As the nights draw in, rats look for warmth and food. In Radford's dense terraced streets, a single unnoticed gap can end up serving a whole row of houses.
Rats are outdoor animals for much of the year, living in burrows, compost heaps, drains and under sheds. As it gets colder, food outside becomes harder to find and shelter becomes more valuable. A warm, dry house with bins, pet food and a quiet cupboard under the stairs is far more attractive in October than in June.
That is why the first scratching in the walls or the first droppings under the sink so often appear in autumn. The rats did not arrive overnight. They have been using the garden or yard for weeks and only now decide to move in.
Radford is a district of dense Victorian terraced streets, with a textile and lace history behind many of the buildings. Rows like these share walls, rear passages and drainage runs. A rat that finds a way into one house can travel along a shared void, under floorboards or through a gap round a pipe, and reach the neighbours too.
This is why it helps to talk to the houses either side. Treating one home properly while the next door gap stays open can mean the problem keeps returning.
Inside, listen for scratching in the early evening and at night, and look for gnawed packaging, greasy marks along skirting boards and droppings that are dark and about the size of a grain of rice.
Prevention in autumn is simple but often skipped. Keep bins closed, bring pet food indoors at night, clear fallen fruit and avoid leaving bags of rubbish by the back gate. Bird food on the ground is a common draw. None of this removes rats that are already in the building, but it makes the yard less attractive and helps any treatment last.
A technician will find how the rats are getting in, place treatment where it is safe to do so and advise on proofing. We can include a free pest prevention survey, which looks at yards, drains, bins and entry points. Treatment time depends on how many rats are present and how long they have been established.
Rats are cautious animals, so it can take several days before activity drops. Sealing entry points matters as much as the treatment itself.
Call 0115 937 5117 to talk it through, and we can arrange a visit at a time that suits you.
Rats are mostly active after dark, when the house is quiet. Scratching in walls, ceilings or under floors in the evening is a common first sign, even before you see droppings.
Not on its own. In terraces the same entry points and drains can serve several houses, so it helps to tell neighbours and have gaps and drain covers checked along the row.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. Prices are fixed and there is no call-out charge.
