How to get rid of rats

Preventing a rat infestation should be your first point of call. Firstly, don't leave food lying around and close entry points to all food sources. Also, always remember to empty your bins correctly. If you have a bird feeder, position it as high up as possible. Some simple methods prevent an infestation:

• repellent plants: eucalyptus, mint, bay leaf and sage are rat repellents as they hate their odour;

• pepper and lemon: place lemon halves (preferably mouldy) sprinkled with pepper in your home or on your windows. Rats are repelled by these strong odours and will not enter your home;

• essential oils: eucalyptus and lemongrass essential oil soaked in to cotton wool are effective rodent repellents;

It is never nice to find out that rats have set up home in your property. These rodents can adapt to most surroundings and are attracted by food and waste and gnaw on anything they find. There are three main methods for preventing an infestation:

1. Prevention: repellent plants, pepper and lemon, lemongrass essential oil and eucalyptus essential oil.

2. Commercial products: ultrasound boxes and rat traps.

3. Call a BPCA-approved pest management company.

There is a large variety of commercial rat traps and ultrasound boxes that can be used to solve a rat problem:

1. There is a wide range of poison-free rat and mouse traps that come in round, square and tunnel shapes and can be supplemented with bait.

2. Rat cage traps stop a rat from escaping. Once they have been tricked, you can let them go humanely in the countryside.

3. Ultrasound boxes are effective in keeping rats away from your home.

4. Steel wool can be used to plug entry points.

5. Packets and pellets are ideal for lofts and attics. Place several bags of rat bait at the ends of the room or sprinkle the pellets on either side of the loft. Be careful: these should not be used when you have pets in the home, or they should be made inaccessible by placing them in boxes beforehand. (This doesn't completely eliminate the risk of an accident).

6. Rat poison paste: these should be installed in bait stations if you have pets.

7. Rat poison grains are made of whole or hulled wheat or oats that have been coated with poison.

If you are not able to solve your pest problem with any of these methods, you should call a pest management professional.