Roof Rat Citrus Damage

Health concerns include salmonellosis and hantavirus as well as lyme disease which can be carried by infected ticks in the pests fur.

Roof rat citrus damage.

Though they may be cute these critters can cause major damage by chewing on housing materials and eating stored foods. Rats are active throughout the year and mostly at night. Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. Just thinking about it probably gives you the heebie jeebies.

What you ll want to look for are any signs that the rats are present including droppings tracks gnaw marks burrows runways and rodent sounds. After harvest they damage fruit and nuts in bins by chewing them and leaving excrement. This provides the rats with a convenient food source close to warmth and shelter. As roof rats scavenge for sustenance indoors they contaminate food resulting in costly waste.

In late fall roof rats seek out warm nesting sites like the upper levels of your home or garage. By teri carnicelli the overabundance of citrus this winter and spring may seem like a happy circumstance for those who enjoy spending hours squeezing oranges and grapefruits or making tasty desserts with lemons and limes. Roof rats often feed on orange avocado and other fruits sometimes leaving hollow fruit skins hanging on the tree. Half eaten citrus around your home.

Video of the day. One of the reasons that roof rats have flourished in the east valley is because of the prevalence of backyard fruit trees especially citrus trees. According to the university of california statewide integrated pest management program roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus and often eat fruit that is still on the tree. Learning how to permanently get rid of fruit rats is a must if you want to keep your home and produce as fresh and uncontaminated as possible.

Step 1 in order to assess the severity of the rat problem and to get a better idea of where to bait and trap you will first need to perform a thorough inspection of the premises. You ve also seen some of the common signs of a roof rat infestation such as. Like most other rodents they carry diseases that can be spread to humans. Skittish smooth furred and not well adapted to cooler temperatures roof rats are often mistaken for house mice.

Use a sheet metal or aluminum flashing that is at least 18 inches tall and wrap it around the base of the tree overlapping it by 2 or 3. Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees. The rats typically will target the lowest hanging fruit literally. You are pretty sure you saw a roof rat near your patio.