How to Kill Wildlife - Are Repellents Effective At Solving Wildlife Conflict?

Are Repellents Effective At Solving Wildlife Conflict?

Rat problem is a common problem across all countries. The presence of rats can pose many troubles to a person’s lifestyle and health and it can even jeopardize the safety of the people around them. There are a few methods to solve rat infestation that includes lethal ones and humane ones. But, most of the tips that people give have something in common. They are always advocating for prevention and repellence. Is this more effective than actually killing rats and stopping them altogether from existing? Let’s look at some of the most popular repellent strategies and see if these methods are collectively effective.



Living a Mess-Free Home
We might not realize it but rat infestation actually starts from the way people live. It is common knowledge that rats love to breed and inhabit dirty environments. So, keeping your house clean will avoid rats to enter them. This is the first step to avoiding rats. Throw your garbage on time and in the right way. Don’t leave clutter, food crumbs, and other dirty stuff around your house. This is 100% proven because if you do it right, you will never see a single rat running around your sparkly clean house.

Mint and Other Herbal Aromas
It is scientifically proven that rats hate the smell of mint and a handful of other herbs. Planting herbs in your garden does not only lessen the chances of rat presence as their smell can send away rats but it can also be a good way to keep fresh herbs right at your own garden that you would need for cooking or when you are in the mood for some fresh tea.

Essential Oils
Now, if you find planting a hassle, you can opt for using ready-made aromatic oil products of mint and other herbs. Just wet a cotton ball with a few drops of these oils and place them in areas where rats would most likely frequent. They have the same effects has herbs.

Chemical Products
There are a few chemical products that are developed to solve rat problems. One of them is surprisingly the moth balls. Moth balls aren’t 100% proven to repel rats but if you would think about it logically, they are actually made with the same organic compound that makes up common repellents. You just simple have to place the moth balls in rat entry points and these rats will go away. Another product that are said to be effective is the liquid rat repellent. These liquid repellents are known to be made out of rat’s natural predator urine. The thought of spraying cat urine around your house seems a little squeamish but the truth is that chemically-processed cat urine doesn’t bother humans so it is safe to use them even when you are around.

Ultrasonic/Electronic Devices
Just like dogs, rats have the ability to hear sound frequency that is too high. These frequencies are not heard by humans. Ultrasonic devices work in such a way that they emit high frequency that rats cannot stand. There are no concrete reports if they are completely effective but there are many cases that tell of people experiencing minimized rat infestation.

Natural Remedies
Aside from herbs, there are also DIY repellents that you can use. One example is a mix of boric acid and peanut butter. They are cheap and they work. Just mix ¼ cup of boric acid and ½ cup of peanut butter and form them into small balls and scatter them around your rat-infected areas in the house. When rats ingest this mixture, they are slowly poisoned and will ultimately die. Bear in mind that this can be effective for small-time rat infestation. You might want to start looking for other methods if you think your rat infestation is severe. Raw sweet potatoes are the most natural rat repellent. But, you need to remember that using raw sweet potatoes actually kill rats. When rodents ingest raw sweet potatoes, it will cause a cyanide reaction to the rodent’s body system that will cause their death. Like the boric acid and peanut butter mixture, this can be effective if there are only a few sightings of rodents.

Cats and Natural Predators
This method can be pretty violent but it is proven to solve the problem. Rats are prey to many predators like cats, owls, and snakes. Since it is most unlikely that you’ll keep an owl or a snake as a pet, get a cat instead. They are the most notorious rat predator and they can exterminate the rat problems in reasonable time. Although it involves killing rats, it is just actually letting nature run its cycle and just initiating the natural way of food cycle. There are a lot of ways and methods to solve rat infestation. They often apply to how severe the problem is and sometimes they are more effective that we thought. To answer the question on how effective these rat repellents are, it is a definitive yes. But, there is a slight catch to it. Before you try any method, you first need to identify the severity of the issue. And, of course, don’t be a cause of starting your own rat infestation problem.

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