A pest control expert has revealed a £1.25 trick to keep rats out of your garden this summer.
Rats can cause a lot of nuisance in the summer, because ripe crops attract rats to the garden.
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They can also get into homes, so make sure your trash can is completely covered to keep them out.
Rat droppings can not only be a nuisance because they eat your fruit and vegetable plants, but they can also contaminate your soil. Rat droppings can contain diseases that are harmful to humans.
You may be tempted to use rat poison to get rid of the infestation, but this is very dangerous for pets as it can be fatal to animals that ingest it.
Instead, pest expert Marcus Mueller of Get out shared some more humane methods of getting rid of the creatures.
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He said: “Keeping rats away from your vegetable garden can be a tricky task, but it is an important strategy to prevent them from entering your home.”
Marcus said the first step in ensuring your yard is rat-free is to look for possible entry points that rats could get through, such as holes in fences.
He said: “Rats often get into gardens by climbing over fences [or] using low hanging tree branches. You can deter rodents by maintaining the trees on your property.
“Cut branches to prevent rats from using them as a highway.
“You should also collect and dispose of any fallen fruit to prevent rats from getting to an easy food source.”
Marcus added that you can grease the fence with Vaseline (£1.25 from Boots) to make it slippery enough for rats to climb over.
To prevent your fruits and vegetables from being eaten, Marcus suggested putting a fence around them so rats can’t get to them.
He said: “Remember that rodents can squeeze through small holes, so wire and mesh fencing is not always effective in keeping rats out of your garden.
“Choose a wooden fence without holes on the outside if you want to prevent rats from feasting on your garden vegetables.”
Tips to keep pests out of your garden
- Plant plants like peppermint to repel rats.
- Place Garden Net Pest Barrierover your flower beds.
- Fill open containers with beer and place them in the ground to repel slugs.
- Spraying plants with Neem oilto repel ants, flies and spiders.
- Sprinkle your flower beds with Diatomaceous earth.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, 10 drops of peppermint oil and 4 cups of water and spray this on the flower beds.
- Place eggshells around your plants to protect them from slugs.
He added that it is important to mow the lawn regularly so that rats have fewer hiding places.
He said: “Rats prefer to avoid interactions with humans.
“They like to hide in areas with tall grass so that they are not seen by people and predators.
“If you maintain your yard and mow it regularly to keep it from growing too high, you will eliminate many of the places rodents use as hiding places.”
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