Norway Rats In Honolulu: What To Do To Deter Them

Here in Hawaii, we sometimes like to think we’re far enough from the mainland we don’t have to deal with a lot of the stresses and difficulties that come with living in places like New York or California. Unfortunately, thanks to our shipping and travel routes, even we aren’t far enough away to escape Norway rats.

These rats are some of the most infamous pests in the world. They also go by such endearing monikers as the street rat and the sewer rat – a testament to the kinds of places they like to hang out when they’re not contaminating your pantry. Fortunately, there are some ways to keep these pests in the street and sewer where they belong.

Norway Rats – Not Exactly Norwegian

Despite their name, Norway rats are native to Northern China. Norway rats get their name in English because it’s believed they first invaded England on ships coming from Norway. No matter where they come from, these rats are not a fun pest to wind up with. They can cause all kinds of problems for home and business owners alike.

What Dangers Come With Norway Rats?

Of course, the most significant danger Norway rats pose is to your health. These rats, like all rodents, carry a veritable horde of pathogens. Rats are known or suspected carriers of over 35 different diseases, including leptospirosis, hantavirus, and rat-bite fever.

Norway rats spread illness in several ways. They can contaminate the environment and foodstuffs with their droppings. They may also contaminate these things with their saliva and shed hair. Finally, they can smear germs across surfaces with their dirty feet. Not to mention the pathogens that might invade their corpses – and by extension, your home – once they die.

Norway rats can also destroy property. As a larger rat (coming in at over a foot long and weighing up to a pound), these rats can do some serious damage with their chewing and nesting behaviors. Like other rat varieties, Norway rats love to rip up furniture, stuffed animals, insulation, and other plush items to get soft bedding for their dens. They also love to chew on things like electrical wiring and plastic items to grind down their teeth. All this translates into some serious and costly damage to your home.

Sending Norway Rats On Their Way

To keep Norway rats out of your home or business, you’ll need a two-pronged approach. Your first line of defense should be making your home as unattractive to rats as possible. Rats don’t like to live where they cannot get easy access to food, so if you make it hard enough for them, they’ll move on to easier pickings.

Take measures like:

• Keep pet foods locked away if you’re not feeding pets.
• Ensure all indoor and outdoor trash is covered.
• Store all pantry foods in tight-lidded, hard containers. 
• Clean up immediately after mealtimes. 

The second part of your strategy is to keep rats from getting inside your home. This is not as vital as preventing rats from wanting to get in since where there’s a will; there’s a way. However, it is still important to:

• Seal off all holes and cracks in your home’s exterior.
• Place wire mesh over openings like ventilation holes or condensation outlets.
• Cap chimneys if you have them. 
• Make sure all doors and windows close tightly.

If you wind up with an infestation of Norway rats, never fear – Pest Tech Hawaii offers quality rodent control solutions. We can handle anything these rats can throw at us and help you say adios to them for good. So give us a call or visit our contact page to schedule your professional residential inspection today.