Rats | Critter Control Of Pittsburgh

5 Essential Steps to Prevent Rat Infestations

While discovering a rat infestation inside your Pittsburgh home or business can cause a fright, the damage rats can cause to your property is what’s truly alarming. Because rats are a fast-breeding rodent that can nest, contaminate and chew through your property in a short amount of time. The best way to deal with a rat infestation is to prevent one from ever happening. Here are five essential prevention steps you can take to ensure your property remains rat-free.

Five Ways to Prevent a Rat Infestation

Preventing a rat infestation can be simpler to incorporate into your home maintenance routine than you may think. Five essential steps you can implement in your cleaning process includes:

Remove Food and Water Sources: Homes and businesses are alluring to rats because they provide a safe source of food and water. Start by keeping perishable goods away from countertops and cleaning up any crumbs or spills as soon as they happen. Store trash in tightly sealed containers, so the scent can’t attract rats. If you have pets, store their food off the ground when they aren’t eating, and empty their water bowls when not in use.
Tidy Up Your Space: Rats are able to thrive in attics and basements because they’re usually cluttered and rarely accessed by humans. Tidy up these spaces, ensuring as little is touching the ground as possible. Don’t leave any space between the wall and your storage containers. Reduce your amount of cardboard storage and swap it for stronger, more durable plastic bins.
Identify Access Points: Rats can squeeze through small openings to enter your home or business. Any unsealed vent, damaged door sweep or gap in your property’s exterior is a potential way for the critters to get inside. Look around your property for cracks and seal them.
Avoid At-Home, DIY Remedies: Some at-home remedies, like spraying essential oils or other strong scents, may temporarily keep rats away from your property. However, these tricks lose their efficacy over time and often end up costing you more time and money.
Hire a Rat Removal Expert: Ultimately, the best way to rat-proof your home is by consulting with a rat removal professional. Licensed and trained experts will have the equipment and expertise to secure your property before rats have a chance to enter.

Rely on Critter Control® of Pittsburgh for Safe and Effective Rat Removal Services

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, we use eco-friendly and humane rat removal methods that can stop an infestation in its tracks. Equipped to handle an infestation of any size, our experienced technicians will safely remove all nuisance wildlife and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free rat removal estimate, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

What to Do When Faced With an Emergency Rat Removal Situation

Nobody wants to deal with a rat infestation. Unfortunately, due to their small size and evasive nature, invasive rats can largely go unnoticed until they grow into a full-blown emergency in your home or business. Fortunately, there is a solution. Here’s how to react in an emergency rat removal situation and what you can do to get rid of rats quickly and safely.

Emergency Rat Removal Process

If you find yourself in need of emergency rat removal, you may panic and consider dangerous traps and sprays to get them off your property. However, there is a process you should follow to guarantee safe, efficient and permanent results.

Stay Calm and Assess: The most important thing to remember when dealing with an unexpected pest problem is to stay calm. While you may be nervous or unsettled by the presence of rats, jumping into action can often make the problem worse. Instead, try to document the pest, identify their location on your property and check to see if there is any damage. By making a quick scan, you can figure out the severity of the problem and what steps you need to take.
Take Precautions: Before the rats are professionally removed, you can take steps to reduce their impact on your property. Seal off entry points that are not in use, including gaps or cracks in your foundation. Get rid of excess food and water sources, including trash, standing water or dirty dishes in the kitchen debris. Turn on lights, vacuum, sweep and remove any debris or clutter.
Avoid DIY Pest Control: It’s natural to want to get rid of rats as soon as you realize they’re on your property. However, at-home rat removal can often cause more problems than it solves. While the rats may seem skittish around you, they can bite if they feel threatened, putting you and your loved ones at serious risk of disease. Other pest control methods, such as traps, can be dangerous and inhumane. Ultimately, it’s best to leave the pest control to the experts.
Call a Professional: As soon as you have an assessment of the situation, call rat removal professionals. Reliable pest control companies have the necessary tools, tricks and special protocols in place for emergency rat removal, and can guarantee fast and efficient services at any hour. By calling a professional, you’re not only saving time, you’re also decreasing the potential for damage and length of your inconvenience, getting you and your property back to normal fast.
Follow Prevention Techniques: Once your rat removal service is complete, the pest control experts will likely give you tips on rat infestation prevention. Make sure to follow these tips by scheduling regular inspections and addressing any immediate concerns they may have to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Get Rid of Rats with Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

If you’re dealing with nuisance rats in your Pittsburgh area property, rely on the effective, safe and affordable services from the licensed and trained experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. Our experienced team of rat control technicians will quickly and safely remove invasive rats from your property and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient rat removal and prevention services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

6 Essential Steps to Take for Rat-Proofing Your Home

The Greater Pittsburgh area is home to several types of urban and suburban wildlife, including rats. These tiny rodents can easily sneak into your home or business, making themselves at home while creating property damage and causing serious health risks. It’s important to make sure your property has the proper rat prevention safeguards in place to combat these invasive critters. Here are some steps you can take to rat-proof your home.

Rat Prevention Techniques to Safeguard Your Property

Proper rat-proofing requires several prevention methods to guarantee rats don’t make a home in your home. Here are some of the most critical steps you can take to protect your property against rats.

Keep Your Property Clean: Rats are attracted to messes, especially if they is spilled food or crumbs within reach. One of the easiest ways to deter rats from your property is by keeping a clean environment. Instead of storing perishable food in thin plastic bags, use airtight, chew-proof containers. Glass, metal or thick plastic can prevent rats from chewing their way through. Clean up any messes as soon as they happen, and properly dispose of trash inside thick garbage bags within tightly sealed containers.
Check Outdoor Storage: Outdoor storage areas, such as sheds and garages, are ideal locations for rats to nest. Seal off their entry points and keep things organized with as little on the floor as possible. Don’t store perishable goods, such as pet food or birdseed, in these areas as it will attract hungry rats.
Trim Your Yard: Rats will use overgrown lawns, fallen limbs and stacked firewood as hiding spots as they race to your home. Regular lawn maintenance, such as mowing and pruning, give them less of a chance. Create a gap of a few feet between anything around your property’s exterior.
De-Clutter Your Attic and Basement: Indoor storage areas can be just as vulnerable as outdoor ones. Attics and basements are dark and less-utilized areas of the home, so they are ideal places for rats to build a nest. Keep them free of clutter, organized, and well-lit to discourage rat activity.
Secure Your Exterior: Rats are able to squeeze through tiny openings, especially where utility and plumbing lines enter the home. They can also fit under doors and through chimneys. Secure these entry points by sealing cracks with copper mesh and a strong adhesive. Door sweeps also prevent the agile critters from sneaking under entryways. A sturdy mesh screen over any vents, eave soffits or chimneys will prevent rodents from falling inside your property.
Call a Professional: While at-home rat prevention techniques may help avoid a rat problem before it starts, it will take professional intervention to resolve an existing rat infestation. That’s why you should trust the licensed, trained and experienced rat removal experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh to safely and humanely get rid of the nuisance rats on your property.

Professional Rat Removal with Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

The professional rat removal technicians of Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will quickly and safely remove nuisance rats and other invasive wildlife and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate, call us today at 412-767-4067.

10 Effective Ways to Rodent-Proof Your Home and Yard

Rats, mice, squirrels and other rodents will often seek shelter inside residential Pittsburgh properties to escape bad weather and predators; however, they’ll stay inside once they’ve found a warm place to nest near your home’s food and water supply. Once nested, rodents will breed and spread contamination throughout your property, posing serious health and structural risks to your family and home. Therefore, rodent-proofing your property is a necessary line of defense to keep unwelcome critters away from your home. Here are 10 ways to strengthen your property against invasive rodents.

Top Rodent-Proofing Strategies

Most rodent-proofing strategies are common home maintenance tasks that are easy to implement. Here are 10 ways to boost your home’s defense against rats and mice.

Seal Entry Points: Rodents can squeeze their bodies through small cracks and holes to make their way inside. Look for any potential entry points, such as gaps around utility pipes, attic vents and your home’s foundation. Fill these gaps with stainless steel mesh or steel wool and caulk.
Repair Door Sweeps: Door sweeps are an effective way to protect your home from the elements and rodents. To keep out unwanted guests, check the weatherstripping around the bottom of your exterior doors to ensure it’s tightly sealed and extends across the whole door.
Safely Store Food: Open bags of perishable goods inside your kitchen pantry are a huge attractors for rodents. Tightly seal open food in glass or metal containers, and clean up crumbs and messes as soon as they happen.
Secure Your Exterior: Rodents often access homes through openings on the roof. To prevent rodents from getting inside, secure your roof’s vents and pipes with metal flashing, a durable material that is difficult for rodents to chew through.
Protect Your Shed: If you have a backyard shed, it’s important to apply these same rat-proofing techniques to make sure rodents don’t use your storage space as a second home.
Clean Nesting Sites: Rodents love to nest in cluttered spaces, such as attics, garages, and basements. Keep these areas as organized and clutter-free as possible to discourage rodents from getting too comfortable.
Tidy Your Yard: An unkempt yard full of thick vegetation, wood piles and debris provides cover for rodents to sneak through. Keep the pests away from your home by pruning back bushes, trimming trees, and clearing away any trash piles near your house.
Use Natural Repellents: Rodents rely on their sense of smell to guide them to food. Use their sensitivity to your advantage by placing scents around your home that overwhelm their senses. Peppermint, pepper, garlic and vinegar are easy-to-find ingredients that rodents can’t stand.
Scare Them Off: Rodents are naturally skittish and tend to flee in fight-or-flight situations. Motion-activated lights or sprinklers are good deterrents that keep them away at night.
Humane Traps: Most home improvement stores sell humane traps that can take care of minor problems. Make sure to release trapped rodents as soon as possible, and let them go at least five miles away from your property.

Professional Rodent Removal Services in Pittsburgh

While DIY rodent removal can be effective, it shouldn’t be your only line of defense. Instead, trust the licensed, trained and experienced experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh to safely and humanely remove nuisance rodents from your property. To schedule your inspection and receive a free rodent removal estimate, call us today at 412-767-4067.

What Are Different Types of Rat Traps?

Rats are a common household pest that can cause significant damage to your home because of their incessant need to chew and breed. The rodents are also adaptable and intelligent, allowing them to thrive in diverse environments and climates. If their relentless search for food brings them into your Pittsburgh, PA home or business, there are a few different types of rat trap devices that can help remove the invasive pests from your property.

4 Different Types of Rat Traps

Because of their agility and small size, rats can be one of the more difficult pests to evict. However, there are several types of store-bought rat traps that you can start using today for temporary rat relief.

Snap Traps –Snap traps are typically made of wood, but modern traps are both plastic and reusable. There are also plastic enclosed snap traps, which have a hard plastic shell on the exterior.
Live Catch Traps – A non-lethal rat trap that does not kill the rodent, live catch traps catch the rodent alive and give you the opportunity to release the pest somewhere safe. These traps come in the form of metal cages or plastic tubes.
Electric Traps – While lethal, an electric trap is one of the most humane rat traps because it kills the rat instantly by administering a fatal shock once the rat is lured inside.
Glue Traps – As the rat attempts to reach the bait of a glue trap, it crosses a thick card covered with a sticky adhesive. The lured rat gets stuck and eventually starves and dies. Glue traps are typically the least recommended of the bunch because they are so inhumane.

The Trouble with DIY Rat Traps

Although these DIY rat trap methods can work, they do not offer a permanent rat removal solution. Furthermore, rat traps require you to personally remove the dead rodent and can easily be triggered, resulting in painful accidents to humans and curious pets. The most effective way to evict nuisance rats for good is to call the rat removal professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Effective Pittsburgh, PA Rat Removal Services

The experienced rat removal technicians at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh will quickly and safely remove nuisance rats and other invasive wildlife from your Pennsylvania property and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free estimate for our fast and efficient rat removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Do Rats Like Garlic?

With so many rat deterrent options on the market, it can be difficult to decide how to best combat a growing rat infestation. While most rat removal tactics involve chemical sprays and deadly raps that can be harmful and inhumane, there are several natural, non-toxic alternatives that can help you resolve your rat problem. For instance, an old household remedy involves using the rodent’s sense of smell against them by spraying garlic around your property. But, do rats like garlic or will they avoid it like online outlets would have you believe?

The Truth About Rats and Garlic

There is some truth to the claim that garlic will deter rats. Rats have sensitive noses that they use to sniff out nearby food. It’s how the species has survived for so long. However, certain scents, such as garlic, are too strong for the critters and can overwhelm their senses and disorientate them. Therefore, rats are known to avoid strong-smelling odorous plants. The smell of garlic is also potent and unpleasant to other rodents like mice and squirrels.

Is Garlic Effective Against Rats?

The most commonly used way to implement a garlic-based rat deterrent is to add diced garlic into a spray bottle full of water. By spraying the odorous solution along your floorboards and thresholds, rats may opt to nest elsewhere. If you don’t have fresh garlic to spare, sprinkling garlic powder around entryways and attic openings has a similar effect.

