high rat activity found under deck in toronto

Case Study: High Rat Activity Found Under Deck in Toronto

Exterior Inspection 

Rats are a real issue when it comes to our urban cities. Rats are opportunistic rodents that thrive in the outdoors, but when given a chance, they will gladly go inside our houses. Rats will take advantage of every entry point, and will make our homes their homes, and so is the case of a Toronto resident who first notified us of strange noises coming from her basement. At this point it was unsure whether it was about rats or mice, so a technician was dispatched to the site to conduct an exterior inspection.

If you have rats on your property, call the licensed and insured exterminators from Rat Control Toronto.

The technician ended up in the basement and from recognizing the signs like feces identification, the technician soon discovered that it was about rats. Following this, the technician proceeded to install 3 mechanical snap traps in the interior. Snap-traps are powerful and once the rat makes contact; it will deliver a lethal blow.

rat bait before and after
Strategically-placed tamper-proof bait stations indicated that rat presence was heavy.

Apart from these traps, 3 exterior tamper-proof bait stations were also deployed containing rodenticide to which the rats are attracted by the smell. These are strategically placed out of reach and sight of children and pets.

The issue, weeks later, was still not resolved, and according to the customer, the neighbour sees rats coming from and underneath the deck in the backyard.

rats seen by neighbour
Rats were seen by the property owner’s neighbour.

The technician revisits the site and checks the feeding rate. High feeding activity equals high rat activity and low feeding activity equals low rat presence. The technician discovers that the feeding stations are empty which leads to believe that the customer is dealing with a lot of rats.

deck exclusion base
Technicians had to remove the baseboard entirely to encapsulate the deck base.

 Initial Measures Taken 

The customer agreed to the deck exclusion and the task was in process. The technician removed the boards one by one and attaches steel mesh to where the foundation of the deck and the wall meet. This will prevent the rats from sipping out of the wooden boards to the outside.

The technician also performed a deck exclusion around the perimeter. A 1 ft deep trench was dug around the deck. This ended up being 24 ft. Rats come inside structures by digging their way in. This is because they are natural diggers. In nature, life takes place in rat burrows underground. To prevent this, technicians lay the steel mesh in an L-shape to stop the rats in their tracks

Since the rats were coming from the deck, the technician proposed to remove the boards and attach a rat One-Way-Door along with upper deck encapsulation and steel mesh around the structure. This traps the rats and gives them only one way out, through the One-Way Door. The technician had the Rat One-Way Door up for about a month.

rat one way door
The Rat One-Way Door provides a way out for the rats while not letting them back in.

 Conclusion 

The customer reported no new noises after checking in and the case was successfully resolved and closed. Rats continue to plague urban areas, and this is because there is an abundance of food and shelter. Man-made structures are attractive to rodents including rats, mice, and squirrels who are seen in properties very often. If you suspect rat activity, hear noises, or see live rats, contact the licensed and insured rat control specialists from The Exterminators. Call us at 647-496-2211 to make an appointment.

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