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Pest Control Against Rats, Rodents and Mice

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Book professional rat pest controllers to protect from rodents. Book an inspection for your property to get the right pest control solution. We offer rat control or mice pest control for residential and commercial properties all over Sydney.

Rats are carriers of various diseases and can cause extensive damage to your property. It would help if you had pest control experts regularly inspect your home and stop a mice or rodent infestation. Since there are many ways a mouse can get into your home, some precautions need to be taken. Our team conducts thorough assessments and can determine entry points around your home to prevent new rodents from entering.

Remember that every case of pest infestation is different. Seek the help of professional pest controllers to determine the right pest treatment that would work on your property. Ask our experts about rodent baits and rat pest control solutions that are safe for children and pets.

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    Importance of rat control and mice pest control

    As soon as a rat or mice problem is detected, it's recommended to stop the infestation as soon as possible before the rodents breed further and create an even bigger problem. The presence of these pests is dangerous and must be dealt with to safeguard one's health. That's why Masters Pest Control Sydney provides rat pest control throughout Sydney for any home or business.

    Rats are notoriously difficult pests to deal with. Many homeowners’ initial reaction when they see rats is to try and take care of the problem independently. What they don’t realise is that getting rid of a mice infestation is not easy. Using the services of a professional pest control team is still the best way to remove pests once and for all.

    Get the best pest control price in Sydney. We can match any comparable quote! Call (02) 8007 4666 to request a quote today.

    Rat and Mice Infestations

    Rodents cause property damage and can pose a risk to your health.

    Rats and mice in Sydney and Australia have continuously posed health risks as these critters spread disease. These pests transmit diseases both directly and indirectly. In addition, rats can be quite brazen and are known to bite people in urban areas. Their feeding and nesting habits can also be destructive.

    Rats are known to spread deadly diseases. Vermin, including rats, for instance, carried the fleas through Europe that resulted in the Bubonic Plague. To this day, rodents can still spread plague and its many variants. Yet, that's only the beginning. People who are bitten or scratched by rodents can contract rat-bite fever. This illness involves chills, fever, joint pain, and rash. In addition, rats also transmit hantavirus, Lassa fever, salmonella, leptospirosis, tapeworms, hemorrhagic fever with renal failure, and typhus. Many of the diseases or conditions spread by rats can be deadly.

    What are the signs of a mice infestation?

    Spotting a live black rat or even a dead one should alert you of a possible rat problem. These rodents also leave other telltale signs. Evidence of a rat problem includes bite marks in both wood and plastics. Droppings are another sign that rodents are active in a home. If you spot holes in your home's walls or floorboards, your home likely has a rat problem that requires immediate attention.

    If you're unsure about the extent of the mice problem on your property, please consult our team and schedule an on-site assessment.

    Rat Prevention Tips

    Preventing rats from infesting your property is possible if you follow these simple rules. Here are some tips from pest control experts:

    • Get rid of any potential sources of food and water for rats. This is why it's important not to leave leftover food lying around the house.
    • Seal holes or crevices to prevent rats from entering your property. Determine how rats were able to enter your home. Small rats can enter within a hole as small as 5cm. Use special seals since nailing woods over openings may not be quite enough. Building professionals, for example, use spray foam, escutcheon rings, steel wool and even steel sheets if necessary.
    • Use mousetraps to catch mice. Be wary of super rats, which are immune to household grade traps and bait control. Take note that using store-bought pest solutions do not offer a lasting solution.
    • Spray pest control deterrents around the base of your home to make it a little more difficult for rats to enter your property. It's not necessary to use harmful chemical products since using baking soda, or even peppermint extract can work very well as rat deterrents. (Related: How to to get rid of rats)
    rat eating leftover food

    Prevent rat infestations maintaining a clean environment.

    Pest solution for rodent, mice or rat infestations

    Non-Chemical Control

    • Examples are traps, baits, and glue boards, bait stations

    Rodenticide

    • A cheaper but slower option is the use of rodenticides which are acute anti-coagulants.
    • There is a concept known as pulse baiting in which baits are periodically replaced.
    • A possible issue with using rodenticides is that snails, crickets, and cockroaches love rodenticidal blocks and eat them before rodents even get to them.

