I visited a client last week who had a serious Rat problem. The norway rats were burrowing under her foundation. Every time she filled a hole a new burrow appeared. It turns out that her compost pile was about five feet from her house, and she was a very active composter.

This environmentally concious lady had a large family and added to the organic pile daily. However, she turned the pile infrequently and it was resting on bare ground. The rats must have thought they had found Heaven. The rats were actually aerating the pile by burrowing through it.

It is wonderful to be Green and Earth friendly, but you have to do it right. There has to be a bottom on the pile that offers drainage and keeps the rodents out. Loosley placed bricks at the base of the pile work well. Small piles and plastic composting bins need to have quarter inch mesh sealing the underside. You can keep a natural balance in the pile by adding red worms and turning the pile regularly.

Remember, rats will dig under any solid object (your foundation) to hide excess food. A compost pile offers a great deal of excess food.

Nature First Pest Control is your natural Green choice when looking for organic residential and commercial Pest Controls for Ants, Rodents, Wasps, Hornets, Spiders, Grain Beetles, Bats, and more. We need no ‘long term contracts’ to be the elimination experts. Serving, Portland, Beaverton, Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Milwaukie, Gresham, Hillsboro, Canby, Oregon City, Forrest Grove, Portland, and all of Washington and Multnomah counties