Rats
Where Rats Settle Behind an Edgware House
A rat looking for a home wants soil it can dig, cover overhead and food within a short run. The back half of an interwar Edgware plot often has all three: a shed near the fence, a garage full of stored things, a compost bin and a bird table. Why that stored clutter suits pests generally is covered on Pest Control Edgware; this page is about the rats and the route they take from the outbuildings to the house.
Under the shed
Most garden sheds stand on timber bearers or a few slabs, which leaves a shallow, dry gap under the floor. It is a favourite place for a burrow, because the entrance is hidden and the floor keeps the rain off. A rat living there may also gnaw up through a soft floorboard to reach stored cushions, seed or compost bags. Soil fanned out at one corner of the base is the usual giveaway.
Inside the storage garage
A worn strip under an up-and-over door or a gap where the frame meets the brickwork is enough for a rat. Once in, stacked boxes give it runs along the walls, and sacks of feed or potatoes give it a reason to stay. Where the garage is attached, a washing machine plumbed in against the house wall means waste and supply pipes passing through, and those holes can lead towards the kitchen.
Gardens near the brooks
Homes whose gardens run down towards Edgware Brook or Deans Brook can have rats passing along the bank as well. The brook side of the story, and why it changes the job, is on Rat Control Barnet.
Signs Around the Shed and Garage
- A round hole at the corner of the shed base, with loose soil in front of it
- Gnawed corners on boxes or sacks that have not been moved in months
- Droppings along the garage wall behind stored furniture or beside the freezer
- Dark, greasy rub marks at the foot of the garage door or around a pipe hole
- A worn path across the lawn between the shed and the back fence
Indoors, the first signs of rats sets out what to look for. If the droppings you find in the garage are small and scattered, it may be mice in the garage instead, and telling rats from mice will help you decide.
What to Do Before the Visit
- Move bird seed, pet food and stored vegetables out of the garage and shed into metal bins with tight lids
- Leave droppings, burrows and chewed boxes where they are, so they can be seen
- Do not fill the burrow under the shed or wedge the garage door shut, as rats simply dig or gnaw elsewhere
- Keep poison out of sheds and garages, where cats, foxes and birds can get at it
- Have a word with the neighbour whose shed backs onto yours
Booking a Rat Visit in HA8
What to tell us
When you book rat control, say whether the garage is attached or stands apart, what is stored in it and in the shed, and where you have seen signs: outbuildings, garden, house or all three. A photo of a burrow or of droppings in the garage is useful to have ready.
Getting the outbuildings ready
Unlock the shed and garage, pull boxes back from the walls far enough to see behind them, and clear a path to the back of the garage. Keep pets indoors while the technician is working outside.
After the visit
You will be told what was found and what happens next. How long it takes to clear rats depends on the property and how established they are, as how long rat control takes explains. Get in touch again if new burrows appear or fresh droppings turn up in the garage after things had gone quiet.
Keeping Rats Out of the Outbuildings
Once the rats have gone, make the space under the shed useless to them: close the gap round the base with galvanised mesh dug a little way into the soil, or keep it clear enough that light gets under. Put stored things in the garage on shelving, keep feed in metal bins, and have the gap under the garage door sealed. Small gaps where pipes enter an attached garage can be closed with rodent proofing in Edgware, and rat proofing goes into the detail. Gardens that meet along rear footpaths in neighbouring Burnt Oak face a similar problem from the other direction.
