In mid-April, there are at least 4,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indonesia according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As the number of new coronavirus cases increases rapidly for the past 2 months, many businesses are temporarily closed to the public to break the chain of virus infection amid the COVID-19 pandemics.
When most people are self-quarantining at home and many businesses are urging to close their physical locations to limit people gathering in a public space; but it doesn’t mean that rats are also doing the same thing as humans.
Rats have always been a real nuisance to many businesses and homes. These pest remain “operating normally” and become more aggressive in foraging for food even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find out the reasons why rat infestation suddenly becomes common during quarantine for COVID-19, and even for those who never have the rat problems before.
Hungry rats
Rats as a pest can easily adapt and survive in a variety of different habitats. They can survive well in warmer to cold temperatures; though they will live longer in populated areas where they can easily scavenge from discarded human food and garbage.
As human behavior changes during the COVID-19 pandemics, rats also behave differently in responding to the changes in their environments.
The absence of human presence during pandemics, means there are no more discarded human foods available for rats to eat. Therefore, this situation forcing the rats to come out from its hiding place and more aggressive in scavenging for food.
When these “hungry rats” can’t find anything to eat in a place, they will wander around neighborhoods and/or invading houses and buildings in a desperate hunt for food – even to a place where there was no rat infestation before.
Rats can be very persistent and if they manage to gain access into your home. Contact the best local pest control company for the fast and effective treatments to get rid of rats in your home.
Rats can multiply quickly
There are several types of pests that can multiply or breed quickly, and rats are one of them. Rats are fast breeders and don’t have breeding seasons. Then it’s not surprising if they can infest a home or building quickly if their population is left uncontrolled.
The current situation where many businesses decide to stop all operational activities and let their workers self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic means would be a perfect time used by rats to breed in unoccupied buildings without being seen or disturbed by humans.
It just needs a pair of hiding rats in a crawlspace or attic to reproduce about 10 offspring. And after 6 months, 50 rats can be produced. Rats reach sexual maturity after 4-5 weeks, meaning that a population can swell from 2 rats to around 1,250 in one year.
The unwanted guest
Rats acquire “unwanted guests” nicknames certainly not without a reason. This pesky pest has many negative impacts both on humans health as well as the building structure, it’s because of rats:
- Carry and spread several serious diseases to human
- May cause considerable structural damage to many buildings with their nesting and gnawing activities.
Rat diseases transmitted to humans
Until today, there have been no reports of rats carrying or spreading COVID-19. However, rats are associated with about 55 different most-widespread pathogens, including:
- E. coli
- Leptospira spp.
- Salmonella spp.
Rats are known to be carriers of several types of diseases that can lead to serious illness to humans. Some disease caused by rats, including:
- Leptospirosis
- Hantavirus
- Rat-bite fever
- Weil’s disease
Destructive rats
Rats are known for being so destructive once inside your building. In many cases in the food processing industry, rats are a frequent cause of damage to the packaging of food.
On the other hand, they can also pose serious damage by gnawing constantly on many materials inside or around your building such as wood structures, pipes, and wires. If this happens, it is not impossible if you will be facing a big problem with your building’s electrical system, which can lead to an electrical short circuit and fire.
Why is rat control important even during quarantine for COVID-19?
During these uncertain times, rat control services are more important than ever for many businesses. This is because every business have to ensure total protection from any pest infestation even during the pandemic.
Rats spread many serious diseases to humans and can potentially damage your buildings and installations. Therefore, by letting the rat’s population uncontrolled in the property for a length of time during the self-quarantine period, it certainly will serve as a chronic and significant risk for both people and buildings in the future.
There’s always good in every bad situation. The hungry rats will be more likely to accept food from baited traps. So, don’t miss out the opportunity to prevent development of severe rat problem in your business right now.
Contact Rentokil online to discuss the best rat control solution for your home or business.
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