RATS are a rather unwelcome visitor for most people when they turn up in their gardens.
And with good reason too, considering they’ve been known to spread potentially life-threatening diseases.
Considered vermin, rats can make their homes beneath decking, in sheds or greenhouses, and even in compost heaps.
These nocturnal creatures may come out mostly at night, but they can still cause havoc in the garden – and you may not even know they’re there.
Speaking to the Express, gardening experts at Primrose have revealed four natural ways to get rid of rats for good – all without poisoning other wildlife in the process.
Essential oils
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According to the experts, rats have a very strong sense of smell, and are even better than dogs.
They experts say: “When used in concentration, essential oils can do wonders to effectively deter rats from your garden due to their potency.
“Peppermint oil, citronella and eucalyptus essential oils in their pure form are all smells that rats will dislike.”
Just spraying a few drops of these oils in the areas you know rats have been should do the trick and leave you with a rat-free space.
You can also soak cotton wool in essential oil and place it in these areas.
Hot pepper
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Hot peppers repel rats thanks to their strong sense of smell, which means they can’t stand anything spicy.
“You can make your own homemade natural rat repellent spray with cayenne pepper or chilli flakes”, suggests the experts.
To make this spray all you need to do is mix cayenne pepper or chilli flakes with water and heat the mixture to infuse the chilli.
Then allow it to cool – the longer it’s left the more potent the chilli will be.
If you’ve used chilli flakes then be sure to sieve them out before spraying your garden.
Add a little castile soap and add the solution to a spray bottle, and now you’ll be able to spray your garden and make it a rat-free zone.
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Block off any potential shelter
With rats finding their homes in existing garden structures, blocking entry to this should help prevent any from sticking in your garden for too long.
The experts warn: “Before you do this, ensure there are no rats living underneath the structure you are blocking off, as they will die an unpleasant death.”
They’ve further suggested: ““Have a general clear up in your garden, getting rid of any debris and cutting back overgrown vegetation. This will provide rats with less cover.
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“Gardeners can also take this opportunity to move things around in their garden.”
Remove food sources
Rats enter gardens as they contain plenty of opportunities to scavenge for food, however, there are a number of ways you can prevent your garden from becoming attractive to rats.
“Compost bins are a treasure trove to rats,” say the experts, “ensure your compost bin is secure and move it away from possible routes of access, such as fences and walls.”
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And if you like to feed the birds but worry that rats may be stealing this food, then the experts suggest using a squirrel-proof bird feeder.
The experts finish by adding that if you have fruit trees then be sure to pick up any that falls, if not rats may enter your garden to eat this.
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