This month’s pest spotlight features the rodent known as the rat. Just reading or hearing the name rat might make you shudder, especially at the thought of one or more of them in your home. Rats might be one of those creatures that you just want to put out of your mind, but the truth is, the more informed you are about them, the better prepared you are if you do need to deal with them in or around your home. With temperatures dropping and winter on the approach, many critters including rats, will go in search of warmth and shelter. So keep reading to find out the answer to some of the most common rat questions, plus where to go when you need professional pest control services for all your pest needs.

What is a Rat?

Rats are characterised as medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Distinguishable from mice mainly by their size, there are 56 species of rat in the world. Some well-known species are the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus). A group of rats is known as mischief, and as a species, they are known as opportunistic survivors, often living near, or with human beings. Unfortunately, wild rats are capable of carrying many pathogens which are known as zoonotic, which means that they are capable of being transferred between a non-human (the rat) to humans, and vice versa.

A major characteristic of most rats is their long tail, which is believed to serve important functions for the rat, among which is thermoregulation, the process of regulating body temperature. Their long tails can also be a relatively easy way to identify a rat if you are unsure.

When are Rats Considered a Pest?

Rats have long been considered a pest, and this is largely due to the fact that they are vectors in the spread of diseases, such as Lassa fever and leptospirosis. Many urban areas have a rat problem that they have to try and keep at bay. For instance, in America, New York, Washington DC, and Boston are all known to have rat infestations.

Rats are also considered pests because of their opportunistic nature; they will infest any area that is sheltered and provides easy and regular access to food and water. This includes inside the walls of homes, under sinks, in cabinets, and any place that is near garbage or rubbish.

How Do I Know If I Have a Rat Problem?

There are quite a few ways to identify the presence of rats in the home or a possible infestation. One of the easy to notice signs that rats leave behind is droppings. These can often be found near a source of food, like in cupboards or in the pantry. While not the most pleasant topic, it is important to know how to identify rat droppings in case you come across them in your home. Droppings from rats will be shiny and black in colour, and can be from 12mm to 18mm in length dependant on the species.

Another tell-tale sign of rats in your home is evidence of gnawing. Rats commonly gnaw on skirting boards, furniture, and walls to sharpen their teeth. This is not only an irritating destructive behaviour, but it can be very dangerous as well. If the rats begin to gnaw on plumbing, pipes, and electrical wires and cables, this can lead to very serious consequences, such as house fires.

Further signs of a rat infestation can also be found in any food with damaged packaging. If you find damaged food packaging, rats could be the cause of this – they will bite their way into any food they can find, with the sharp teeth mentioned above. Make sure to throw away any food with damaged packaging – the food will now be contaminated.

How Can I Prevent a Rat Infestation?

There are some general things that you can do in your home to keep rats away, and these tips might be familiar to you, as some of them apply to other types of pests. As mentioned above, rats are opportunistic so if they find a way to access a regular food source, such as your pantry, they will. That’s why it’s important to keep your kitchen exceptionally neat and tidy, and never leave food lying out. Also, keeping a generally clean and tidy home is helpful, as is keeping an eye on any potential rat hiding spaces. Make sure to patch up holes in walls or in the ceiling or roof in order to limit access points into your home that rats can use.

Do You Need Pest Control Services?

If you discover that you have a rat issue, then look no further than Infinity Pest Solutions. We are a proud family-owned business, and we offer you exceptional customer service, alongside professional pest control services. With a team of fully licensed and trained pest controllers, we are ready to help with any and all of your pest problems.

Whether you need a rat exterminator service, or another pest exterminator service, call us at 0402 945 187, or fill out our online contact form to get a free quote.

Bedbugs: they are the insects that we all cringe at the thought of. You might have heard something about what they look like or how they spread, but these little insects are actually more complex than they might seem at first glance. It might surprise you to know that bedbugs feed on human blood, for instance. Or that getting an established infestation under control and eradicating it is not as simple as it seems. Keep reading to find out all about bedbugs, and where to go for professional pest control services for all your bedbug and other pest needs.

What are Bedbugs?

Bedbugs are tiny insects, without wings, that feed on human blood. They are nocturnal, so they are typically active at night, rather than during the day. Bedbugs are found all over the world, though there are two distinct species of insect. Cimex Lectularius is also known as the common bedbug, while Cimex Hemipterus is a type of bedbug that is usually found only in the tropics.

Bedbugs are generally about half a centimetre in length, have six legs, and have a large mouth. They are typically brown in colour, though they change to a rusty-red colour after they have eaten.

Feeding exclusively on blood, these insects are able to find hosts first by sensing carbon dioxide, and secondly by the warmth of the host. They need to feed every five to seven days, and they will leave the shelter of their hiding place to find food at night. If they are disturbed by light or if they do feed on blood, they then retreat back to the safety of their dark home.

Where Can They Be found?

Bedbugs love to hang out in dark hiding spaces such as cracks and seams in walls, the cracks between floorboards, and of course, the mattresses that they get their name from.

Other places you might find bedbugs are hiding underneath wallpaper that has become loose and started to peel away, in carpet, and of course, in other bedding like quilts, sheets, and blankets.

How Do Bedbugs Spread?

Unlike other pest infestations, such as the cockroach, a bedbug infestation is not generally a result of poor hygiene. Contrary to popular belief in fact, in most cases, it has little to do with hygiene or lack thereof. Rather, they are particularly common in places like hotels, motels, and hostels, as they have many guests coming and going frequently.

