Montgomery Rat Removal Tip: Does Mothballs Or Ammonia Work To Get Rid Of Rats?

Contrary to popular belief, rats are intelligent little creatures. They are pesky and dirty but intelligent. This is perhaps why mankind has spent centuries trying to control the rat population unsuccessfully.

Humans have come up with an endless supply of clever tactics. Unfortunately, most of them simply don't work. In fact, some of them are down right harmful to the environment or other creatures.

Hence, the mothball and ammonia myth. It is a common misconception that rats are deterred by mothballs or ammonia. As convenient as either would be, they simply do not work.

Naphthalene

Naphthalene is the toxic ingredient found in mothballs. It is also the same ineffective ingredient in most rat repellents on the market. If this ingredient did work, it would deteriorate the rats' health to the point of death.

The thing is that rats only live for ab out a year. This just isn't long enough for their health to deteriorate to that point, which is why most repellents don't work.

The other issue is that mothballs contain such a small amount of Naphthalene, it is not enough to be toxic to rats. By the time you utilize enough to be effective, you are also harming the environment and putting other animals at risk.

Ammonia

Ammonia is toxic to fish and amphibians. It doesn't bother other creatures unless it is ingested, which is highly unlikely. People often assume that the pungent smell of ammonia will repel rats. This isn't true either.

Rats' urine contains a large amount of ammonia, so the smell is not repulsive to them. It is something they are used to.

Besides that, it will take more than a nasty smell to convince a rat to leave his shelter and food source. They rarely travel more than three-hundred feet from their nest. If they have taken up residence in your home, then they have a constant food source close by.

Getting Rats Out of Your House

You will need to decide whether to use a professional service or tackle the issue yourself. Whatever your decision, the first step is to find and seal all usable entry points. Rats can fit through tiny spaces the size of a quarter.

You will need to find all these spaces and seal them with metal flashing or steel mesh. This will prevent more rats from taking up residence in your home. Once you are sure all entry points have been blocked, then you can start the removal process.