PGM & SON
- Oct 18, 2019
- 2 min read

HAVING A PROBLEM WITH RATS? WE’VE GOT IT COVERED!

IF YOU NEED RODENT CONTROL IN HEREFORD CALL PGM PEST CONTROL TO HELP

Summer is definitely over and we’re well into Autumn. The 27th October looms - the clocks go back plunging the mornings and evenings into darkness again.

The weather is already turning, with the winds whipping up and the rain settling in. We’ve even seen a few chilly mornings and that can only mean the start of the curtain drawing and turning up the heating.

It also means it’s time for our rodent friends to start looking for warm sheltered places, so Hereford residents and business owners are advised to be vigilant in spotting the signs of rodents and to take proactive steps to reduce access to their properties to rodents.

Did you know there are thought to be around 10 million rats in the UK? That’s why people often say you’re never far away from one!

Signs you have a rat problem

Noises – listen out for scratching, scrabbling and crawling often in attics, lofts, behind kitchen appliances, laundries, kitchens and cellars
Droppings – watch out for spindle shaped, blunt droppings around 1½-2cm long for the brown rat and pointed and around 1½ cm long for the black rat
Greasy marks – you may see these on skirting boards and walls
Urine - rat urine carries a very strong, distinctive smell
Gnaw marks – you may also see chewed surfaces. Rats can chew through even strong materials
Possible entry points - for example, gaps in brick work, pipes and cables which extend to outside your property
Pieces of cardboard and soft materials - they may be using these to build nests
Rat holes and burrows
Nests
Footprints / tracks

Common places for rodents to nest are lofts and attics, kitchens, laundries, behind kitchen appliances particularly where pipes and cables extend outside the property.

Rodent Health Risks

Rodents can pose a serious health risk to humans. Business owners, particularly those operating in the food and hospitality sector are strongly advised to consider a regular pest management program to ensure that they mitigate the risk of rodents spreading infection to customers / the general public.

Rats carry diseases such as Leptospirosis or Weil's disease, Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus which can be passed onto humans. The HSS report around 40 cases of Weil’s disease every year. Two types of rat tapeworm spread to humans though eggs found in rat faeces.

Don’t let a rodent problem get worse – rats breed rapidly, becoming sexually mature in around 3 months. Females may produce 3 to 12 litters of between 6 and 8 young in a year so what may start as a small problem can quickly escalate – call in the professionals today to sort out a rodent infestation.