Roof Rat Citrus Damage

In late fall roof rats seek out warm nesting sites like the upper levels of your home or garage.

Roof rat citrus damage.

You ve also seen some of the common signs of a roof rat infestation such as. Too much citrus draws in roof rats. Use a sheet metal or aluminum flashing that is at least 18 inches tall and wrap it around the base of the tree overlapping it by 2 or 3. Step 1 in order to assess the severity of the rat problem and to get a better idea of where to bait and trap you will first need to perform a thorough inspection of the premises.

The rats typically will target the lowest hanging fruit literally. Rats are active throughout the year and mostly at night. One of the reasons that roof rats have flourished in the east valley is because of the prevalence of backyard fruit trees especially citrus trees. Skittish smooth furred and not well adapted to cooler temperatures roof rats are often mistaken for house mice.

Roof rats are food hoarders stashing supplies of food such as seeds and nuts. Though they may be cute these critters can cause major damage by chewing on housing materials and eating stored foods. Roof rats often feed on orange avocado and other fruits sometimes leaving hollow fruit skins hanging on the tree. By teri carnicelli the overabundance of citrus this winter and spring may seem like a happy circumstance for those who enjoy spending hours squeezing oranges and grapefruits or making tasty desserts with lemons and limes.

Get rid of roof rats in four basic steps. Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees. Just thinking about it probably gives you the heebie jeebies. What you ll want to look for are any signs that the rats are present including droppings tracks gnaw marks burrows runways and rodent sounds.

Like most other rodents they carry diseases that can be spread to humans. Video of the day. As roof rats scavenge for sustenance indoors they contaminate food resulting in costly waste. This provides the rats with a convenient food source close to warmth and shelter.

These rodents prefer to consume fruits sometimes referred to as the fruit rat or citrus rat and nuts although roof rats are omnivorous and will feed on almost anything available to them. Half eaten citrus around your home. According to the university of california statewide integrated pest management program roof rats are especially fond of avocados and citrus and often eat fruit that is still on the tree. After harvest they damage fruit and nuts in bins by chewing them and leaving excrement.