicious of new or unfamiliar objects, it will take several days for them to enter and feed in bait stations. Rat control is not a DIY project. A pest control technician is trained to use rodenticides safely and ensure that the bait stations are immobilized to prevent accidental exposure to children or domestic pets.