How to Keep Rats out of your Yard

The moon is full. The sky is dark. You are in your backyard. A cool breeze blows past you and the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up. It’s almost Halloween.

You take a deep breath of that crisp Mid-Atlantic autumn air and you start to feel at ease. Until you hear a rustle in the crunchy leaves on the ground. Something is out here.

You try and look closer, squinting your eyes to see what is causing the noise. You hope it’s the neighbors cat again or maybe just a low wind. You hear it again behind you. You spin around. A faint shadow of something disappears out of the corner of your eye. What was that? You decide you’ve had enough but on your way back into the safety of your home you see it. Right there next to the trash cans. Plain as day.

A rat.

Rats are no campfire tale!

Rats in your yard make for a true life nightmare. Rats carry diseases, nasty diseases, including the plaque and something called “rat bite fever”. (Which sounds awful by the way!) If you see a rat or multiple rats in your yard the time to act was yesterday! Fortunately there are plenty of things you can do either alone or with your favorite local pest control expert to rid your home of these pesky real-life boogeymen.

Why are there rats in my yard?

Rats do not travel far. If you’re seeing a rat in your yard it is because there is a nesting site nearby. This nesting site could be on a river bank or near a pond, rats love to nest around water. It could be in a scrap of debris in the abandoned house down the street. Or worst case scenario the nesting ground is on your property.

But I never saw rats in my yard before?

We have seen a substantial uptick in rat infestations in the area lately. This is likely due to the fact that more restaurants and bars have closed or limited their services. The rats that used to subsist on the scraps from those local businesses will be having a harder time sourcing enough food, and so they’ve moved on to more residential areas.

I don’t throw out food scraps, so what are the rats eating on my property?

Rats eat scraps. They can eat foods and organic material that would make your stomach do a backflip. It’s part of why they are so prone to disease carrying. If you’re seeing rats on your property that means they are finding either food or safety on either yours or your very close neighbors yard.

Can these rats in my yard become an indoor problem?

Absolutely. As the weather cools off these rats will look for a warmer, safer home. If they are already living or dining on your property it only takes one quick scurry to run inside and then you’re in need of professional help.

How can I get rid of the rats in my yard?

Every situation is different but here are some basic universal precautions to take when dealing with rodents in your yard:

Cover your outside trash cans
- Rats can jump much higher than you think!
Replace damaged trash cans
- Rats can and will chew through plastic, drywall and just about anything else to get to food. If your trash can is damaged it just makes it that much easier.
Take down the bird feeders
- We know, it’s fun to see the birds collect in your yard – especially this time of year – but that bird seed is attracting rodents.
Cover or retire your compost pile
- Composting is great – but it’s literally a ground level pile of loosely buried, rotting food. That’s an open invitation!

What can Kapture Pest Control do to help with the rats in my yard?

Kapture offers a trapping program that has been very successful in the area. We place several tamper-proof stations around the property and capture the rodents. The stations are 100% tamper-proof which means you do not have to worry about little fingers or curious pets unintentionally harming themselves.

We also come out on a regular basis and empty the traps. This will over a period of time drive the rats farther and farther away from your home and yard.

But beware even with a trapping system in place you will need to be vigilant. Until the restaurants are back in full swing- these 4 legged boogeymen will be looking for a safe place to settle down and raise their hordes of offspring. If you aren’t careful that home could be yours.