Furthermore, home gardens that include a garlic plant will often experience less rat activity than those without, however; some homeowners go so far as to place entire bulbs of garlic in their doorways to prevent rats (and possibly vampires) from entering their home.

The Problem with Relying on Natural Rat Deterrents

Rats do hate the smell of garlic, and if you place it around your property strategically, the pests will likely stay away. However, garlic only serves as a short-term rat deterrent and cannot be used as a permanent countermeasure to rat infestations. Not only would the garlic need to be frequently replaced to remain effective, but rats can also get used to the smell and overcome their aversion to it.

Additionally, if you spread garlic powders or sprays around too liberally, then your home will smell awful to both the rats and you. If you are considering a more eco-friendly and humane method for rat prevention that will not stink up your property, contact the rat prevention and removal professionals at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Effective and Humane Rat Removal Services

The team of licensed and trained rat removal experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh can provide you with quick, safe, and permanent services that will not only remove all nuisance rats from your property, but will also ensure that rats will not return.

To schedule an inspection of your Pittsburgh-area property and receive a free estimate for our rat removal services, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Is Spray Foam Insulation Rodent Proof?

Greater Pittsburgh area residences and businesses are common targets for rodent infestations. Pests like rats, mice, squirrels like to chew and wiggle their way into area properties in search of food and shelter. Once inside, they can cause costly damages and spread contamination that is difficult to repair and remove. Therefore, you should be diligent about keeping rodents out of your home before an infestation can begin. While there are many methods out there, spray foam insulation is often promoted as a rodent proof insulation that will seal the cracks and crevices that rodents usually use to infiltrate vulnerable properties. But can spray foam insulation really be considered a rodent proof product?

The Truth About Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is a type of energy efficient home insulation that started seeing prominent use in the 1980s. It is typically used to seal walls, floors, and other parts of the home where cracks are prevalent, thereby keeping insects and pests out and desirable temperatures in. It is popular among homeowners due to its ease of use, as it simply sprays into any crevice, dries quickly, and fills the crack, firmly holding its shape.

Rodent Proof Insulation: Fact or Fiction?

While spray foam insulation does add another protective layer to your property by filling cracks and gaps that rodents could potentially use to gain entry into your home, it cannot really be considered a rodent proof insulation. At the end of the day, spray foam insulation is still a material that rodents can easily chew through, especially if they smell food on the other side. Rats have strong teeth that they regularly use to tunnel through siding, vents, flooring, and drywall, so spray foam insulation doesn’t stand a chance. While it may help to safeguard your home from smaller pests, spray foam insulation will not rodent proof your home.

Enlist Our Experts to Rodent-proof Your Home

Rather than relying on spray foam insulation to keep rodents out, trust the rodent removal experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh to equip your home with the preventative measures needed to truly prevent a rodent infestation.

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, we offer effective, safe, and affordable rodent removal and prevention services. Additionally, all of our services are conducted by licensed, trained, and experienced rodent removal experts who know all of the proper ways to keep rodents out of your home.

For more information on our professional rodent removal services or to schedule an inspection of your property, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

Do Squirrels Deter Rats?

One popular method for deterring pests is introducing another creature to either chase them away or capture and devour them. For the most part, this involves adopting a pet, like a cat or a dog. For rats, snakes are a natural predator; however, there may be a less fearsome creature that you can enlist to help you put an end to your rat infestation: squirrels.

Can Squirrels Deter Rats?

While they are both rodents, rats are generally afraid of squirrels, and for good reason. Squirrels typically nest in trees and feast on nuts. However, their keen eyesight and high ground advantage allow them to spot small critters, like mice and rats, that may threaten their nest or serve as a nice snack.

However, squirrel vs. rat encounters are not really a common occurrence. Namely because squirrels are only active during the day and nocturnal rats are only active at night. To cross paths, one of creatures would have to be exhibiting unusual behavior. Furthermore, rats will quickly retreat to their nest if they suspect the threatening presence of a squirrel or other predator.

So, can squirrels deter rats? While it’s not unheard of, squirrels are more likely to deter other creatures that are also active during the day, like birds.

Effective Ways to Deter Rats

Rather than relying on wild squirrels that can quickly become invasive pests themselves, enlist the expert services of a rodent removal professional to quickly resolve your growing rat problem. An experienced rodent removal technician will ensure that all unwanted rodents are permanently removed from your property.

