I once thought I heard a rustling coming from my bedroom bin. I investigated, only to find what I thought were rat droppings behind the chest of drawers. Needless to say, I ended up spending the night at my sisters. Turns out, they were chocolate covered raisins that a previous renter had left behind, but in that moment, I was petrified.
There’s nothing worse than thinking there might be a rat in the house – a rogue scratching here, a gnawed cable there, and worst of all, a shadow dashing across the room from the corner of your eye. Rats activity surges in the late summer due to the drop in temperature and heavy rainfall. But, what are rats looking for in your home and what can you do to stop them? I spoke to the experts to find out.
Why does rat activity surge in late summer?
Rat activity is generally high at this time of year due to the decrease in temperature outside and a lack of food, but when it rains and floods their burrows, that makes things all the worse, so says Lucas Ford, vice president and pest control expert at Ford's Hometown Services.
‘When it comes to rat activity after heavy rainfall, no matter where you are located in the world, the rats will begin to move. However, the way they move and the areas they move to completely depends on their local environment. For example: rats that live on or nearby riverbeds simply move uphill and towards the closest dry shelter they can find.
‘In the UK, and most European countries, most cities are built on Victorian Era sewer systems as well as long standing infrastructures intertwined with one-another. These old systems and building designs leave safe travel ways for rats to move freely from their underground burrows all the way to residential structures, which they may find to be a more suitable habitat and therefore begin to live nearby if a consistent food and water source is available.’
In short, the historic architecture of our cities is to blame for high rat activity in these parts, especially when it rains. They provide a gateway from the burrows straight to our homes, which gives them shelter, warmth and food resources.
What attracts rats into your home
Rats predominantly seek an environment that is peaceful, dark and ideally undisturbed, and one room ticks every book, according to Alastair Mayne, CEO at Garolla:
‘Rodents are constantly looking for three things: food, water and shelter. Garages can provide all three, particularly if clutter builds up, rubbish is left unsecured or there are easy access points around doors, vents and pipework.
‘Food is not the only thing attracting rodents. Standing water, leaky pipes, drains and cluttered garages can all provide the shelter and resources rats and mice need to settle close to a property.’
So, while you might think your kitchen is at risk, rats are just as likely to take shelter in your garage. It provides everything a rat is looking for in terms of a temporary shelter: plenty of hiding spaces, potential pet food and bird seed as a food resource as well as residual heat from your home.
Alastair continues ‘A lot of people think rodents, such as mice and rats, are mainly a winter issue, but they will take advantage of easy food, shelter and water at any time of year. Uncollected rubbish, overflowing bins, litter, pet food and cluttered storage areas can all make a property more appealing, especially if a garage gives them somewhere dark, quiet and easy to hide.’
What you can do to keep rats out of your garage
There’s a couple of pre-emptive measures you can take to protect your garage from any inquisitive rats, says Alastair.
‘One of the most effective steps is reducing access. Keep rubbish secure, store pet food properly, avoid leaving bags or boxes piled on the floor, and check for tiny entry points around garage doors, vents and pipework. Rodents can squeeze through surprisingly small gaps, so keeping garages sealed, dry and clutter-free can make a real difference.’
Have a quick scan around your garage for easy access points. It may be tricky to find all of them considering rats can squeeze through gaps as small as two fingers, according to the BPCA, but any you find need to be sealed up with caulk combined with steel wool, to prevent them from being gnawed through. Any leaks need to be repaired too – while rats are avoiding a flood, they still need moisture.
It's just as important that the space is kept clean and decluttered, to remove any potential food resources as well as hiding places. If you need guidance, we’ve found 5 steps to declutter your garage. Bird seed, pet food and even plant seeds, should be protected with sealed containers and kept off the floor. All canned foods should be removed from the garage entirely – it will only attract pests. Bins need to be clean, contained and sealed, without spills or bags left on the floor.
When it comes to cleaning, Alastair says: ‘Natural deterrents such as peppermint oil or strong smelling cleaning products can help discourage rodents from settling, but they are most effective when combined with proper proofing. Sealing entry points and reducing clutter will have a far bigger impact long term.’
Above all, noticing your habits around the garage and giving it some TLC is paramount, especially if the space looks like an ideal shelter for rats.
‘Most pest problems start with simple things people overlook, like a door left open, clutter building up, or a space that is not being kept clean, dry and sealed properly. A few quick checks now can go a long way in making homes, garages and gardens less inviting.’
Rat repellents
