Last Updated on October 8, 2022 by Real Men Sow
A rat loves to dig a hole in the garden and prefers moist, rich soils. It can seem impossible to deal with when that single rat turns into a rat infestation in your garden. However, proper management can help keep your hard work intact.
A few reminders though, it is better to avoid using toxic chemicals and inhumane methods to control rat infestations. A comprehensive management plan that emphasizes a hospitable environment is the best way to manage rats in your garden.
Things You Will Need to Close a Rat Hole in the Garden
- Covered waste bins
- Covered compost bins
- Raised firewood platform
- Gloves
- Vinegar
- Biodegradable soap
- Steel wool
- Chicken wire
Steps To Close a Rat Hole in the Garden
1. Locate The Ideal Rat Burrow Site
Look around to find the best spots for a rat hole in the garden. Natural cover is essential for rat burrowing and nesting. You can find rat holes in weeds, lumber piles, or brush clippings as well as burrowing activities by looking for them in compost heaps, mulch piles, and other natural covers such as bushes, woodpeckers, and lumber piles. Running vines and bushes provide cover for rats’ holes.
Reminder
The entrance to a rat hole in the garden is usually between 2 and 4 inches in diameter. They have well-packed, smooth interiors with loose dirt kicked out of the entrance in a fan-like pattern. To locate a hole, search in a straight line starting at the main entrance.
2. Seal Up Your Waste
Place your compost, clippings, and garbage in secure locking or closed bins. A powerful deterrent is to make it difficult for rats to find food in your yard. A single burrow can hold up to eight rats and each rat requires between 1 and 2 ounces of food daily. Rats will move to areas with more food, such as those that are easier to access from the garden or household.
3. Do Regular Garden Maintenance
Remove any nuisances that might attract rats to your yard and garden. Keep weeds down to a minimum, and make sure to keep any plants growing close to the ground well-trimmed. All firewood and lumber should be stacked on a platform at least 18 inches above the ground, and at least one foot from any wall or fence.
4. Sanitize Daily
Every day, clean up any feces. Look around your yard for comma-shaped droppings. Also, look out for any bird, dog, or cat feces. Feces often contain undigested nutrients that a rodent can access in times of need. Grab a pair of gloves and clean up the fecal matter. Be on the lookout for greasy smudges along walls and other surfaces. These are pheromone-laced tracks of fur, skin, and urine secretions that rats use for communication. To confuse rats, wash these with vinegar or an eco-friendly, biodegradable soap.
5. Improve Drainage
To eliminate standing water, improve the drainage of your garden. This will help reduce rats’ thirst. You should observe where water is settling in your yard. Then, you can landscape the proper drainage path. To prevent rats from lingering, angle garden irrigation away.
6. Seal Rat Hole Entrances
Fill burrow entrances with steel wool and copper mesh wire. To discourage rats from returning to the hole, layer chicken wire on top. Norway rats can chew through almost any material, even concrete. Sealing the burrow with tough, scratchy material will make your garden less attractive to them and be part of an integrated pest management program.
Reminder
To be effective, humane and chemical-free pest management methods require consistency and time. To maintain control, it is important to establish a daily routine that makes your garden attractive to rats.