For efficient rodent removal services in the Greater Pittsburgh area, trust the experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Professional Rat Removal Services in Pittsburgh

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our team of licensed and trained rodent removal technicians will inspect your property to locate, isolate, and remove all nuisance rats. We will also clean and disinfect any harmful contamination the pests left behind, and install preventative measures to ensure a rat infestation does not return.

For more information on our rodent removal services or to schedule an inspection of your Pittsburgh-area property and receive a free rat removal estimate, please call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.

What Plants Keep Rats Away?

Pittsburgh residences and businesses are not immune to rat infestations. Fortunately, there are a few things you can try to prevent a rat outbreak from happening. For example, there are many plants that can naturally aid in rat prevention. Here are some of the plants that you can utilize to keep rats away from your Pittsburgh property.

Plants to Keep Rats Away

In addition to flowers like daffodils and chrysanthemums, you can try planting the following plants with scents that rats hate

Garlic –Your home garden or spice rack may have a quick solution to your growing rat problem. While the pungent smell of garlic may be mouthwatering to humans, the scent is incredibly abrasive to rats. So you might want to start growing it to keep rats away from your home.
Onions –Similar to garlic, rats despise the smell of onions. However, you can utilize onions for rat prevention without growing it in your garden. Simply place a few slices of raw onion outside around your home to help drive rats far from your property.
Lavender –If vegetable growing isn’t your thing, consider planting some lavender around your home to keep rats away. The sweet and lovely flower is sure to leave your home smelling wonderful. However, rats will stay far away, as lavender is another one of the many scents that the nuisance rodents can’t stand.

Why Plants Only Provide Temporary Rat Relief

While these plants may help to some extent as a rat preventative, they won’t do much to get rid of an established rat infestation. If you are dealing with a rat infestation, it is important that you contact a rat removal professional to get the job done instead of risking your health by attempting to rat or remove rats on your own. For fast and effective rat relief, trust the licensed and trained experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh.

Keep Rats Away with Critter Control® of Pittsburgh

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our pest prevention services are guaranteed to be more effective than DIY efforts. Our team of experienced rat removal professionals are equipped with everything needed to provide you with a thorough and efficient rat removal service that will get rid of rats and keep them away, permanently.

For more information on our safe and affordable rat removal services, contact Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067 to schedule an inspection of your property and receive a free rat removal estimate.

Can Cayenne Pepper Be Used for Rat Control?

For every type of pest that you may encounter, there is usually an old wives’ tale or two on how to get rid of them with basic household items. For rats, the recommended natural deterrent is cayenne pepper, but can it really be used for rat control?

A Short-term Rat Control Solution

Like many pests, rats have a very sensitive sense of smell. Thus, anything with a really harsh scent can help to deter rats from a particular location. Cayenne pepper is an overwhelmingly pungent scent that is known to assault a rat’s senses and encourage them to relocate.

One reason cayenne pepper as a rat control method is so popular is that it is both cheap and easy to try. However, when it comes to rats, it is vital to get rid of them as soon as possible in order to limit their opportunities to contaminate your food, breed, and spread disease.

The Issue with DIY Rat Control

Ultimately, annoying rats is the only thing that cayenne pepper will do. Cayenne pepper will not eliminate a nested rat infestation, and it may not even work on all rodents. Furthermore, cayenne pepper needs to be applied and reapplied constantly in order for it to remain effective. Thus, while cayenne pepper can help manage your rat control efforts in the short term, it won’t serve as a long-term solution to a growing rat problem.

Rather than wasting precious time relying on ineffective DIY rat control methods like cayenne pepper, you should call a professional rat control expert to thoroughly and efficiently remove any rats from your property.

Effective Rat Control Methods

At Critter Control® of Pittsburgh, our experienced rat control experts will quickly and safely remove any and all nuisance rats from your property using the following four step method:

Inspection: Our technicians will inspect your home to locate where the rats are nesting, identify their entry points, and assess any damages that were caused.
Removal: We use safe, non-toxic methods to remove all rats and ensure your home remains rat-free.
Prevention: Once the rats are fully removed from your home, we will repair and restore any damages the pests made.
Restoration: We ensure all entry points are sealed off so rats cannot re-enter your home.

Trusted Rat Control Experts in Pittsburgh

Rely on the safe and affordable wildlife removal services provided by the licensed, trained, and experienced rat control experts at Critter Control® of Pittsburgh. For more information on our rat control services or to schedule an inspection of your Pittsburgh-area property and receive a complimentary estimate, call Critter Control® of Pittsburgh today at 412-767-4067.