4 days Ago By Katherine McPhillips
Nothing is worse than being out in your garden and seeing a rat dashing across the grass, but there is a simple way to keep them off your property before they become an infestation. It may seem obvious to use poison or traps to get rid of rats, but they pose a big danger to pets, local wildlife and local neighbourhood cats. If you can, it is recommended to try a natural and more sustainable method first before deploying a more toxic pest control method to keep local animals safe.
Alastair Mayne, the chief operating officer at Garolla , has shared that the key to stopping rats is prevention by making your garden a more uncomfortable place for them to live. Alastair said: “Rats hate the smell of peppermint oil, vinegar, and garlic. Scattering black pepper around entry points to your property will also irritate their noses and stop them from entering.
” Rats are known to hate the smell of these simple ingredients. They have highly sensitive noses and a much stronger sense of smell than humans. Vinegar, garlic and peppermint oil are incredibly potent, and the scent will irritate a rat’s nose and eyes, which will make them want to stay away from an area.
Rats also rely on their sense of smell to look for food or search for predators, and these powerful scents will affect their ability to navigate, which can also deter them from a garden. You need only add five garlic cloves to a pan of boiling water and let them cook for 10 minutes. Once ready, switch off the heat, and once the water is cool, strain the liquid into an empty spray bottle so it is halfway full.
Add 10 drops of peppermint oil to the spray bottle and pour white vinegar into it until it is full. Spray this mixture around your garden, and it should help keep rats away. Alternatively, leave cotton balls soaked in vinegar or peppermint oil around your garden.
Make sure to change them every few days after it has rained, and they will also repel rats. You can also sprinkle black pepper around the garden, making sure to focus on cracks, crevices, and holes rats can burrow in, and this will also work as a pest deterrent. However, rats will only stay in an area with plenty of hiding places and a reliable food source, so make sure to tidy up your garden daily, and it should keep them away for good.
Alastair said: “Things like spills, rubbish, or odours can attract rats. Even things you might not immediately think of as being an issue, like not cleaning your pets’ food and water bowls every day, can lure pests into your home. “By taking the rubbish out and securing it safely in a bin, cleaning any spillages, and wiping down surfaces, you’re creating a clean environment that has little attraction for pests.
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