Norway Rat 411 – What To Do To Help Rats From Entering Homes

Milwaukee, Wis. (November 17, 2021). -- Chicago and Milwaukee have more in common than being midwestern cities both on Lake Michigan – they are both full of Norway rats – now more than ever.

“Our phones are blowing off the hook about rats in the Milwaukee area,” explains Janelle Iaccino, a rat expert with Rose Pest Solutions, www.rosepestcontrol.com, with offices in Milwaukee and Chicago. You could call it the double whammy – with restaurants closed during the pandemic, rats were looking for food sources and found them near homes. Now, with the colder weather upon us, they are seeking food and shelter indoors,” she added.

Eek! might be an appropriate word for the situation. No one likes encountering rats in their homes.

The Milwaukee City Department of Neighborhood Services recently distributed an alert, https://city.milwaukee.gov/commoncouncil/District2/BeOnAlertForRatProbl15426.htmfor 2nd District residents to “report any suspected rat harborages and to keep garbage properly secured.”

But it’s next to impossible to get control of a rat situation without expert help because rats are so prolific. In their one-year lifespan, a male and female rat can produce generations reaching thousands of pups. That’s why it’s so important to consult with experts.

“Rose Pest Solutions is considered the expert when it comes to rats and has been tackling rodent issues longer than any other pest company in the country,” Iaccino explains. “It actually goes back to 1860 when one of the founders of Rose was commissioned by the U.S. Army during the Civil War to help keep soldiers in tent camps protected from rats,” she said.

For the seventh year in a row, Chicago has been deemed the rattiest city in the U.S. “We’ve been helping homeowners and businesses with rat issues all throughout the Midwest and have been helping combat rat problems longer than any other pest company,” Iaccino said. We bring a depth of experience to Milwaukee after tackling rodents in the rattiest city in the country for more than a century.”

Tips to help control rats:

• First thing is to call an expert.
• Daily monitoring is important to observe and learn behavior and identify alpha rats.
• Seal up any holes or cracks larger than a quarter.
• Remove sources of moisture such as dripping faucets.
• Seal up trash cans and keep food containers closed.

Interesting tidbits of rodent information:

• Norway rats will eat practically anything, including pet waste in backyards, although they prefer meat, fish and cereal.
• A rat’s teeth and jaws can gnaw through substances as hard as lead sheeting and cinder block.
• A rat can hold its breath for up to three minutes under water.
• A nest of rats is called a mischief.
• Rats and mice are social creatures. They use their urine to communicate to their nest (mice) and mischief (rats).
• Rats and mice can carry as many as 200 human pathogens.
• A female mouse is ready to reproduce at six weeks old and can have as many as a cozen babies every three weeks.

In urban areas, Norway rats live in vacant lots and buildings. They burrow underground and may enter buildings in search of food. They can chew through wiring causing fires. Removing them often requires professional rodent control expertise.

Successful rodent control is a multi-faceted effort that includes routine inspection for signs of activity, placement of baits to control an existing population, and continued efforts to prevent inviting them into the structure. For an expert inspection, contact Rose Pest Solutions at 800-GOT-PESTS? to inspect for early warning signs and customized rodent control strategies to keep your environment healthy and free of disease-spreading rodents.
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About Rose Pest Solutions, LLC
Since 1860, Rose Pest Solutions has been trusted in the Midwest to keep homes and businesses free from insects, rodents and more. Using cutting-edge technology, environmentally friendly methods, and personalized unique solutions, Rose and its sister company Franklin Pest Solutions are dedicated to creating and maintaining healthier living environments. Owned by the Dold Family, Rose Pest Solutions proudly serves communities in all of Chicagoland, the Greater Milwaukee area, the Greater Rockford region and South Central Wisconsin Franklin Pest Solutions proudly serves Indiana and Kentucky. For more information, see www.rosepestcontrol.com and www.franklinpestsolutions.com.