Rat Control

Rats are considered pest no.1 in the UK, if left unchecked, they often can cause considerable damage to both properties or their area of infestation; steps should always be undertaken to remove active rat infestations from a building. The UK’s only has one species of rat commonly known as the brown rat (rattus norvegicus); we also have the black rat (rattus rattus), however, these usually are only found within a few areas and often in small populations.

As with the rest of our website, we are not going to ramble on about the biology of rats and their control; if you are interested in finding out more information, we recommend that you look at the Wikipedia page here or the BPCA (Primary UK pest control association) page here.

Depending on the approach preferred, users can either go for a direct rodenticide control option; this is a common approach for controlling rats, but users should be aware of localised resistance issues which can be a factor in the treatment of rats. Users should also be aware of the risks that are often associated with the use of rodenticides, especially around pets and non-target animals. If time is on your side, trapping can be an excellent alternative however does take considerably longer to both master and control an infestation; rats can be hesitant of traps and associated boxes, so patience is often required.

After a treatment has been undertaken, steps should always be taken to proof rats from gaining re-access to the infestation area; otherwise, new rats can quickly detect and reuse old nesting sites. Rats are often easier to proof compared to mice, but access points can often be challenging to find and often within unreachable locations; this is especially true if the access is related to sewage pipes. The best approach to rat proofing is a combination of exclusion vent covers, wire mesh and specialist drain flap guards.

Please find below our most common and popular products associated with rat control: