My overall experience working with Joe was great. Although we were both a bit frustrated that the issue was taking longer to resolve than either of us wanted, he was still willing to make several trips to my house over the course of 3 months and was diligent in tracking down where the rats/mice were coming in and sealing it off. He really knows his stuff and I'm confident that the issue is now resolved! Thanks, Joe!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $400.00
- Company Response
Thanks for you review. This job definitely had its challenges and no two jobs are the same. I was dealing with an elusive rat that was entering my clients' home and I was mandated to find out how it was getting in. The job itself did take a while because I had to narrow down and eliminate all possibilities. The rat was showing up in the kitchen and the basement and leaving no tracks. Initially, I was drawn to a bolt hole in a corner behind a furnace that had rub marks around it but I have learned over the years that things are never truly what they seem to be when it comes to these particular pests. The exterior of the home was solid enough but for the front porch which was tight except for a section of lattice under the front stairs. There were 2 drains to consider, a basement wall under the front porch, and the bolt hole near the furnace. The job took 12 visits in total because the rat was suspicious as a result of a trapping program prior to my taking on the job. This reality became evident in that this rat was able to simply set off the traps without getting caught itself. I decided to use a product called lumitrack which is a non lethal bait block which reacts under an ultraviolet light. In theory the rat would ingest the block then I could follow it to its entry point. It took almost two weeks for the rat to finally feel comfortable enough to nibble on one small block of the lumitrack. In the darkness with a black light I followed the minute specks to the bolt hole behind the furnace. I was optimistic that I had found the entry ( bolt hole was closed with blocks ) but still closed the drains , set trip wire along the top wall near the porch and baited the basement. A week and a half went by when I received a call that all of bait ( 20 blocks approx. ) had completely vanished without a trace. The rats had become aware that their exit hole was discovered and panicked and made off with all the bait which meant that there still was another hole. It was decided to use a tracking powder to help with the next phase. The tracking powder was placed around the perimeter and yielded negative results which meant the adult rat was dead. Still, I wanted to find the second entry and actually found a green dropping tucked away in a spot just under a piece of conduit right beside the top of an electrical panel. This spot was so tight I could only see it with a snake scope . The plan then changed and it was decided that an electrician would need to relocate the panel in order for me to close off the spot. While the electrician issue was in motion I decided it was time to remove the front stairs and install quarter inch mesh over the lattice . Shortly afterwards smaller more tapered greener droppings began to appear under the kitchen sink which were indicative of the fact that juveniles were out looking for their respective adults. The fact that the opening under the panel was still open ensured that the rats could escape and resulted in the lack of any smells associated with decaying corpses. In the end I returned once again to seal the conduit once the electrician removed the panel. I'm happy it all worked out so well. Thanks again for your review.Joe
