Rats are an invasive pest that can destroy areas of your home and even spread diseases. There are a variety of things that attract rats to your home, and one of the least obvious is ivy growing on the side of your home.

Rats Are Attracted To Ivy

One thing that few home owners understand is the fact that rats are attracted to ivy. There are a variety of reasons for this. First of all, it gives them a place to hide from predators, especially if you let your ivy grow thick and gather up against your home. However, rats also like ivy because it allows them to climb to new areas on the side of your home. Ivy is strong enough to support a full grown rat, which gives them access to more areas of your home.

They May Be Breaking Into Your Home In Openings Near Your Ivy

Another problem that ivy may cause in your home is covering up your walls and keeping you from noticing holes where rats may sneak into your home. Rats are very clever and can squeeze into holes no larger than three-quarters of an inch. They can then make their way into your home and start causing damage.

How To Manage The Problem

Eliminating the dangers of this particular rat invasion method is to carefully trim your ivy to eliminate it from the exterior of your home. The idea here is to identify the ivy, where it originates, and to trim it away from your home so that it doesn't touch the ground. Ivy will continue growing after you've trimmed it, so it may require regularly cutting your ivy or even uprooting it.

Next, you need to examine your home's walls to identify holes where rats may be getting in. These holes include a variety of cracks, gaps in siding, vents and gaps around cables, and even structural defects in the your walls. Exclusion requires attaching thick metal mesh to these holes, mesh that rats cannot chew through. The mesh should be cut large enough to cover the hole completely, with a inch or so around the hole where you can attach it with nails or staples.

If you are struggling to execute exclusion techniques and need help, call a professional pest control service like Greenleaf Organic Pest Management. They can seal off the hole and keep rats out of your home. In fact, they can even eliminate rats that are already in your home.