Winter in Arizona brings good weather, beautiful outdoors and ripe, delicious citrus. But that citrus can attract some ugly visitors: Rodents.
Rats and mice feed on a variety of fruits including oranges, avocados, peaches, lemon, and figs. They are fond of walnuts, almonds, and peanut butter. All fallen fruit and nuts should be regularly removed and discarded in the trash. Rodents also feed on bird seed, snails, garden vegetables and dog droppings.
However, be we urban or rural dwellers, we are not the only creatures that enjoy the ripe fruit hanging on our trees. Rattus rattus, the naked-tailed roof rat, a nonnative but ubiquitous local resident, has a fondness for many of our backyard fruits with a special affinity for oranges.
Roof rats prefer citrus and avocados, but they also eat pomegranates, peaches and who knows what else.
In a pure and concentrated form, citrus oils work well at naturally repelling rats, and they don't smell bad like some other natural rat repellents.
Mice do not like the smell of citrus oils and will avoid areas where they smell them. Citrus oils are frequently used as a natural repellent for mice, but there are other ways to keep mice away from your home. Mice hate citrus oil smells because they contain limonene, which is found in lemons, oranges and grapefruits.
Brown rats, which typically rummage through garbage and snake their way inside homes via tiny cracks, can be tempted with smelly cheese. Regardless of if you're dealing with a vegetarian or an omnivore, however, food with strong smells — nuts, fish, or moldy cheese — are best at luring rats into traps.
Plants that grow fruit and vegetables will attract rats since they provide an excellent source of food for them. Typically, rats and mice feed on a variety of fruits; for example, oranges, avocados, peaches, lemons, and figs. They are also very fond of walnuts and almonds.
Fruit and berries — Out of all the foods rodents consume, their top two loves are generally fruits and berries. In the wild, rats and mice consume these foods at every opportunity. Therefore, raspberry and blackberry bushes — as well as apple and pear trees — can serve as magnets for the animals.
Placing rat traps or bait boxes near the fruit trees can help catch some rats, allowing you to dispose of them off your property. Rat traps or bait boxes can be used with bacon, Slim-Jims, dried fruits, or even peanut butter. Positioning traps under the tree and tied to the branches will provide the best results.
Again, these rodents have a strong sense of smell, so they tend to avoid food items that have a pungent odor. Pantry staples like onions, chili flakes, pepper, and cloves can help repel mice. You can place these in places where there is high rodent activity.
According to chef and garden expert Laura Ritterman, pests are repelled by the smell of citrus that lives on your leftover peel, and thus deters them. 'Orange peels are great for your garden, as they can help to add nutrients to your soil – aiding in the growth and maintenance of your plants,' Laura explains.
The roof rat, sometimes called the black rat, is a common vertebrate pest in citrus and nut orchards. In citrus, it builds leaf and twig nests in trees or it can nest in debris piles, thick mulch on the ground, or in shallow burrows under the tree, especially in hot weather.
Do Dryer Sheets Keep Mice Out? Don't expect your box of Bounce to work any pest-control miracles. Dryer sheets don't deter mice. Baited traps won't solve a mouse problem, either.
Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well. The scents diminish over time, so re-applying is necessary.
In addition to plants, rats also dislike certain spices like peppermint, cloves, cayenne pepper, and chili.
As it turns out, there are several smells that these pests cannot stand, which means you can use them to your advantage. But what exactly do mice and rats hate to smell? Mice can be kept away by using the smells of peppermint oil, cinnamon, vinegar, citronella, ammonia, bleach, and mothballs.
Chili Powder – Chili is believed to cause irritation in the nasal passage of rats when inhaled by the rodent. These rodents won't return to the same area where they smelled or ingested chili powder. To keep the rodents out, it's important to sprinkle the chili powder in the rat-infested areas every day.
The smell of citrus will effectively keep pests at bay in your garden and kitchen. Scatter small slices of lemon peel around your garden, or on windowsills, door entrances and mysterious holes where ants and mice may be entering your home. The scent of lemon is also effective against roaches and fleas.
Eucalyptus or Peppermint oil can repel rats because they hate the smell. Another way to use a rat's sense of smell against them is to plant peppermint and catnip in strategic places. Diatomaceous earth is non-toxic to humans, but it can dry out rats until they die.
The pungent smell of orange peels can help deter some pests and rodents away from the plants,' Kevin explains. However, Kevin urges you to ask fast and ensure you cut when the pieces are still fresh. 'You need to replace them once they have dried out,' the expert adds.
Pest control is the most efficient method to get rid of rats quickly but the usage of mouse traps, snap traps, chemical baits, and live traps are all effective methods to get rid of rats as quickly and effectively as possible.
The smell of peppermint, chili pepper, eucalyptus, citronella, and sagebrush are all effective at keeping rats away if applied in the right concentration. They are also deterred by chemical smells like ammonia and bleach.
Food is one of the most common reasons a rat or a mouse will enter your home. Like all rodents, both rats and mice and always on the lookout for food because they probably don't have a stable source of it.