The bedbugs can then spread through eggs or insects travelling to another dwelling on clothes or luggage. This is why bedbugs can be such a problem during travel and are becoming increasingly common during airplane travel.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of a Bedbug Issue?

It is generally most easy to identify a bedbug issue from the signs and symptoms that may be on the human host or hosts. This is due to the fact that, due to their tiny size, the bedbugs themselves can be difficult to spot. Something that you can look out for on the bed is small red spots of blood on sheets that come from crushed bedbugs.

There are also some symptoms of bedbug bites that you can look out for, for instance, large red lesions or spots on the skin that mark the site of the bite. You can also be on the lookout for itching, a rash, or even hives.

How Can I Treat Bedbug Bites?

There are several things you can do to mitigate the effects of bites from bedbugs. These include using topical creams to stop any itching, such as calamine lotion, as well as attempting not to itch at all. In addition, if there is any swelling, you can apply an icepack in order to reduce this, and you can also wash the bites with antiseptic soap to try and help prevent infection.

It is essential, however, to see your doctor immediately if the bites do become infected.

What is an Effective Treatment for Bedbugs?

If you have a bedbug infestation, especially an established one, it is often necessary to call in pest control experts. Washing sheets and bedding and vacuuming and cleaning mattresses can sometimes only take you so far, and that’s where the professionals step in.

Make sure you brush up on the governmental guidelines for pest control and then keep reading to discover where to go when you need professional pest control.

Do You Need Pest Control Services?

Whether you have a bedbug infestation or another pest issue, look no further than Infinity Pest Solutions. As a proud family-owned business, we provide fantastic customer service and exceptional pest management and control. Our team of fully licensed and trained pest controllers is ready to help with all your pest control problems. Rest assured, you will be more than satisfied with the results.

So, if you need pest control services, call us at 0402 945 187, or fill out our online contact form to get a free quote.

We all know that summer in Australia is a time for more hours of sunlight and sky-high temperatures. But did you know that it’s also a time when more pests find their way into homes all around the country? That’s right, certain pests love to make their way into our homes in the warmer months, and unfortunately, many also take this time to reproduce more too. So, what do you need to look out for? What are the signs and what should you do if you suspect that you have a pest problem or infestation? Keep reading to find out the answers to all your questions, and where to go for pest control services this season.

Cockroaches

Unfortunately, these nasty critters are more active in the summer months and are more likely to find their way into your home. They actually reproduce more during the warmer months, which contributes to the problem. Like other pests, a cockroach sighting is often a sign that there is a nest housing many more cockroaches somewhere within your home.

Cockroaches are generally attracted to food and rubbish, which means that the home can sometimes be like a great beacon, calling to them. Given the fact that we prepare, eat and store food in the home, it’s really essential to be mindful of foodstuff during the summertime. Leaving food out on the bench overnight, for example, is a bad idea that can attract cockroaches.

Similarly, keeping the kitchen area clean is a good way to keep cockroaches away and stop them from contaminating your surfaces. Check out our guide to cockroach extermination to find out why this is so important for your health and your home.

Ants

These pesky little creatures also come out in the summer due to the warmth and can make their way into homes in huge numbers. Like many other pests, ants are attracted to food in any form. That means keeping all rooms of the house free from crumbs, food scraps, and spills of any kind is essential.

Ants also reproduce more in the summer months, meaning they multiply in number and are more active. To protect against ants, you must limit their access to a food source, because if ants don’t have that within the house they cannot survive. You can also scout out potential entry points for ants within your home and attack the problem at its source. Make sure to read this Wikipedia page to find out more about ants in Australia.

If you do have an ant infestation, you will need help from professional pest control experts. Keep reading to find out where to find them.

Flies

Flies are a pest that can seem merely annoying, yet a fly infestation is nothing to be taken lightly. These winged critters are also known for reproducing during Summer when the temperatures make them more active.

Like most pests, flies are attracted to food because they need a food source, but that’s not the whole story when it comes to some types of flies. House flies, for instance, love rotting food, which is why it’s important to take care of your rubbish bin properly.

An important thing to note is that house flies are attracted to warm, damp areas, so limiting access to moisture is essential for controlling them. They prefer to lay their eggs and breed in these conditions, which is why proper ventilation in all areas of your house is important.

Spiders

Unfortunately for many arachnophobes, Summer can also signal the arrival of more spiders. No one really likes spiders, especially not in their home, so that’s why it is important to look out for obvious entry points where they may get in.

Summer can be a time when spiders enter the home more often due to extreme temperatures outside, which we often have during these months in Australia. They also enter the home to find a reliable food source, which means that if you have a problem with flies, then spiders may be soon to follow – or are already there.

It’s this circle-of-life relationship between flies and spiders that means the summer months are rife with both. Warmer temperatures mean more flies, which means more food for spiders and more spiders. It’s not an ideal situation for those who fear spiders, but rest assured, a professional pest control expert can save the day, and your nerves!

Need Pest Control Services?

Look no further than Infinity Pest Solutions! We are a family-owned business proud to provide you with fantastic customer service, and exceptional pest control and pest management. With a team of fully licensed and trained pest controllers ready to help with all your pest needs, you can rest assured that you will be satisfied with the results.

When you need pest control services, call us at 0402 945 187, or fill out our online contact form to get a free quote.