Norway Rat
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The Norway Rat is a hearty size rodent. Actually the body is about 7-10 inches long and the tail is another 6-8 inches. It weighs about 8-18 ounces. It has a blunt nose, small eyes and ears and the tail is shorter than the head and body combined.
Adults are sexually mature in 2-5 months. Females produce 3-6 litters per year, each averaging 7-8 young. Extend this productivity out over the course of a year and it can get out of hand real fast. Their lifespan is 6-12 months in the wild. Their sense of smell, hearing and touch are exceptional, but their sense of sight is not very good. In fact, they are color blind.
Norway rats are nocturnal. They require 3/4-1oz. of food and 1/2-1 oz of water per day. They produce about 30-180 droppings and 1/2 oz of urine. Their droppings are about 3/4-1 inch long with blunt ends. Food preferences include meat, fish and cereals. They do require a separate water source from their food, unlike mice who can meet their water requirements from their food. This explains why rats are more common in urban coastal areas like California and New York. Foraging range can be between 100-150 ft from their nest and even longer in residential neighborhoods.
They are shy about new objects in their territory or runway paths. This is why sometimes it is necessary to set out snap traps but not set them for a couple of nights so the rats can get used to them before setting the trigger. The same would apply to baits set out in the area; they need some time to get used to the new object. They prefer to nest in burrows under building foundations, sidewalks, concrete pads if outside. In buildings they prefer the bottom floor areas or mechanical electrical rooms. If outside burrows are present, look for one entrance hole and one or more exit or bolt holes to escape any impending danger. Also look for trails where grass is worn down to the dirt. Remember any hole larger than 1/2 inch is an entrance area that needs to be sealed up as soon as possible.
Norway Rats are notoriously associated with the plague. But today, diseases such as Leptospirosis are major concerns. This disease is acquired by eating food and drinking water contaminated with infected rat urine.
They cause significant structural and product damage. Structure damage could include electrical circuit failure when rats chew wiring. Many fires of unknown origin are started by rats chewing on wire insulation.
Control is usually achieved by methods in four different areas. These include good sanitation, structural and exclusion practices, glueboards, mechanical traps and baits. It may take measures in more than one area to achieve control. Good sanitation includes keeping areas clear of spilled or damaged food items, removing excess water and storing goods in warehouses at least 12 inches off the floor and 12-18 inches from the wall. Structural and exclusion practices include sealing all holes, gaps and cracks larger than 1/2 inch around doorways, windows and other openings with sheet metal, 1/4 inch hardware cloth, caulk or expanding foam. Door sweeps should be installed if necessary to minimize rodent access through entryways.
Glueboards come in different styles such as the
Trapper Rat Glueboards 2pk,
Trapper LTD Glueboards 72ct box,
MB72 Peanut Butter scent 72ct box,
Catch Master MB72 Peanut Butter scent 8/pk. Also available is the
Trapper Pest Monitor Box which holds a
Protecta MC GlueTrap which is available in a 6ct package. When dealing with glueboards, check which the rodent got stuck and back track from that point. You may find an entryway you did not know about. If so seal it up to minimize entryways.
Snap traps include the following:
Victor Rat Expanded Trigger M326 12ct box or
each and
Kness Snap-E Rat Trap. A couple of helpful hints about snap traps include placing the trigger toward the wall along run ways, setting out multiple traps along a wall like a maze type setup and if you have a really stubborn rat, try placing bait or nesting material on the trap but not setting it for the first two nights to let them get used to the trap, then set the trap on the third night. Most of the time, this does the trick.
Mechanical multi catch traps serve a good purpose when you want to capture multiple rodents at one location. These are usually set up on the interior sides of doorways or long wall runs. The traps are usually inspected on a weekly or monthly frequency. Some popular traps include the
Kness Ketch-All or
Victor Tin Cat.
Some helpful facts about rodent bait we offer at Do It Yourself Pest Control Supply include: The bait is an anti-coagulant which means the rodent dies of internal bleeding when blood vessels break internally and cannot be repaired through normal healing. The bait takes about 24-48 hours to produce control, so this does not allow bait shyness to occur. The tale of bait making rats thirsty so they leave to find water is not true. There is no bait that dries the rodent carcass so it does not smell. The smell is gasses emitted during the decomposition process, which is just a biological process. Some deodorizers / neutralizers will minimize or eliminate rat odors of decomposition through an enzyme process. These products include
Epolean N7C .5 gal or
4 oz size,
Epolean NnZ .5 gal, and
XO PLUS ODOR NEUTRALIZER & CLEANER 16 OZ. BTL or
case. These are concentrates with a pleasant fragrant scent. The Epolean products are mixed to desired strength or used at full strength. Other products are deodorizers such as
Rat Sorb 1oz. and
Earth Care Odor Remover Bag.
There are many varieties of rodent baits including block, meal and cereal as well as different styles of bait stations. We carry these in many different types. They include
Contrac All Weather Rodent Bait Blox 12 qty pkg,
Contrac All Weather Rodent Bait 4lb Pail,
Contrac All Weather Rodent Bait Blox 18lb Pail,
Final All Weather Rodent Bait Blox 9lb Pail,
Contrac 8oz Super Size Rodent Bait Blox,
Contrac 8oz Super Size Rodent Bait Blox 40/case and
Contrac Pellet Rodent Bait 1.5oz pk, 6pks/bag.
It seems there are just about as many types of bait stations are there are baits to go in them. These include
Protecta Landscape Sandstone,
Protecta Landscape Granite,
Protecta LP Rat Bait Station Gray,
Protecta LP Rat Bait Station Green or
6/case,
Protecta LP Rat Bait Station Black or
6/case,
Protecta Rat Bait Station Green or
6/case,
Protecta Rat Bait Station Gray or
6/case. The LP stations are considered tamper resistant because they require a special key to open them. You can use a screw or even a small padlock to secure the Protecta Station. Non-tamper resistant equipment includes a
4oz Rodent Bait Tray 10pk,
Rodent Baiters which is a plastic station that snaps together.
Always read and follow label directions. For additional information call Do It Yourself Pest Control Supplies at (972) 562-9999, (903) 891-8818 or toll free (866) 552-8999.
