Rats in the Crawlspace? – What to Look For

By Chris Williams on May 30, 2016

I think that some animal is living in our crawlspace. I hear noises sometimes and my wife thought she saw a rat around the foundation of our house. The rat or whatever never seems to be there when I check. What else should I look for? N. O., Nottingham, NH Below are some hints that…

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Meal Moths Leave Cocoons Behind

By Chris Williams on May 27, 2016

Lately I’ve been finding these small cocoon things in my kitchen cabinets in the corners of the shelves. When I smash them, they seem to be empty. Any idea what these are? M. N., Sterling, MA It’s really hard to say without an inspection or seeing one of the “cocoons.” If the cocoon is round,…

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Fungus Gnats Are Common Where There Are Potted Plants

By Chris Williams on May 26, 2016

When we get a customer complaint about annoying little gnats flying about the house, we can usually narrow it down to four possible flies: fruit flies, drain flies, phorid flies, or fungus gnats (see Tracking Down Indoor Gnats). All of these are “wet gunk” gnats; they are associated with some type of organic “goo” and…

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Do Rats Carry Rabies?

By Chris Williams on May 25, 2016

I need to know if a rat bite can transmit rabies. We live in the city and my dog got into a tangle with a rat. I can’t be sure but I think he might have been bitten by the rat. L. V., Boston, MA First, you should definitely contact your veterinarian and explain the…

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Can Rodent-proofing Work?

By Chris Williams on May 24, 2016

Rodent-proofing, or rodent exclusion, is the process of sealing up all of the small openings that mice or rats use to enter a building. Typical rodent-proofing steps are screening vents, caulking around openings where conduits enter, patching cracks around the foundation, repairing roof soffits, adding door sweeps or thresholds, caulking around foundation vents, and reinforcing…

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