Harvest is over, the riverbank is cold and a garage with a bag of bird seed in it looks like a hotel. In South Muskham, rats move in when the weather turns.
Through summer rats can feed in fields, hedgerows and along the river, but as crops are cleared and the weather cools, food and cover decline. They begin to search for warmer places, and buildings offer shelter and stored food. A rat does not need an open door. It needs a gap about the size of a thumb, and it can gnaw bigger ones in soft materials such as old mortar, plastic and wood.
South Muskham is a village north of Newark near the River Trent and the A1, with older houses and newer infill. The river corridor gives rats an easy path from bank to garden. Older houses may have crumbling brick, old drains and cellars or outhouses with gaps. Newer infill homes can have disturbed ground around them, with soil, builders' rubble or drains that do not quite seal, all of which rats can exploit.
The first step is to reduce food. Store bird seed, poultry feed and pet food in lidded metal bins. Pick up fallen fruit and spilled grain. Keep the compost heap covered and avoid putting cooked food or meat scraps on it. The second step is to deny entry. Look for holes round pipes and cables, damaged air bricks, door gaps and damaged drain covers.
Do not try to trap or poison rats without advice. Poisons can harm pets, wildlife and children, and rats that die under floorboards cause lasting smells. Rodenticide use is controlled, so professionals use secure bait stations and follow guidelines. Treatment duration depends on the size of the group and how many entry points there are.
Newer infill homes sometimes sit next to building plots or land that has been cleared. Disturbed ground, piled soil and construction waste can drive rats from their old burrows towards the nearest buildings. If building work is under way near you, check the garden and outbuildings more often and report holes in drains or ditches to the relevant authority, since damaged drains offer rats a direct route to many properties at once. Listen as well as look. Scratching or running sounds after dark in a loft, wall or under the floor are often the first sign, well before droppings appear. A rat that enters through the garage or kitchen can reach the loft along pipes in a matter of hours, so the sooner you can narrow down where they are travelling, the quicker they can be dealt with.
Call 0115 937 5117 to arrange a visit. Fully insured staff, all CRB checked, will explain exactly what is being used and where.
No. Rats follow water and cover, and a river corridor is a natural route. Tidy food storage and secure bins reduce the chance of them settling, but cannot remove the risk completely.
As soon as you see droppings, gnawing or burrows. Rats breed quickly, so early action usually means a shorter, simpler treatment.
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.
