What COVID-19 Closures Mean For The Rat Population In New Jersey

How is covid-19 causing a rat problem in New Jersey?

Simply put rats are hungry.  Their usual food sources (such as dumpsters, crates, and other trash produced by businesses) are not nearly as plentiful as they were before COVID-19 became an issue. Normally commercial areas and especially dense ones provided everything these rodents needed to survive. Without those food sources, rats have become more desperate and more aggressive, spreading out into communities throughout New Jersey.

What you can do to make your home and property less attractive to rats

To prevent a rat infestation, we recommend eliminating the conditions that attract these critters in the first place.  Here are a few preventative measures you can implement on your own:

Seal up holes to prevent rats from slipping inside

A small gap or hole is all a rat needs to enter inside. Inspect the exterior and interior of your home to identify possible entry points. Here are a few places to check out:

• Gaps around doors and windows
• Areas where utilities enter the structure
• Holes around pipes
• Openings around floor and dryer vents
• Floor drains
• Holes into the basement, crawl space or attic
• Openings in the roof or around the foundation

Eliminate potential food sources

Rats are opportunistic. Grease dripping from the grill or dog food left outside make excellent meals for these rodents.  Other food sources that should be evaluated and corrected if necessary, include:

• Gardens
• Bird feeders
• Outdoor trash cans
• Compost bins or piles
• Pet waste

Get rid of nesting sites

Food is the main reason for rats to occupy your property but shelter is another.  Stop rats from nesting in your home or yard by making is inhospitable to them.  Here are few ways to make your property less attractive to rats:

• Elevate wood piles at least one foot off the ground and well away from your house. 
• Get rid of old tires, vehicles, and other items that rats could use as shelter.
• Keep your lawn mowed and eliminate dense overgrowth on the perimeter of your property.
• Trim trees, shrubs and landscaping so that they do not touch the exterior of the house.
• Install a perimeter of crushed rock around the foundation.

What to do if you’ve already discovered rat holes in the yard or other evidence of a rat infestation

If you’ve discovered rats in the house or on your property, contact Arrow for effective rodent control.  Servicing Maplewood, Short Hills, and communities throughout Essex and Union counties as well as our multi-county service area, our team of local New Jersey pest control pros have the tools and knowledge to get rid of rats.

Our comprehensive rodent control services include:

• A thorough rodent inspection
• Rodent population control that may include the use of mechanical rodent control devices
• Exclusion work at points of entry*
• Rodent monitoring
• Prevention recommendations

When you contact Arrow, we’ll send out a highly trained rodent inspector to look for signs of rats (or other rodents), identify conditions that attract these destructive pests, and to determine the scope of the problem. Once the inspector has evaluated your rat problem, he will document and explain his findings as well as provide you with a rodent control quote. Once you agree to the cost of the service, we’ll get going and you’ll be one step closer to a rat-free home!

Please reach out today with any questions about our rodent control or to schedule your inspection today!

*if exclusion work required is beyond our capabilities, we’ll explain what needs to be done to fix the issue