How To Kill Rats - 5 Tips You Don't Want To Miss

Discovering the telling signs of unwanted guests in your home, or worse, seeing the furry rodents themselves, leads to the question: How to kill rats? Learning of the health risks and diseases the critters carry into a home makes the question even more pressing. Before venturing into 'how to kill rats' territory however, it is helpful to know how to avoid them in the first place and how to keep them from coming back.

Clean up your home and you never have to think about how to kill rats

The most basic preventive measures that need to be taken are sanitary ones. Rats will make themselves at home wherever there is a steady source of food and shelter. Common culprits are food and water left out, dirty dishes, clutter or trash around the home, and food kept in cardboard packages.

To prevent the unwelcome rodents from getting comfortable, be sure to clean up any food sources quickly. Wipe counters and pantry shelves to keep crumbs to a minimum. Keep clutter, such as magazines and newspapers, trash, and wood, clean and tidy.

The most effective way to keep critters at bay is to seal openings around the house. Any hole, crack, or opening larger than a dime is a potential entry for even large sized rats and rodents. When sealing openings, keep in mind the gnawing and chewing ability of these unsightly creatures. They can gnaw through just about anything, so it's important to seal openings tightly with professional quality materials.

What are the top tips on how to kill rats?

Once an infestation occurs, and preventive measures have been taken to limit newcomers, it is time to learn how to kill rats. As unpleasant as it sounds, killing rats doesn't need to be difficult. There are plenty of resources on how to kill rats quickly and neatly. Here is a list of the most common, and easiest solutions to your rodent woes:

- Snap traps are the most efficient way to capture and kill rats, and are often the safest and most economical as well.

- Electric rat traps are often preferred by the those who wish to avoid handling or seeing the rats themselves. By containing the rodent and delivering an electric charge, these traps keep the whole process clean and tidy.

- Slightly less tidy are glue traps. These employ the use of sticky mats that trap rats in their tracks.

- When used on the outside of homes, poisonous bait traps can be an effective tool. Extreme caution should be exercised when using bait traps as they are potentially fatal to humans and other animals.

- A more humane option is the catch and release trap. These are usually designed for smaller critters, but work exceptionally well. Be sure to deposit the rodents far from the house as these intelligent creatures are sure to find their way back home!

- Peppermint oil sprinkled around the home and in areas where rats are suspected can help to detour their paths; most rodents won't go anywhere near the stuff.

So when those furry friends have overstayed their welcome, you won't have to go far to learn about how to kill rats.

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