How do you get rid of a black rat intrusion in Montreal?
The black rat is a mammal of the order of rodents. He is originally from India. Due to maritime traffic, it has spread throughout the world and is now proliferating as far as Quebec.
The black rat reproduces a lot and quickly. With a life expectancy of only one year, a rat has a potential offspring of 3000 individuals. This explains why it is quickly invasive; can destroy our crops, eventually cause fires and transmit diseases.
What do you recognize a black rat? What is its life cycle? What are his habits? How exactly does it harm us? What can we do to prevent him from attacking us? How do you get rid of a community of black rats that has colonized a home?
| Nom français | Rat noir |
| Nom anglais | Black rat |
| Nom latin | Rattus rattus |
Invasion of black rats: what do we recognize these rodents for?
The black rat is usually of medium size. It measures between 16 and 22 cm without the tail. The latter is itself 19 cm or more. The rodent is about 43 cm tall. The black rat’s tail is devoid of furs. The ears are often larger than the whole body. It has a coat that varies from black to brown depending on the species.
In adulthood, this rodent can weigh between 70 and 300 g. Males weigh heavier and are larger than females.
Black Rat Spread: What is their life cycle?
Black rats breed throughout the year. Gestation lasts 21 to 29 days. The litters range up to 5 per year, each range ranging from 6 to 16 pups.
At birth, black rats are hairless, blind and blood red.
They will be sexually mature within 3 months, in turn they reproduce.
The average lifespan of a black rat is about a year, when in the wild. Living conditions are difficult for rodents in the wild, due to the many predators.
Protected from predators (nest in a barn or basement) in some cases, especially when it infests our homes, the black rat can live up to 3 or 4 years.
How is an infestation of black rats harmful?
The black rat climbs and nests in high places. It is found in trees and in the upper floors of buildings, attics, sub-roofs, etc…
Black rats feed mainly on plant products. When they are in the wild, they feed on dried fruits, seeds and buds. Sometimes they feed on small invertebrates such as arthropods, myriapods, gastropods etc …
An adult rat consumes 15 grams of food and drinks 15 ml of water per day.
Black rats pick up everything in their path. In the wild, they damage fruit trees and crops, whether they eat them or not.
In the house, they nibble on the reserves. They urinate and defecate on the leftovers of their meals, thus spoiling the food by making it unconsumable.
Appeler René Gélinas Votre exterminateur local, Expérience et intégrité dans la gestion parasitaire
Tel 514 830 2819
Vector of serious diseases
The black rat is the rodent that has the most widespread bubonic plague in the world. The disease claimed the lives of millions of people in the Middle Ages.
It remains a vector for many deadly diseases such as leptospirosis.
In addition, black rats eat into insulation, electrical cables, causing financial losses and risk of fire.
Elimination of Black Rats: Professional Exterminator Solutions
To derate your buildings, exterminators in Montreal have several ways:
- The extermination of black rats by the use of anticoagulant rodenticides : they prevent the blood from clotting. You will find them in liquid forms, in the form of powders, etc. But beware, they are very toxic. Read the labels carefully and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Elimination of black rats by the use of non-anticoagulant poisons.
- The destruction of black rats by the use of poison bait.
- Theremoteness of black rats by capture and/or relocation in their natural environment: here, the exterminator will take care of ultrasonic devices to repel black rats. Or he will use traps to capture them to release them away from home.
But beware, not all exterminators have specialized in the extermination of rats.
The true professional exterminator:
- Has an authorization from the Quebec Ministry of Wildlife and Parks for the capture and relocation of wild animals,
- Has a C5 licence from the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development; which means it captures black rats by following Environment Canada regulations,
- Has a specific and precise work plan:
- It uses certified professional technicians in the capture and extermination of black rats,
- He rushed to the scene to make sure they were black rats, identified the source of theinvasion and measured the intensity of the attack,
- It uses the appropriate method of capture and/or extermination.
- He intervenes with total discretion. For example, it uses unidentified vehicles
- Gives you a written guarantee on the effectiveness of its treatment against the black rat epidemic.
And you, have you been attacked by black rats?
How can you prevent black rats from breaking into your home?
Black rats can easily sneak through cracks, even small ones. To avoid a rush of black rats in your buildings, you must, at first, block all possible openings of the houses.
Then you have to:
- Always seal your trash cans,
- Clean them regularly,
- Hide all food well to protect it from rats,
- Avoid open-air compost heaps that are easily made next to houses,
- Close behind you when you walk through a door. (especially when it comes to the attic),
- Fill the steel wool holes and pipes before caulking them,
- Install cold cutters under doors and windows,
- Closing the cracks in the foundations,
- Eliminate any nesting space,
- Protect the ventilation ducts with a thin metal mesh,
- Repair leaky faucets or ooze pipes,
But maybe the black rats are already attacking you? You’ll know what’s next:
- You notice in your provisions long, black holes or feces, big enough to be easily confused with raisins,
- You hear the sounds of trotting or scratching in the walls,
- You see objects on the ground that have been ripped off,
- You smell ammonia in closets, enclosed spaces and garages
In this case, do the following:
- Get ultrasonic devices for rats and mice. They’ll drive them away without killing them.
- Use rodent-proof mesh for vents.
- Set traps to capture them so they can be released away from home.
- Use repellent plants such as Angeline, you can also use snake skins.
- To kill them, use traps such as spring traps or sticky traps or guillotine traps.
- You can also use toxic baits or raticides. But be careful, do it safely for yourself, for the other residents of the building and the pets.
Protect yourself with a mask. Also use goggles to prevent contact and infection. Never touch a dead rat with your bare hands.
By visiting this Canada health link,you’ll learn more about hygiene measures and how to effectively set your traps.
If, despite all this, the epidemic of black rats persists, these critters adapting more and more to the ordinary means of extermination, call in a professional exterminator. He will take care of eradicating them.
