Protecting Fruit Trees From Roof Rats
Roof rats are not only a dangerous pest inside the home, they can also wreak havoc outside of it, particularly when it comes to fruit trees. In warmer climates, these rats will find plenty of food in fruit groves, and they can cost the owners dearly. On top of that, they may have to travel only a small distance from the fruit trees to your home, where they will cause extra damage. Here are some of the ways in which you can prevent this from happening:
The roof rat
The roof rat is down to eat a lot of different types of fruit, and it is an extremely agile animal, often jumping from trees to rooftops, scaling walls and finding its way inside attics. Once the rats are indoors, they will start nesting and reproducing, birthing up to eight pups per litter and as many as five litters each year. And it is not hard for them to enter the home, often fitting into holes the size of a nickel.
Keeping your groves safe
To start, you should pick up any fruits that have fallen on the ground. The more fruits there are near your trees, the more rats that you will have on your property. Make sure that you check your grove regularly, especially after periods of heavy winds.
If you are planning to plant a grove, make sure that the trees are as far away from your home as possible. This will prevent the infestation from spreading indoors. However, if you already have a grove, and the trees are close to the home, you can lower the odds of an infestation by trimming the trees regularly and ensuring that they do not touch the house. Any low-hanging branches should be removed as well, because they allow the rats easier access to fruits.
Control options include traps and pesticides. However, both pose their own challenges, and you will often harm other animals besides rats with both. The best option for handling a roof rat infestation in your tree grove is to hire a specialist, who will have the equipment and training needed to ensure that the control process goes off without a hitch and that the entire infestation is removed without any damage to other animals. If you have a roof rat infestation on your property, contact us today, and we will send over someone who can help you get it under control safely and effectively.