    Pellet bait

    • These tiny pellets of rodenticide are best placed in a rat burrow.
    • If you use too many, this pest can become suspicious and decide to throw them out of the burrow. Pest controllers can use a device that disperses pellets in the burrow.

    Place packs

    • These are grain-based rodenticides in a plastic bag.
    • These were known as throw packs because people would open a maintenance hole cover and throw them in. Nowadays, you need to inspect the roof void or subfloor and gently place them there.

    Powder concentrates

    • The common one is in powder form with coumatetralyl as its active ingredient. I
    • It is used as contact dust or as a bait concentrate and mixed with an attractant.
    • It is applied in areas where rodents roam, but it cannot be used in places where it can blow onto animals, food, and food preparation areas.

    Liquid concentrates

    • Most commercial products use bromadiolone as their active ingredient.
    • All liquid baits need to be placed in a spill-proof container held in tamper-resistant baiting stations.

    Rat gel

    • It is made of 3% warfarin which is added to something similar to Vaseline grease.

    Fumigants

    • You will not be able to use fumigants such as aluminium phosphide pellets and tablets for rodent control unless you are a licensed fumigator.
    • Fumigants are used only for gassing Norway rats, but only when they are not close to human and animal habitats.

    Call our team now to find out exactly how we can remove these rodents from your property.

    Home Pest Prevention Tips

    rodent control during the cold months

    Rodents entering the home during colder months

    To many people’s surprise, winter is actually the major rodent season in the industry. Despite the temperature drop, rats breed just as much in colder times as they do in summer. Every winter, rodents invade 21 million homes and gather mostly in bathrooms. Just like us, rats crave cosiness when it gets cold outside. That is why our homes provide an ideal place for them to make nesting.

    (See: Rodent and Mice Control in Sydney)

    Why do rodents love the house during the cold

    There is a common misconception that pests are less likely to appear during colder months. However, rodents, warm-blooded animals including rats and mice, are adept survivors that invade households searching for food and warmth when the weather gets harsh, and food and water become scarce.

    Rodent pests can make their way into houses through even the smallest holes or wall cavities. Upon entry, they will exploit as many areas as possible. For example, roof voids or bathrooms are perfect shelters because of the abundant warm insulation there.

    After many cafes and restaurants underwent forced closure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While rodent activities often increase in winter, the abnormal upsurge may be induced by lockdown restrictions. Since the rats no longer have bins to forage through, they are more likely to flood into suburban areas and people’s homes.

    Invasive rodent species in Sydney

    • Roof Rat: Originating from South East Asia, roof rats or black rats are present anywhere now. Roof rats have soft, typically brown fur with intermixed spots of black. With pointed noses, large ears and unusually long tails that are even longer than their torsos, roof rats are highly skilled climbers. Commonly gathering in colonies, they often nest in upper parts of structures or trees. They are known to spread many diseases such as typhus, jaundice, rat-bite fever, trichinosis and Salmonella.
    • Norway Rat: Norway rats, also known as Sewer rats, are larger than roof mice and live at ground levels. Primarily nocturnal, they often dig in piles of garbage or under concrete slabs. If they enter homes, Norway rats will mainly nest in basements, attics and other undisturbed dwellings. Property damages caused by these rats can happen to various materials, especially plastic and lead pipes. They are potential transmitters of plague, jaundice, rat-bite fever, cowpox virus, trichinosis and Salmonella. Their presence can also introduce fleas and mites into homes.
    • House mice: Scientifically known as Mus Mucus, house mice colonise a wide range of habitats and are mostly found in secluded areas. They are excellent climbers and sneakers. Thanks to their larger figures and excellent ability to move quietly, infestations of house mouses sometimes get unnoticed until the population is large. These rodents hold serious health threats. They can contaminate food and transmit diseases like Salmonella, tapeworm and the plague.

