There are many reasons why people build homes for their family. The main reason is for protection from unwanted factors such as burglars, thieves, and other criminals. Our homes are also supposed to help us survive any weather – hot or cold to avoid getting sick. Another important reason for building a secure and stable home is to avoid the infestation of pests and other unwanted animals. This includes rats, mice, cockroaches, ticks, fleas, and many more.
For this segment, I will be discussing to you one of the worst pests of all time – rats. Rats are literally everywhere, from sewers to drainage pipes, and canals. It is no surprise that they would find themselves scouring for food in our own backyard. Wherever there is potential food or shelter, rats will be there eventually.
Some people say that they have no rats in their area because they have not seen any sign of a rat infestation. Of course, who would want to admit the existence of rats in their environment? These are dirty and disgusting creatures that are very hard to exterminate. Admitting It does not mean that you do not see rats or signs of their infestation that they are not there. Rats are very keen on their activities. They are very flexible and very difficult to spot especially when you are outdoors.
The Danger Of Rats To People & Properties
The only time you can see rats and signs of their infestation is when they start to infest your home and pilfer what they can from it. This is the time when you can observe rat dropping on certain compartments in your home. You can see holes on your walls and floors, paving way for rats to come in. You will find your food storage units damaged and the food inside it violated by these creatures.
At night, you hear the incessant sound of gnawing and scratching, disturbing you in your sleep. Rats can take a toll on the integrity of your home. They are known to eat almost anything, including electrical wirings. Rats who are fond of gnawing on insulators can cause harm to your family. Did you know that exposed wires from mice and rats are known to cause 25% of house fires in the United States?
Furthermore, according to various researches, rats and the parasites they hoard in their bodies carry various kinds of diseases, most of which are potentially deadly to human beings. Diseases such as the Hantavirus, Listeria, Rat-Bite Fever and Salmonellosis among many others are brought by rats. Not to mention the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, that wiped out around 30% to 60% of the population in Europe in the 14th Century.
The human’s interaction with rats is known to cause dangerous allergies. The chemicals and substances from a mouse’s urine could trigger a person’s allergies in homes. Furthermore, 82% of homes have been found to have more trace amounts of mouse urine, causing families to experience more onset of allergies and other various diseases. Did you know that there are as many people who are allergic to mouse droppings as those who are allergic to mold and dust? Exposure to these allergens is commonly known to cause asthma in children and adults.
These pests should not be taken for granted especially during the winter when they aim to look for warmth to outlive the cold. The reason why rats are considered as one of the most common winter pests is their inability to survive the cold weather. You can observe the increase of rat activity inside your home during the winter season because they aim to survive by infesting the homes for warmth, food, and reproduction. Beware, these rodents are very secretive in nature. Without knowing it, you might be facing a full-on infestation.
DIY Rat Poison
To avoid these kinds of damage and diseases, you must always stay vigilant and alert to any sign of rat infestation. A simple sign should alarm you and push you to take immediate action. Luckily, experts have studied several DIY poisons for rats. This includes Boric Acid, Plaster of Paris Poison, and Baking Soda Poison.
Most of us might have heard about the first two poisons to be effective. But some of us are still skeptic about the baking soda as a form of rat poison. Maybe the reason why it hasn’t been effective for you is the lack of knowledge on how to use it as a rat poison. If your idea of using baking soda is just spreading it on the floor and waiting for rats to eat it, you must rethink your methods.
To use baking soda as rat poison, you need to follow certain steps for it to work:
1. The first one to do is to put on disposable gloves. You must make sure that you do not touch any of the chemicals and substances you use during the process. You would not want to be harmed by its contents.
2. The second step is to combine one cup of flour or cornmeal with 1 cup of sugar or powdered chocolate mix.
3. Then add 1 cup of baking soda and mix it thoroughly. The chocolate mix or the sugar attracts the rats to eat it and the baking soda will soon kill them once it has been consumed.
4. There are many ways to place this trap. You could use unused Tupperware, jar lids, or any other container to put the baking soda poison.
5. But to target these rats where it hurts them the most, you need to put the poison to places where they are most active. You can put it around your garbage bin, or in the unused and dark places in your home where these rats hide. You can also put some around the drainage areas outside your home to target these rats before they start to come inside.
6. After you have left the poison overnight, monitor these places until you no longer see any sign of rat infestation. From there, you can assess if the baking soda poison is effective in killing rats. However, if you still see signs of infestation, try to move the traps around to figure out the rats’ hiding spot. This can help you eradicate them completely out of your environment.
I have had the same problem during my stay in Cornelius, North Carolina. However, I cannot quite know how it worked until I did my research. It turns out that baking soda catalyzes some form of reaction inside the rat’s stomach. Baking soda combines with the stomach acids to produce carbon dioxide gas which rats are unable to tolerate. In turn, it builds up within their system and eventually causes internal blockage and rupture. Soon enough, you will have the rat-free environment you always deserved.
If DIYs Don’t Work, Contact Lake Norman Home Services
Not all of us has the ability to create an ideal poison that is effective in killing rats. There are some people who prefer to seek help from professionals especially when they can no longer handle a full-on rat infestation. If you’re looking for the most competent pest control company in Cornelius, North Carolina, you would be surprised to find one at your fingertips.
When I had a full-on infestation before, there was nobody else I would rather call than Lake Norman Home Services. Their services are 100% guaranteed effective. For over 50 years, they have done nothing more but to save lives, fix homes, and provide smiles to people. You would be crazy to go anywhere else! This humble company provides high-quality methods of pest control. Their exterminators are highly-trained and highly-professional in their line of work. You would be surprised how much effort they can give to provide the pest-free environment you and your family deserves.
The staff and exterminators from Lake Norman Home Services do give their 100% to their clients. They dedicate their full-on support, knowledge, skill, and honesty because it is their utmost responsibility and duty to save as many families as they can. They know the pressure of maintaining a secure and safe home. They have families too and they can relate to all the complaints and worries about having various forms of pest activity all around the house.
At Lake Norman Home Services, they treat you like family. They’re not like other companies who get the money and take off. I was surprised when the exterminators checked up on me from time to time. They even gave me several tips on how to handle pest infestation on my own. You can have the same satisfaction too. All at an affordable price.
What are you waiting for? Soon enough, you will be getting a good night’s sleep without any paranoia and anxiety that rats might infest your home and bring danger to your family. You can sleep with insurance that no rat or any other pest will bother your family again. All thanks to Lake Norman Home Services.