Is It Rats Sneaking Around Your Hendersonville Property?

Are rats eating your veggies?

If you have a garden, you might be out in your garden and notice that your vegetables are being damaged by pests. Are rats the culprits? They might be. But you should know that rats don't prefer vegetables. They would much rather eat grains, meats, and foods that have oils and fats. You're more likely to see a rat in a dumpster than a garden. If rats are eating your veggies, they're pretty hungry. This fact alone won't help you solve the mystery, but it can be an important piece to the puzzle.

Are rats eating your fruit?

If you have a fruit tree, you can bet that rats will enjoy the fruit that falls to the ground. Fruit is an important source of carbohydrates. While rats are good climbers, they're not likely to eat the fruit hanging from the branches unless they're really hungry. If you see damage to fruit on your tree, it is likely to be damage from another type of pest. One way to tell that rats are eating your fruit is to find a pile of fruit stored under your deck, in your crawlspace, or in some other void. Rats collect food.

Are rats eating your landscape plants?

You're out in your yard, tending to your landscaping, and you notice that something has been eating your ornamental plants. You know that rats eat vegetables and fruits, but do they eat ornamental plants or flowers? Yes, they can. But woodchucks, gophers, voles, and other animals are far more likely to be the pests eating these plants. Unless you actually see a rat doing it, you won't know.

Are rats digging holes?

Norway rats in Hendersonville (those are the brown ones) are excellent diggers. They'll dig to get underneath a shed and other structures. They'll also dig burrows underneath the ground. There are other pests that do this as well, like woodchucks, voles, gophers, and moles. If Norway rats are digging holes in your yard, you may see a pile of dirt outside the entrance in the shape of a fan. Moles create volcano-shaped mounds. Voles don't leave dirt around their holes. Gophers and woodchuck create a fan of dirt, but they're larger animals. So, a relatively small hole with a fan of dirt is likely to be a rat hole. Also, keep in mind that Norway rats tend to create burrows underneath piles of objects. This can help you solve the mystery.

Are rats creating holes in your exterior?

You come home from work and you notice a small hole near the bottom of the wood frame around your entryway. It could be a rat hole, but how can you know? That hole could have been created by carpenter ants, mice, or some other pest that damages wood. Rats are big rodents and they need a hole that is more than twice the size of a hole a mouse will use. An adult mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime, but a rat needs a hole the size of a quarter. Carpenter ants can make a hole the size of a quarter. If carpenter ants are to blame, you might find sawdust material. Rats don't create sawdust.

Are you finding rat droppings?

You open a cabinet in your kitchen and find tiny black droppings. That's bad. No matter what pest is leaving this waste material in your home, you need to take care of the problem in your Hendersonville home. But as gross as they are, droppings can help you solve your mystery. No pest is going to leave droppings as large as those left by rats. When you find droppings that are ½ to ¾ of an inch long, there is little doubt that you have rats.

The Best Way To Tell If You Have Rats In Hendersonville

It can be quite a mystery when a pest comes into your yard, damages your vegetation, creates holes in your exterior, and leaves droppings in your home. If you need help solving the mystery, remember that the Hendersonville pest control service team here at All-American Pest Control is always available to help. We have many experienced pest detectives on staff and they use industry-leading products and strategies to get control of rodent problems. Reach out to us today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Hendersonville, or to schedule a service visit. We're here to help you with all of your Hendersonville pest problems.

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