Pest Control in Sunol, CA

Why are the outbuildings part of the walk?

A barn, a shed, a stable or a workshop on a rural lot can give rats cover and food, and each one is a place the visit checks. The technician walks the building, notes its distance from the house and records any gap at the foundation or the eave.

Stored feed and bedding near a building attract rats, and the report recommends moving it into sealed bins raised off the ground.

How do the fences and the stored wood work on a rural lot?

Long fences on a rural lot are a rat route that can run for a considerable distance. The walk follows each fence to the house or the building it serves and records the grease marks and the burrows.

Stored wood, fence posts and the posts of a corral set on the ground are the wood contacts UC ANR describes. The report marks each contact and recommends lifting or clearing where it is needed.

What about the hillside and the foothill edge?

The houses at the foot of the hills can have a slope behind them that drains toward the building. The walk reads the grade and the drainage at the back of the lot, and it records any soil banked against the wall.

The roof line is checked where a tree overhangs the house, because a roof rat can use an overhanging branch as a route.

How is a Sunol visit planned?

The visit is booked with a window that allows for the drive and the size of the property. The homeowner is asked to say which buildings are to be checked and whether any animal is kept, because that affects the placement of any device.

The licence holder’s presence and the county registration are confirmed as for any Alameda County job, and the report records the address and the county.

Water, feed and the animals of a rural lot

A rural lot has more water sources than a town lot, including troughs, stock tanks and irrigation. Those can draw rats and insects close to the buildings, and the walk notes each source and its distance from the house.

Animal feed and bedding are the other draw. The report recommends sealed bins and a clear zone between the feed store and the house wall.

A rural visit usually runs longer than a town visit, and the access to the outbuildings is planned with the homeowner before the day. The report notes each building that could not be reached, so the homeowner knows what remains to be checked.

Rural buildings are often older than town houses, and their gaps are wider and less regular. The walk allows for that, and the report describes the state of each building’s foundation and its boards in plain terms.

A homeowner on a rural lot should keep the feed and the bedding away from the walls between visits. The report sets out a clear zone, measured from the wall, that is easy to keep.