There are rats out there, and they aren’t going anywhere soon, but it’s important to make sure they aren’t in your business for a number of reasons.
Probably the most obvious reason is disease, which can be spread to humans usually through urine. There are number of diseases they can spread, including Weil’s disease, Salmonella, Listeria, Toxoplasma gondii and Hantavirus.
Rats can cause structural damage too. They have been known to cause fires by gnawing through insulation around electrical cables, floods by chewing pipes and even death where gas pipes are concerned. Some even estimate that 25% of all electrical fires in buildings are caused by rats.
As a business, probably the number one concern would be to your businesses reputation. Your clients and customers are likely to have serious reservations about you.
There’s another side to rats that is often overlooked though, and that is the Law. Property owners, under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, have a legal obligation to keep premises rodent-free.
Staying alive
Rats need food, water and shelter to stay alive, and these three things are pretty easy to come by for them. They’ll eat almost anything, and because of this, they tend not to wander far from their nest if food is plentiful.
They can breed pretty well too. A Norway rat can breed ten young ten times a year if the conditions are right. In a city like London, that’s 3,600 newborn an hour.
They are wary of new things, which include Pest Control, so it is vital for us to understand how they work to be able to effectively control them.
Do you have a problem?
Droppings are a major sign, and if it’s a big infestation you might be able to smell the urine too. You might spot shredded paper or materials they’ve used to make a nest, or see signs of gnawing. Sometimes you might also spot rat runs on routes they use regularly.
Of course you don’t want to wait until you spot that you have a problem, given the risk to health, reputation, structures and your legal obligation. If you’d like to take a proactive and preventative approach, or if you think you might have a problem, give us a call.
