Rodents in Newcastle – Time to take action!

Rodents have once again become a nuisance. As the weather has started to cool with the change of the season Amalgamated Pest Control Newcastle has been busy taking care of the controlling rodents in Newcastle. The rats and mice are still around during the warmer months but there is less need to find warmth and shelter during the warmer months.

These animals are well adapted to living in very close association with humans, sharing food and shelter … but that doesn’t mean they can live in your home without consequences!

Why should you worry about rodent control?

There a few main reasons why we should not share our homes with rodents:

• Disease transmission
  Rats and mice are known to transmit up to 35 different diseases and some can be fatal to humans.
• Physical damage to your property
  Rats and mice need to gnaw continually to prevent their teeth from growing too long. Rodents can gnaw electrical cables causing short circuits or even possible electrical fires.
• Food contamination
  Rodents can contaminate your food through consumption or contamination with urine, faeces and hair.
• Phobia
  Fear of rats and mice is quite common. Whether it is just the sight of a rat or a mouse that freaks people out and also the fear of the unknown with the noises coming from the roof area.

A recent case of rodents…

Recently we had a technician attend a property in Elermore Vale and the owners had been hearing noises in the roof.

Upon inspection our technician sighted evidence that rats had made a comfy home in the roof area. The site was a double storey house and the rodents were using the air conditioning ducts to help them move from one floor to another.

The rodents had created a super highway between the floors.

The rats had also started to gnaw at the ducts and were causing considerable damage and as a results this would reduce the efficiency of the heating and cooling of the air conditioning unit and could possibly result in an expensive repair or excessive electricity bills.

The rodents had also stated to gnaw on both the coaxial aerial cable for the TV and the electrical wiring of a down light that could potentially start an electrical fire.

How Amalgamated Pest Control solved the rodent problem

We started a rodent baiting program at the property to get rid of their rodent problems and we reported the damage caused to the owner so they could contact the appropriate trades people to fix the electrical issues.

Upon reflection the home owner was glad they called Amalgamated Pest control to get their rodents under control and started a rodent baiting program before anything serious happened in the roof area.

Our basic procedure for rodent control:

• We did a thorough inspection of the premises. The rodent evidence was mainly in the roof area and also some rodent droppings found in the garage.
• 

  Tamper Resistant Rodent Stations

  Our technician placed tamper proof lockable rodent stations in and around  strategic areas of the property to ensure activity within the stations in maximised.
  (We use Tamper Resistant rodent stations which are designed so that a bait can be placed inside and the rodent is unable to remove the bait. The rodent will consume the bait within the stations).

• There were also some conditions at the property encouraging the rodent activity which we fixed with help of the customer.
• Environmental issues such as access to garbage, food, organic waste and the like, not only attracts rodents but in the case of rats can make control take longer and be more expensive. These factors always need to be assessed and rectified.
• We returned to the property  to conduct a follow up inspection to the property and the stations.

The results or our rodent control program…

The majority of the bait within the stations had been consumed. During the follow up inspection we’re looking for the signs that the rodents are still active.

If the rodents are still active we’ll take the nessesary actions to for further control. During this inspection we confirmed that the activity had been controlled and there was no longer a problem at this property.

We gave some recommendations on proofing, how to keep them out in the future and provided them with a three month Service Warranty.

Key indicators that you may have rodent problems…

A few key tips to look for signs of rodents:

• Scratching noises in the roof
• Droppings found in and around the building
• Tracks – Run tracks or rub marks along walls or plumbing pipes
• Gnawing – Damage to food packets in the pantry or cupboards
• Excitement of the family pet- If your dog or cat is acting strangely for example excessive barking in a particular area, they might be trying to tell you something
• Sensors/Alarms -Alarms being triggered in particular areas

Are you worried about rodents or other pests?

If you have any concerns or suspect you might have a rodent problem then don’t hesitate to contact us.

Call Amalgamated Pest Control – Newcastle TODAY on 4488 4019