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Norway rats, house rats, roof rats and other rodents are the bane of most Pittsburgh home and business owners, but they don’t have to be!
Learn how to better protect your property against rodents or call our team for the most effective rodent control throughout Greater Pittsburgh!
For all of us, nothing is safer than our own home.
It cannot, of course, be tolerated home invasions by disease-carrying rodents, wreaking havoc with wiring and insulation and terrorizing those who cross their path.
The problem is that there aren’t locks strong enough or doors and windows thick enough to prevent a rat infestation from spreading everywhere once they set foot in your once-happy home.
More than that, unfortunately, is the number of rats in Pittsburgh, as it ranked 18th in a recent survey that listed the 50 worst urban centers for rat infestations.
According to our teams at Pestco, the usual suspects for Pittsburgh homes are: house mice, roof rats and Norway rats.
More about each follows below.
House mice are difficult to eradicate because they love man-made structures and once inside they reproduce profusely.
They are one of the most common pest intruders in Pittsburgh homes and businesses.
They are known to stay outdoors during the warmer months of the year, but when temperatures drop, they retreat to buildings in search of shelter and sustenance.
They are known to eat food left on the counter, leftovers and garden crops.
They pose serious damage risks to furniture, textiles and construction-supporting houses and office buildings alike, which they endlessly chew to file their teeth that never stop growing.
Norway rat
Also known as the sewer rat and the brown rat, this species is a carrier of a number of nasty diseases, eats large amounts of food and contaminates all other exposed food in its path.
Extremely destructive, their sharp teeth gnaw through insulation, wiring and create holes in drywall, creating a serious fire hazard.
Like others, this Norway rat reproduces very quickly.
A female can have 6 litters per year, each producing six to twelve cubs that reach sexual maturity at just three months of age.
Do-it-yourself methods are ineffective when dealing with rodent infestations, and professional help from pest-control and pest-maintenance experts is essential to permanently eliminate a rodent infestation.
roof rat
Often found in attics, these rodents are larger than others of their species, leading to a need for food sources that are greater than the average rodent.
Their numbers have grown to alarming proportions across the United States in the past few years, and more and more are being seen every day.
Roof rats are also called: black rats, ship rats and house rats.
Problems associated with rats
Both rats and mice can present a serious threat to human health and property. Inside a home, they can cause destruction that is not easily repaired and is both expensive and extremely annoying for both the occupants and their pets.
The most prominent issue concerns the following.
- They chew holes to gain entry. The holes they make destroy stored furniture, boxes and other items.
- While gathering material to build their nest, rats destroy any property in their path.
- They deposit faeces everywhere and soak the places with their urine.
- Rodents are vectors of harmful pathogens including: bubonic plague, parasitic worms and ectoparasites, such as ticks and flies and others.
- They chew electrical wires and cause many fires.
- Both rats and mice contaminate and destroy packaged foods.
Some scary facts about mice and rats
1. Rats can swim through a toilet
It’s not an urban legend, and it can be a more terrifying experience for a Pittsburgh homeowner than opening a toilet lid and seeing a rat staring back.
Rats are good swimmers and they use sewers as tunnels for transportation.
2. Two rats can produce 6,000 pups in their lifetime
all It takes two rats to create a full-blown infestation, which is why it’s so important to contact pest-management experts as soon as a rat is caught in or near a Pittsburgh home.
Offspring begin breeding at three months of age, steadily replenishing the population until they take over a home and all is lost.
3. Rats grow 5-½ inches of teeth per year
Rats’ teeth never stop growing and they deposit them by constantly gnawing on wood, bricks, cement, food and the bones of the animals they eat.
This is why they are so destructive when they get into electrical wiring, insulation, furniture, stored food and anything else.
4. Rats are hard to catch
This is one reason why do-it-yourself methods will not work and professional pest control experts must be called on the scene when dealing with a rodent infestation.
Even the use of rat poison has limited scope for effectiveness.
5. Rats want to eat you
Rats see humans like all other living creatures; Namely as food.
Their bites can be painful and dangerous, as they carry disease and even one bite can send a person (or pet) to the hospital.
6. Rats are incredibly productive
Female rats give birth to 15 litters a year and are able to get pregnant again just 24 hours after giving birth!
For a rat, the average litter size is 10-12 cubs and they can start breeding at just six weeks of age.
7. Rats have poor eyesight
Because they see best in dim light, mice rely heavily on their sense of hearing and smell to get close.
8. Rats have supersonic hearing
Research indicates that mice can hear ultrasound up to 90kHz!
Additionally, they use ultrasound to communicate and even serenade potential mates with love songs.
9. Rat Daredevils
Rats are known to jump an incredible height of around 25.4 cm, which is amazing considering their average size is between 3 and 10 cm.
Additionally, they can scale any rough vertical surface up to 2 meters high!
10. Rats love to explore their surroundings
Rats explore their territory daily, not fearing neophobia, which is the fear of new objects.
They are adventurous, always on the lookout for new potential food sources.
The most effective Pittsburgh rodent solution
Family owned and operated since the late 1940s, we are a leading provider of long-term and emergency pest control, pest management and extermination solutions for commercial, industrial and residential spaces throughout Greater Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.
It includes; Restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, schools and universities, healthcare facilities, salons and spas, offices, apartment complexes and private homes.
Our dedicated staff is always on hand to help with a serious rat-infestation.
Our integrated rodent pest control program balances conventional baiting and trapping methods with environmental management and pest exclusion techniques.
Chemical applications are not encouraged, but when they are required, our technicians always ensure the safety of the environment and all people and pets that may be affected.
Technicians first thoroughly inspect a building for risk areas and then eliminate rodent food and shelter sources by sealing potential entry points.
These include foundation cracks, poorly sealed vents, drain pipes and any other entry points that may be exposed and vulnerable.
Bob Wimmer ACE Our Executive General Manager at Pestco Professional Services and his attitude towards people in trouble was clearly demonstrated in a recent news broadcast regarding a rat infestation at a Pittsburgh residence where a woman woke up to a rat staring at her from her nightstand.
He and his team responded the same day shortly after the story was covered by Get Marty on news station KDKA, assuring staff that it was “no problem” to do so.
Marty generously offered to pay for expenses incurred, but Bob made it clear that he wanted “no publicity” and only wanted to do the right thing for his community.
“It was one of the worst years for rodents I’ve ever seen,” he told the press. “It could be the result of an epidemic or a combination of a bad winter.” He and his team immediately went to work and assured the hapless homeowner that he had to vacate his premises and seek shelter elsewhere, that he was “confident that he would be able to resolve the problem and hopefully everything would be back to normal within a few weeks.” .”
In conclusion
If you own a business or home in Pittsburgh or any of its glorious suburbs and you’re suddenly beset by the sight of a rat in or near your Pittsburgh home, don’t go, collect the $200, or do anything other than contact Pestco. Immediately!
We are here to help!
Final Thoughts on Rats: The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat ~ Lily Tomlin
Photo credit: Pixabay
