How to Combat Rats in Boise
Why are you seeing more rats in Boise?
Boise, the charming capital city of Idaho, is known for its beautiful landscapes, friendly residents, and vibrant culture. However, in recent months, there has been a noticeable increase in rat sightings throughout the city. This surge in rat populations has left many residents wondering, “Why are we seeing more rats in Boise?”
- Urbanization and Habitat Destruction: As Boise grows and urbanization expands, it often involves clearing undeveloped areas, which can displace rat populations. The destruction of their natural habitats causes rats to seek new places to nest and find food, leading them to residential and commercial areas within the city.
- Food Availability: An abundance of food sources significantly contributes to the increase in rat populations. Large dumpsters, overflowing trash cans, improperly stored food, and open compost bins can attract rats to residential and business premises. As rats are opportunistic scavengers, the readily available food in Boise makes it an appealing habitat for them.
- Climate Factors: Rats are adaptable creatures that thrive in various climates. The moderate climate in Boise provides favorable conditions for rats to breed and survive year-round, resulting in their increased numbers. Mild winters and warm summers contribute to longer breeding seasons and higher survival rates for rat populations.
- Construction and Renovation: Boise’s construction boom has inadvertently disturbed existing rat habitats. Excavations, demolitions, and building renovations can displace rats from their hiding spots, forcing them to find new locations. Consequently, this can lead them to seek refuge in neighboring structures, causing an uptick in rat sightings.
- Lack of Predators: The natural predators of rats, such as owls, snakes, and larger mammals, play a crucial role in controlling their populations. However, urban areas often lack these natural predators, allowing rats to reproduce rapidly without proper checks and balances.
Here’s how you can safeguard your Boise home against rat infestations
Beeline Pest Control provides several strategies to offer your home a dependable rat shield:
- Take advantage of screens, vent covers, and chimney caps as much as you can.
- Make sure all visible cracks and openings are sealed to prevent rat entry.
- Limit access to food and water sources near your living space.
- Keep your surroundings tidy by reducing clutter and cleaning regularly.
- Ensure waste is stored in bins with secure lids, deterring rats from treating it as a food source.
Should I Be Worried About Rats From a Health Perspective?
In a word, yes. Rats can be carriers of multiple severe diseases and infections which can be easily spread.
Regarding our local area, you usually won’t find aggressive rats in Boise as they generally prefer to keep a distance from humans, just like we do with them. However, their aversion to conflict doesn’t make them any less threatening. Rodents, including rats, can infest homes and properties and contaminate food preparation areas and food sources through droppings, urine, and saliva. The diseases they can spread include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Salmonella: Presenting symptoms such as fever, abdominal suffering, and diarrhea.
- Leptospirosis: Characterised by symptoms like body aches, diarrhea and vomiting, high fever, and jaundice.
- Hantavirus: Known to induce fever, body aches, chills, breathlessness, and renal failure.
- Rat-Bite Fever: This disease can be contracted even without a rat bite and may cause fever, body aches, a rash, skin lesions, and a sore throat. Long-term health problems linked to it include meningitis, liver damage, and pneumonia.
- Bubonic, Septicemic, and Pneumonic Plagues: All three start with fever and muscle weakness and diverge symptomatically from there. Pneumonic Plague leads to severe respiratory problems, Bubonic results in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, bloody cough, and swollen lymph nodes, while Septicemic Plague symptoms include abdominal pain, internal bleeding, and shock.
These diseases can spread through various means, including contaminated food or water, inhaling particles from rat droppings, or flea bites that have also bitten an infected rat. Intrusive rats carrying these diseases pose a serious health risk to your family, and they may also introduce potential epidemics of ticks and fleas into your home.
How Can I Protect My Home from Rats in Boise?
Apart from the advice we’ve given to make your home less appealing to rats, our experts at Beeline are always ready to help. With years of experience dealing with Boise rats, our technicians have detailed knowledge, and they’re happy to assist with any further queries or issues you have in regard to rats. Get in touch with Beeline today!