    Rodent pest control measures

    Here are some do-it-yourself ways you can do to make your home less attractive to those uninvited guests:

    • Cover left-over food and drinks and store them in the fridge. Do not pile dirty dishes in your kitchen, as food crumbles and water drops are exactly what rats look for. Also, ensure that domestic garbage is in nowhere but the sealed bins to block rat access.
    • Detect any holes, cracks or cavities in doors, windows and pipelines that can grant mouse entry. Seal them properly can restrict rat invasion as there are fewer chances for them to enter your home.
    • Trim excess trees and shrubs in close vicinity to your house. This will not only take away possible nesting areas and make roof entry harder for these tiny climbers.

    Rodent treatment methods

    If you have found traces of rodent infestation inside your house, you can employ one or several of the rat control measures below:

    • Baits: Rodent bait stations will be set up at various strategic locations around the house structure. The advantage of these rodent bait stations is that they limit the risk of secondary poisoning of non-targeted animals, which is reduced to almost zero.
    • Snap Traps: As baits may require daily monitoring, specially designed humane snap traps can be more convenient.
    • Tracking Powders: Rodent tracking powders and pastes applied to burrows and rub marks can help trace back to their nesting and give you clues to treat them from the root.

    However, rodent complaints are not always easy to deal with because many factors build up environments for rats to survive. Therefore, if the infestation and damages beyond your control or at-home treatments yield little result, seek professional help from rodent pest control agencies.

    diy home tips to get rid of rat infestations

    Rat Bait Stations

    We make sure to follow strict regulations for each type of property. We know exactly how to handle schools, HACCP locations, AQIS3 locations, hotels, and food processing facilities. Call our professional pest experts to take care of any pests. We aim to provide lasting pest solutions to save you money on pest control. For affordable rat control treatments, you can count on the masters of pest control to offer competitive rates. We can beat any quote!

    Our team specialises in rat control and termite control Sydney-wide and can also handle different pests in Australia, including vermin, antscockroaches, bed bugs, and more. We offer our services all over Sydney.

    Are you someone who scratches your head over ways to get rid of rats and mice? If the answer is yes, chances are you might have heard about rodent baiting. Bad weather, such as heavy rains and hailstorms, create ideal conditions for harmful rodents to thrive and affect human life. Besides spreading diseases, rats and mice also trigger asthma and other severe health issues. Rats and mice are a big health concern. As a result, there is an urgent need for rat and mouse control measures.

    Rodent baiting, favoured by both rat control specialists and homeowners, is one of the most advanced control methods for rats and mice. So what is rodent baiting, and how to use it?

    How does it work

    Most domestic rat and mouse rodenticides prevent blood clots. They affect the ability of blood to clot so that exposed rodents die from internal bleeding. A rat or mouse that has absorbed a lethal dose of single feed rodent bait will die in 4-6 days.

    There is also another kind of bait that varies in the ways it kills rats and mice. A bait causes death by disrupting energy cells within the body. Another bait mobilises calcium, leading to rodents’ death. Meanwhile, some types of bait enter the circulatory system as a gas, causing heart failure and liver damage. Some kill with a single dose, while others must be absorbed over 2-4 days.

    Related: How to get rid of rats or mice? DIY Guide

    Advantages of rodent baiting

    Compared to other methods of rodent control, rodent baiting confers plentiful noticeable benefits. Some advantages include:

    • Rodents won't feel immediate pain and would not link their condition with the bait. This means rodents will come back to feed on the poison.
    • Anticoagulants are considered to pose little to no hazard to humans and pets. This means it is fairly safe for households with children, older adults, pregnant women or people who have health issues.
    • There are no immediate severe effects in case of poisoning. This gives enough time to deal with unexpected poisoning in people or pets. Should the poison be accidentally ingested, vitamin K1 can be used as an antidote.

    Rodent bait types

    Rodent baits are made of a special rodenticide that attracts the common mouse. It is mixed with active rat poison and comes in different forms:

    1. Pellet form baits
    2. Place packs (or baits wrapped in paper or placed inside plastic bags)
    3. Block baits
    4. Liquid Bait

    Common bait stations

    Rat or rodent baits are systems installed in key areas with the help of pest exterminators. There are two kinds of bait stations, namely:

    1. Tamper-Resistant (TR) bait stations reduce contact of harmful chemicals to humans and pets. TR stations can be used even when there are children in the household. A TR station is typically secured to the floor or walls, with the rat bait fixed inside the box.
    2. Non-Tamper-Resistant (NTR) bait stations are usually made of plastic and built to withstand debris, dirt or dust. NTR stations are not suitable for outdoor areas close to children.

