Rats Running Around in the Backyard in Rumson, NJ

Challenge

This homeowner in Rumson, NJ was enjoying the warm, sunny weather with her children in her backyard when all of a sudden, the enjoyment turned to hysteria when she saw a rat emerge from her deck and run across her yard! She immediately called us to come out and inspect.

As we inspected the property, we found two rat burrows on the right and left side of the deck. Rats create these burrows to travel from their nest to a food source and to escape predators. Rat burrows usually contain a main entrance and 1 or 2 exit holes away from the main entrance. As we finished inspecting the deck, we noticed an exhaust vent that appeared damaged. We took a closer look and found fresh rat droppings inside of it. Fortunately, the vent was sealed off on the inside. We showed this to the homeowner and she immediately contacted someone to come out and remove that exhaust vent.

Solution

Until the homeowner hires a contractor to remove and seal up this vent, we temporarily sealed it off with hardware cloth. Afterward, we installed several Ready-to-Use rodent bait stations near each of the burrows. Next, we installed several snap traps that are inside temper-proof, child resistant boxes near the burrows. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the rat infestation, apply any additional treatments, and replenish the bait as needed.