That's right, April signals a definite shift in the seasons and the nights in particular, start to get cooler. What this means to rats and mice is "it's time to start looking for somewhere warmer to live for winter." They will be looking for somewhere warm, dry and free from natural predators but with access to water and food. This means the inside of your house is looking pretty good to a rodent right now.
South East Queensland is home to three introduced, pest species of rodent:
1. The Roof Rat (Rattus rattus)
This guy is actually quite cute but don't be fooled, when left to run wild the roof rat will multiply at an astonishing rate, make a racket in your roof and walls at night, chew your electrical wiring and insulation and eat you out of house and home.
2. The House Mouse (Mus musculus)
Another relative cutie. Slightly smaller than the Roof Rat and more likely to take up residence in your kitchen than your roof but still an unwelcome house guest all the same.
3. The Sewer Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
The largest and boldest of the three, this rat prefers industrial warehouses and factories but will also show up in your house from time to time.
The Roof Rat is probably the most commonly encountered rodent in SEQ homes but it doesn't really matter which one you have, you are going to want it gone. So what can you do. Well putting a carpet snake up in your roof will generally keep your house rodent free but if your anything like me you will prefer the rats to the snake. So you really have two options, traps or baits.
Traps
Traps are the traditional method of getting rid of rodents and are readily and cheaply available from most hardware stores. You need to bait them with something to lure the rodent close enough that it will get caught in the trap and there in lies the dilemma, rodents can be notoriously finicky and hard to catch in traps. The traditional cheese bait appears to be out of favour with our present generation of rodents but exactly what they do like is unclear. I have heard that peanut butter works but I haven't tried it myself. If you do set a trap, you should check it everyday to see if you have caught anything or if the bait needs replacing. Even if you catch the culprit, continue to set the trap until no further activity is evident.
Baits
Commercial rodent baits are readily available to purchase from most hardware stores and some Local Councils provide them to residents for free. They come in a variety of forms including blocks, pellets and powders and are especially formulated to be attractive to rats and mice. They are designed to make the rodents thirsty, so they will go outside looking for water and die out there rather than in your roof or wall void. That doesn't always happen though and if they do die inside, it can lead to another pest problem which I will discuss in another post. In my experience, most commercially available baits work well. As with traps, they should be checked daily for activity and replaced when necessary.
So there you have it. Get ready for the winter rat attack now and don't say I didn't warn you.
If you would like any further information or if you have a pest problem you would like solved please email me at darran@bugwerx.com or call me on 0407 031 959.
All the best
Darran Thomas
Bugwerx Pest Control
