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.
Follow an integrated pest management approach
Rats can reproduce at alarmingly high rates, which is why it is important to act now to prevent rat infestations from taking over your home. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the best practice for controlling harmful rodents. IPM balances the benefits of cost, control, public health and regulatory compliance. Integrated Pest Management includes three steps:
• Find: Find the source of the problem, and make sure you understand what’s needed before taking action.
• Solve: Solve the problem with a proven approach. Rodenticides are part of an IPM approach, as responsible, targeted use of rodenticides is, at times, the best solution. Rodenticides are rigorously tested and reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before they are made available for sale and use. Read and follow all label directions prior to use to ensure you are using a product designed to control the specific rodent you are targeting, and that you know how to properly use it.
• Prevent: Manage future problems by stopping them before they start.