No one wants to find rats or mice around their house. Once you find yourself dealing with rodents setting up residents in or around your home, you'll find it incredibly hard to get rid of them. And it's around this time of the year that the UK's rat and mouse population peaks.
Local authorities dealt with a total of 225,430 residential rat infestations in the last year, which is a 12% rise in call outs since 2020. You might start to think about how you can deter them from sniffing around your gardens - particularly as during autumn it's prime time to put bird feeders out in your garden and take care of the birds storing up ahead of the winter.
If rats are encroaching on your garden, they could get into your house as well, which opens a can of worms in terms of 'serious health threats' like hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and tapeworms.
Lucy Taylor, manager of Vine House Farm has some top tips for keeping rats away, with one item you absolutely have in your kitchen. Rats don't like strong-scents like lavender, eucalyptus, mint and garlic - yes, garlic which costs 55p from Tesco. Lucy recommends placing your feeder around these plants and shrubbery to repel them. "Rats also dislike certain spices like peppermint, so try spraying your feed with peppermint oil to deter them."
Certain types of birdseed can also be less appealing to rats, according to Lucy. "Spice is a natural rat deterrent as they do not like the smell of cayenne pepper, or any sort of spicy foods and chilli powders. Some feed blends feature pepper oils. This is perfect as it has no effect on birds as they can't taste it."
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It's also worth getting the right type of feeder that will feed your birds but keep away rodents. A weight-sensitive feeder is an excellent tool for keeping rats and other rodents away from bird food. When a weight is detected on the feeder, it closes and prevents the animal from taking foods.
"Metal and glass feeders are also more rodent-proof because rats cannot chew through them as quickly as plastic. Bird feeders with platform trays should also be avoided. These trays allow for the bird food to be on display, making it easily accessible for rodents to steal."
Lucy also recommends using a baffle - a protective shield placed over a bird feeder or bird table to prevent rats from climbing up to take the seed or jumping down onto the feeder from above. Even a covered bird feeder or guard can keep rodents from climbing atop of your feeder.
Ultimately, the best thing you can do is keep things clean, in and out of the house. In terms of your garden, rats will be attracted to birdseed on the ground so If you see a spill, clean it up. "Choose a waste-free bird feed that consists of high-quality seeds that are more likely to be eaten by birds you want to attract", Lucy said, recommending sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, or shelled peanuts. "These seeds have higher nutritional value and are less likely to be discarded by birds, reducing waste and mess around your feeder." You can also add a seed catching tray.
Empty your feeders at night to avoid attracting nocturnal rats, and store your seed properly in a metal container. This should keep those pesky rodents at bay.
How do you avoid rats? Let us know in the comments below.
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