The first sound you hear is a soft squeaking sound above your ceiling around 2 am; then you find droppings behind the toaster and finally find a chewed electric cord – then you know what’s going on. You have a rodent infestation.
I know all too well what that feels like. A few winters ago, I had a similar experience when mice took up residence in my Inner West terrace. It started with one little mouse, but within three weeks, I had a full-blown mouse problem in my place. The problem with rats/mice in Sydney is that they breed quickly, and they don’t wait to breed when conditions allow.
The purpose of this guide is to provide you with everything you need to know about Rodent Pest Control Sydney and Mice Pest Control Sydney – nothing but good quality information from real-world experience.
Reasons for Sydney’s Massive Rodent Infestation
Sydney is a rodent’s paradise. The climate in Sydney is relatively mild, which allows rodents to survive and thrive over the winter months (as opposed to cold climates where many of the rodents die in the winter). We have lots of old terrace houses, lots of leafy suburbs, lots of high-density apartment buildings, and a harbour filled with food particles – all of which are essential for rats.
There are two types of rats that are causing trouble: the brown rat (also known as the Norway rat) and the black rat (also known as the roof rat). Brown rats prefer to remain at ground level around areas such as drains and basements, whereas black rats are good climbers and prefer to be in places like tree hollows, roof spaces, and ceilings.
Autumn and winter are peak seasons for rodents looking for warmth and food. Cool weather is when rodents start looking for warmth, and your house fits the bill for exactly what they’re after.
Evidence of Rodents
Rodents are extremely elusive animals; however, there are many signs to watch out for:
Droppings: small, dark, rice-like pellets near food, in cupboards, or along walls.
Scratching or scurrying noises can typically be heard late at night in the walls or ceilings of your home.
Gnaw marks on your food packaging, timber, wires, or skirting boards.
A musty or ammonia type of odour that appears to linger forever.
Greasy marks running along the walls in areas where rodents follow the same path consistently.
Nests made of shredded paper, fabric, or insulation found in quiet areas of your home.
If you’re seeing droppings in more than one room, chances are you’ve gone beyond the “one” stage.
Why DIY Methods Are Not as Effective as Hiring Professionals To Deal with Rodent Infestations
Your gut response might be to get some snap traps, some bait from the hardware, and set them out. For an isolated mouse, that might do it. However, it usually doesn’t eliminate an entire infestation.
Rats are intelligent creatures. They will quickly figure out how to avoid your traps. They breed more rapidly than you can catch them. The bait that you left lying around could be consumed by your dog or cat or a child, or it might poison native wildlife. Worst case scenario, a rat who ingests the bait and dies in your wall will create an odour of decay that will linger for weeks.
SEO is about more than catching the rodents, it’s also about identifying the entry points, baiting the areas of travel, identifying the nesting spots, and ensuring you’ve removed all food sources.
Professional Rodent Control and How It Is Different Than DIY Methods
Professional pest control is not just about spreading bait; it includes following a process.
1. Inspection: A professional will conduct an inspection of the property both inside and outside to locate where the rodents are entering, where they are nesting, and where they find food. This step is critical.
2. Development of a Treatment Plan: After determining where the entry points are located, where the nests are, and where the food sources are, the technician will develop a treatment plan using tamper-resistant bait stations and/or traps that are located in the places rodents travel, as opposed to in a location that is convenient for the technician to place them.
3. Sealing Entryways – The most common mistake people make when working on their DIY projects is ignoring this step. Rodents can fit through an opening smaller than a 20 cent piece while mice can fit through even smaller openings. Long term, sealing openings, repairing vents and blocking entry points from pipes will prevent them from getting into the area where they’ve been an issue.
4. Follow-Up – One visit will usually not be the end of the problem. A professional pest control company will come back and check on the traps and verify they have resolved your issue(s).
How to Prevent Rodent Infestations
After you have had success in removing your rodent infestation, you want to do everything you can to prevent them from coming back. Here are good things to do:
- Keep food stored in air tight containers. Store pet food inside during the night.
- Take your garbage out frequently & keep garbage can lids secured.
- Remove clutter from your garage, shed & under your home. Rodents thrive in clutter and can find lots of areas to hide.
- Trim the trees that hang down onto your roof. Black rats use tree branches as highways to move from one place to another.
- Seal any gaps between pipes & vents, windows & doors.
- Repair leaky taps or pipes; rodents need water to survive also.
This little bit of extra effort will save you a lot of trouble later on!
Choosing a Pest Control Company in Sydney
All pest control companies are not alike. Ask them a few questions before you make a booking. Are they licensed to operate in the state of NSW? Do they guarantee the effectiveness of their work? Will they close all of the entry points or simply put out bait?
Don’t just read other people’s reviews; make sure you read the most recent reviews too. A company that did an excellent job with pest control 5 years ago might now be owned by someone else. Also, be cautious of business owners that quote you a price to do the pest control work before they know what type of pest problem you have or have seen your property. Good pest control companies need to see what’s actually taking place at your home in order to determine a solution.
When Should You Call In a Professional Pest Control Company?
If you have put out a few traps, but are still hearing scratching or scraping noises in your walls, stop wasting your time using traps to catch the pest in your home – call a professional pest control company. Other indicators you should call a pest control company include: finding rodent droppings in multiple places, finding wires with chew marks on them, finding dead animal smells coming from inside your walls. Chewed wires create a serious fire hazard and rodents can carry many diseases that no one would want in their home.
It’s typically cheaper and less time consuming to deal with pest problems sooner than later. A small problem that was handled early will always be better than having a large infestation.
Home hygiene does not ensure rodent infestations; Rodents are opportunists, and there are many opportunities for rats in Sydney. The key is to react early, block them from entering and seek professional assistance when DIY solutions fail.
In my case, three visits from professionals resolved my mouse problem. The real solution was not the traps but locating the gap behind the dishwasher where they have come in. Once the gap was sealed, the scratching ceased permanently.
If you can hear sounds in your walls, don’t wait until they become worse to resolve them. Get it resolved while it is still small.