    Warning: Rodenticides are pesticides for rat and mouse control. If not used correctly, some rodenticides can be toxic to humans, pets, and livestock. Therefore, it is always essential to read and adhere to safety precautions and instructions on product labels.

     

    Preventing Rat Infestations

    Are you having trouble with rodents, but you do not know how to control them? Here are some simple ways to help fight a mouse infestation in your home.

    Pest in Food Inspection

    Remove rats from sources of food.

    1. Use aromatic essential oils.

    There are different ways of controlling rats inside the home. Recently, people have found scents that detract rats from entering the room. Rat poisons are problematic because when the rat consumes the chemicals, they usually die, hiding in hard-to-reach areas like the ceiling or a small crack in the wall.

    Scientific research proves that mice hate the smell of essential oils. Chasing away rats with natural oils can be effective. At the same time, it's not a bad idea to make your house smell nice.

    You only need to take a few drops of favourite essential oil smells (mint, lavender, chamomile) onto small pieces of cotton. Then put the cotton ball in the corners, trash cans or other the kitchen. Change the cotton pads soaked in essential oils after 5-7 days.

    2. Use cinnamon, garlic or paprika.

    To save costs, you can use garlic, cinnamon or paprika to repel mice.

    Sprinkle garlic powder or chilli powder (or chopped chilli pieces) in mouse holes and tunnels. The pungent smell of garlic and chilli will cause discomfort and keep rats away.

    To avoid rats destroying your garden, water your plants with a mixture of paprika, dishwashing liquid diluted with water. This solution not only detracts mice but also prevents pests from destroying plants and vegetables.

    3. Block pathways and entry points.

    You can use a steel wool sponge to block mouse entry points. Make to secure the steel wool to block rodents from re-entering completely. After a few days, if you still see mice, look for other holes you may have missed.

    4. Adopt a pet cat.

    Although this is not a surefire way to prevent a mice infestation, it can help prevent mice from infesting your home. It is common knowledge that cats and mice are mortal enemies. A mice infestation is less likely to get worse if you have a cat.

    10 ways to prevent a mice infestation in your home

    Using domestic pets to help get rid of rats.

    Besides chasing rats from the house, the cat is a lovely pet. Having them in the home can help you relieve stress after a long day of work.

    5. Keep your house clean to prevent mice infestations.

    Keep your house clean. Organise your pantry and seal food containers.

    If there is nothing to eat, a mouse will not live in your home. You should store all food in closed containers properly and put it in safe places to avoid the attack of the mouse. Put your kitchen rubbish as far as possible because the stench will attract rats.

    6.  Use a mousetrap.

    A mistake that many families often make is killing the mouse using poison. This often results in a homeowner wondering where a foul smell is coming from. Not to mention, after rodents die, they will be infested with parasites that could bite people and lead to diseases.

    It's better to use trap a mouse. Throw a rat at least 2 km away from your home to prevent it from going back to your house.

    7. Scare mice with mazut oil.

    You can quickly get some of this oil at motorbike repair shops or similar places. This oil has an unpleasant smell that scares away mice.

    Pouring mazut oil around their nesting areas will cause them to flee. Additionally, mazut oil is poisonous and will cause mice to die.

    8. Use cotton and vinegar to prevent mice.

    Rats hate vinegar. Place a cotton ball soaked in vinegar in places where you see mice. Ensure to replace the cotton balls when the cotton balls become dry and no longer smell of vinegar.

    9. Install a screen door to keep rats out.

    It's best to install a screen door to make sure that rodents can't enter your house. Mice are most active at night, so you shouldn't leave the door open at night.

    10. Prevent branches from reaching your roof.

    Check all the trees surrounding your house. Cut branches to prevent rodents from using them as a way to reach your home.