RATS INFESTATION!

[redbaron]

Need ideas....one of our grain stores has old spray-on insulation on roof and upper walls. This winter we've had a serious problem with rats living in the insulation, tunnelling through it, debris falling onto grain below etc.,etc. Almost impossible to eliminate/exterminate while grain in the shed, but any good ideas for action when it's empty in a week or so? Need to kill or force rat population to abandon the structure. Is there anything we could squirt into the holes/tunnels in the roof insulation?

 

[yellow belly]

expanding insulation to fill the holes
eliminate all areas they can live in
look of entry points and use concrete , grease vertical climbs

a month to filling is a bit short to eliminate them

then trap rats
i have traps set all year round to catch them before they get near grain stores

 

[startinghandle]

I had similar problem a few years back
Rat bait was near enough useless
The best solution was on this site and it's beet shreds. Rats eat dry shreds because it's sweet then they drink which makes the shreds swell and job done
But keep shreds covered to keep dry
and stop birds and keep good supply of water

 

[Grassman]

There is a sticky foam you spray into their holes. Just enough for them to get on their coat. They go and lick it off and they snuff it.

 

[Try to succeed]

Get someone with night vision air rifle to have a go for a few consecutive nights to compliment the above.

 

[puppet]

There is a sticky foam you spray into their holes.

How do you get that close to them?

Shoot, gas, lots of poison, drowning. Tried them all but this Spring 1 week of plenty poison in active areas reduced numbers from 4 or 5 running every night in the sheds to none.
In the old days of haystacks you would have hundreds. One method was to catch one, paint some tar on it and set fire. The squealing sent the rest into a panic and they left the yard.
Not recommended as part of your farm assurance rodent control nowadays.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Need ideas....one of our grain stores has old spray-on insulation on roof and upper walls. This winter we've had a serious problem with rats living in the insulation, tunnelling through it, debris falling onto grain below etc.,etc. Almost impossible to eliminate/exterminate while grain in the shed, but any good ideas for action when it's empty in a week or so? Need to kill or force rat population to abandon the structure. Is there anything we could squirt into the holes/tunnels in the roof insulation?

If it's inside a building glue boards might be worth a try but they are horrible things.

 

[HolzKopf]

Where are they coming in from? Generally water or shelter based; pond, ditches, gullies, banks, sewer? You need to trap them at source. Have you spotted any nests. Trap them and shoot them. That can be done with the grain in situ. Make sure you and any neighbours don't have free food. Our neighbours used to put domestic food waste to 'compost' stored in old fert sacks. It's going to be hard work to begin with but you will get it under control - and then it's a watching brief.

 

[glasshouse]

How do you get that close to them?

Shoot, gas, lots of poison, drowning. Tried them all but this Spring 1 week of plenty poison in active areas reduced numbers from 4 or 5 running every night in the sheds to none.
In the old days of haystacks you would have hundreds. One method was to catch one, paint some tar on it and set fire. The squealing sent the rest into a panic and they left the yard.
Not recommended as part of your farm assurance rodent control nowadays.

I know someone who tried that, the burning rat ran into a large strawstack

 

[Grassman]

How do you get that close to them?

You should be able to find holes that they use. Just put a blob in the hole. Just enough so the rat rubs on it as it passes. It then grooms itself and eats the poison.

 

[puppet]

I know someone who tried that, the burning rat ran into a large strawstack

 

[spin cycle]

it's a growing problem since the poison 'stewardship' began IMO.....lots of rural properties no longer poisoning leading to a never ending resevoir onto farms

 

[PhilipB]

I had similar problem a few years back
Rat bait was near enough useless
The best solution was on this site and it's beet shreds. Rats eat dry shreds because it's sweet then they drink which makes the shreds swell and job done
But keep shreds covered to keep dry
and stop birds and keep good supply of water

Interesting!

Similar idea to this one - which I hasten to say I've never tried.

Put down white flour mixed with sugar for a few days. It's lovely and sweet and they guzzle it up.

After a few days your mix in plaster of paris. They guzzle it up and it does its thing inside them.

 

[Grassman]

Interesting!

Similar idea to this one - which I hasten to say I've never tried.

Put down white flour mixed with sugar for a few days. It's lovely and sweet and they guzzle it up.

After a few days your mix in plaster of paris. They guzzle it up and it does its thing inside them.

As with any poison just make sure other animals can't access it!

 

[redbaron]

Thanks all...some good ideas which we'll certainly try. We have a can of aerosol sticky foam - will use it more. Like the idea of beet shreds and flour/plaster of Paris. It's going to take a comprehensive action plan using all the above suggestions (perhaps not setting one on fire!). But the problem over the past month or two has cost me: 2 loads wheat down priced for finding a rat dropping, one load rejected and returned, and a £700 bill from main dealer for sorting an electrical problem on mainline tractor caused by chewed wiring loom.

 

[JumboUk]

Remove the water source, if they can't drink, they die

 

[puppet]

Thanks all...some good ideas which we'll certainly try. We have a can of aerosol sticky foam - will use it more. Like the idea of beet shreds and flour/plaster of Paris. It's going to take a comprehensive action plan using all the above suggestions (perhaps not setting one on fire!). But the problem over the past month or two has cost me: 2 loads wheat down priced for finding a rat dropping, one load rejected and returned, and a £700 bill from main dealer for sorting an electrical problem on mainline tractor caused by chewed wiring loom.

I think at that level of damage and cost you should speak to a professional.

 

[Tomr10]

Get a flock of seagulls

 

[Barleymow]

Get a flock of seagulls

I was given an album by them for my 21st you could borrow it might scare them away ?

 

[7610 super q]

Someone on here had the idea of a leccy fence in the grain store. I've put one around the perimeter of the shed. See how it goes.