How to keep your garden clear of rats this summer

As the warmer weather approaches we can all look forward to spending a little more time in the garden. But higher temperatures can come with unwanted pests – namely rats.

The rodents can effect both rural and built-up areas and are particularly active during the summer months. Rats can cause a lot of damage and spread disease so they are not a problem to be ignored. A team of experts at Malum Southern Pest and Bird Control have shared a few home remedies to get rid of rats and advice on how to prevent them from entering your gardens. There are a few ways to ensure you can enjoy your garden while making it “truly inhospitable to rodents”, the experts say.

They said: “Rodents hate mothballs and they are easy to buy and use.” This method simply involved placing mothballs near any area where you usually spot rats in your garden. But it is important to note that they can start to smell and can be dangerous for children. Ammonia is recommended as another “great tool” to use for those garden invaders the Express reports. It is a super cleaning agent but also happens to be an excellent repelling agent for rodents. The experts advise mixing together two spoons of detergent some water and two cups of ammonia to create a concoction that should keep away rats.

READ MORE: Albert Village Lake reopens after suspected bird flu outbreak

They said: “A bowl of this mixture should be placed in trouble areas since they hate the smell of it. Other smells rodents hate include castor and peppermint oil.” Placing crushed pepper around your home is also a good rat repelled, they added. “Some people have found success in keeping rats out of their backyards by planting some mint plants in the area,” they said.

Rats’ highly sensitive sense of smell means fragrant plants, herbs and oils are a good way of keeping them away. Making your garden as “inhospitable to rats as possible” can also help to get an existing rat problem under control, according to the experts. They said: “There are certain things that will cause rats to take up residence somewhere, so if you can remove these common causes of rat infestations, you will be halfway to having your rat problem under control.”

But prevention is better than cure when it comes to rats. There are plenty of ways you can avoid attracting rats in the first place by taking a few simple steps. Without access to water, food and shelter, rats will not want to live on your property.