When it comes to dealing with black rats in your Wichita home, nothing will be easy. If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!
First, many people want to know if black rats are dangerous. Yes, they can be! Black rats spread harmful diseases to humans, including Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma gondii to name a few. Additionally, they can cause severe structural damage very quickly.
You may know these creatures by a different name, but black rats (also called ship rats, roof rats, and house rats) are some of the most common pests in the Wichita area. This is largely due to a high volume of people, pets, and food-filled properties, all perfectly stocked and ripe for infesting. You may recognize a black rat by some of its more obvious characteristics:
- These rodents are anywhere between 13 and 18 inches long at maturity.
- Black rats may appear in color patterns of black, gray, white, and tawny brown.
- Unlike mice, black rats have long tails from 6 to 9 inches long. These are often pink, scaly, and usually hairless.
It may be difficult to distinguish black rats from other types of rodents, but if you spot one of these nocturnal nightmares scurrying about your home, you’ll get the gist of the problem. And make no mistake, there is a significant problem associated with black rat infestation: disease. No matter what you call them, black rats are downright dangerous disease spreaders with a penchant for human activity. These creatures have the inherent potential to infect you and your family with deadly illnesses that affect your way of life. A few of the most common of these include:
- Leptospirosis
- Rat-bite fever
- Tularemia
- Salmonellosis
Black rats are notoriously good climbers (hence their alternate name of ‘roof rat’), and usually have no problem slinking into Wichita homes and businesses from above. This makes their prevention extraordinarily more difficult than other species of rodents. Here are some practical ways to protect your household from black rats this season.
Locking Down Your Wichita Home With Black Rat Prevention
Let’s get one thing straight before we proceed: black rat infestations cannot and will not go away on their own. Once these pests have found a place to settle down, they will have no abject reason to leave by themselves. This is the primary reason why prevention steps must be taken immediately to keep problems from starting in the first place.
If you currently do not have any signs of black rat activity present around the home, you will need to do the following tasks:
- Add chimney caps to any live fireplaces or chimneys around the home. Black rats can and will enter through chimneys if given the opportunity. Do not stop yourself from investing in a chimney cap simply because you believe the probability of infestation is low.
- Identify and seal up the entry points around the home. These include all cracks, gaps, and crevices forming about the walls and foundations.
- Check around pipes and wiring that may have enough space for rodents to hide. Seal these up as best you can on your own, or consult with a local repairman for additional help.
What To Do When Black Rats Have Already Infested – Call Alta Pest Control
If black rats have already found their way into your Wichita home, the time for prevention will be long over. Instead, contact Alta Pest Control for more advice or assistance related to the treatment of roof rats in your home. We know what it takes to get and keep a home pest-free, with years of experience under our belts and hundreds of hours of rodent extermination. When you’re ready to take the next step towards black rat treatment, our team at Alta Pest Control will be here to help. Call us directly or book an in-person inspection to address your black rat problem as soon as possible.
