Green Roof Rat

Your green roof is an incredible engineering feat that provides insulation and stormwater management but could its lush greenery be putting you at risk for an invasion of pests.

Green roof rat.

Roof rats may be attracted to simple food scraps including pieces of fruit and bacon. In addition try putting the attractant out for a few days before setting the trap. Roof rats spread diseases like salmonellosis through pantry foods contaminated with their droppings. Bees hornets wasps and yellow jackets are attracted to the flowers and water fixtures on green roofs.

These rats can also transmit rat bite fever through bacteria in their mouth. Another difference is that the roof rat is more slender with a longer tail than the norway rat. The roof rat rattus rattus linnaeus is smaller in size than the norway rat. For effective pest control you need to determine what type of rat is scurrying around your attic.

The roof rat also called gray bellied rat white bellied rat alexandrine rat black rat and ship rat. Roof rats feed on ornamental plants burrowing their way through vegetation and mulch. Vegetated roofs are often touted as a way to encourage biodiversity but that isn t limited to the plant selection. Trichinosis may be contracted through eating undercooked meat of animals that have fed on rats.

Roof rats are known by a variety of other names including palm rats fruit rats ship rats and alexandrian rats. Toxic baits or rodenticides are intended to kill the rats when they eat the bait. Once on site these pests can build nests inside gutters within trees in bushes or on the corners of building walls.