The unwanted houseguests threatening homes and health — part 2

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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the country have been hunkering down at home to stay healthy and follow local stay-at-home orders.

Unfortunately, people aren’t the only ones looking for shelter, and homeowners are faced with how to kick out unwelcome houseguests threatening their health and wellbeing: rats.

With restaurant closures, limited urban activity and other COVID-19 impacts, rats have moved to people’s homes at an alarming rate to seek food and shelter. If you start to notice signs of rats in your home or on your property, it’s important to act fast. Rats are some of the most common and destructive rodents impacting public health today.

Not only do they multiply quickly, they can indirectly or directly spread up to 26 diseases.

What’s more, rats can cause destruction to wood, electrical wires and lawns, costing billions in damages annually. It only takes a hole the size of a silver dollar or smaller for a rat to sneak inside your home, and before you know it, they can cause damage to the safe haven you’ve been working hard to maintain.

The experts from RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment)TM provide important tips and insight to control rats:

Target Nesting Sites

It’s important to remove potential nesting places from your property as soon as possible. Look for hidden indoor spaces such as attics and crawl spaces, and remove leaf piles and mulch outside. Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and keep shrubbery trimmed and cut back. If you notice a strange, stale smell in your home, look for other indicators that you have an infestation.

Eliminate Entry Points

Check for cracks and holes on the outside of your home as well as locations where utilities and pipes connect because these are easy entry points for rodents. Seal holes and replace any damaged screens on windows and doors.