The three rules you need to live by unless you want rats taking over your home, according to a garden pest expert
RATS can be tricky to get rid of once they find a way into your home, but before they enter your home they usually set up camp in your garden.
It turns out there are a few simple habits that could be attracting the rodents to your outside space, which could lead to a “severe infestation” down the line.
Luckily, garden specialist James Ewens at Green Feathers has shared three habits to avoid at all costs to help keep pesky rats at bay.
Providing nesting spaces
One of the main mistakes homeowners make is accidentally proving nesting spots for rodents in their gardens.
Rats will be drawn to somewhere sheltered they can rest, so if you have a compost heap in your garden you could already have rats there, which means it’s only a matter of time until the find their way inside.
If you don’t have a compost heap or bin there are still other hidden spots rats will find to nest in.
Small holes in decking, fences or doors to outbuildings could provide the perfect spot for rats, so make sure they’re all covered up.
Leaving a mess
A messy garden is a garden rats and other pests will flock to, so keeping everything neat and tidy is a must to keep rats away.
James suggested keeping bushes and hedges trimmed, as well as removing any weeds.
These weeds can “provide cover, and allow for rats to move around out of sight,” he told Express.co.uk.
You should also throw out any other clutter from your garden which could act as a hiding place for rats.
“Rats hate open spaces,” he noted, so the less junk the better.
Leaving food out
According to the expert, the main reason rats enter your garden and then home is because of food.
But there’s more to keeping unexpected food sources clear from your garden than you might think.
Bird feeders are a great way to help out local wildlife, but you should rat-proof feeders so nothing can fall to the ground, attracting rats.
Not only that, but you compost bin can act as much more than shelter for rats, they can usually find plenty of grub there too, and will keep coming back for more.
James said: “Never put cooked food in the compost, and if you think rats are visiting your garden, stop putting raw food in there too.”
The same goes for your normal rubbish bins – even if they’re empty the lingering smell can attract rodents.
The expert suggested keeping them as far away from your home as you can, and out of direct sunlight.
Expert gardening advice
I’m a gardening expert and here’s my £2 trick to kill patio weeds & STOP them from returning
Monty Don reveals how to stop slugs and snails from ruining your plants all year round
I’m a gardening expert – everyone should follow these 6 etiquette rules, including NEVER mowing after 1pm on a Saturday
Expert Alan Titchmarsh reveals why you should never declutter your small garden and how to make it bigger
Expert reveals how to get the most out of your backyard all year round
Easy hack to kill weeds from your driveway cracks
A gardener’s calendar – what you should be doing month to month
How to banish rats humanely
If you already have rats there are a few ways you can get rid of them -many councils will provide a pest control service but you may have to pay for this.
Options like traps and poisons are effective but are often inhumane and can cause long-drawn-out deaths.
Rat poison can also be toxic to humans and other pets you have in your home.
However, there are increasingly many kinder ways to dispose of your rats, including the following which Home Serve list:
- Humane cage traps – humane cages trap the rodents but do not kill them so they can be released elsewhere afterwards.
- Electromagnetic and ultrasonic devices – these devices use sound to ward off rodents and are simply plugged into the wall.
- Outdoor repellers – these have a motion detector which, when triggered, emits a powerful burst of ultrasound, to harmlessly scare the rodents away
- Family pets – having larger pets around such as cats and dogs is also a good way to deter the pests.