Rat Control Myths

Rats will do almost anything to survive. They will crawl through sewers, eat mice, walk over electrical wiring, chew through concrete, and a lot of other things that are either crazy or repulsive. This makes them extremely adaptable, and it leaves us in search of solutions that will keep rats away from us.

So let’s talk about onions.

While there are many products in the home that rats will avoid, onions are not one of them. Rats will often come across wild onions or onions that have been grown in the garden as they forage for food in their habitats. As such, the rats either pay no mind to these vegetables or they have actually integrated them into their diets.

But why is it that this myth came to be? First, some people believe that because onions have a bad smell, they repel rats. However, even if the rats hate the smell of an onion, they are smart enough to weigh the discomfort of having to smell an onion with the benefit of a warm shelter and a consistent food source.

Another myth is that onions are actually poisonous to rats, and if rats consume them, the rats will run out of oxygen and suffocate. This is completely false. While it is true that too much of anything can be bad for you, rats do not die if they eat onions.

The third myth is that if you place onions near the entrances and openings of the home, you will drive rats away. However, for the reasons mentioned previously, this is obviously not the case. Not only will the rats go through the onion stench to get to their destination if they have to, they will also look for alternative entry points if they really want to get indoors. In fact, you have rats that swim through the sewer system, up the pipes of a home, and get out of the toilet in order to get inside.

This means that if you want to remove rats effectively, you will need to stick to the classics – traps and poisons. However, not everyone can handle a rat infestation by themselves, in which case, you can get in touch with us and we will remove the infestation for you. We are a professional pest control company with the experience and equipment needed to completely remove any rodents from your property.