Ammonia has been promoted as a rat killer.

Using such for your rat extermination needs without verifying wouldn’t be a wise idea. This article will be helping you verify the efficacy of ammonia.

As you read on, you should have a clear idea of whether it works or not.

Will Ammonia Kill Rats?

Dealing with a rat problem isn’t one for the faint-hearted.

This is because these rodents can be difficult to get rid of.

Plus, you may have to fix or replace damaged structural components such as burrows, chewed electrical insulation, and moisture damage due to urine and droppings among other things.

For any treatment to be effective, you’ll need to get or use one that works.

More often than not, rat extermination is the aim. There are varieties of measures including the use of traps, poisons, and fumigation to resolve an infestation.

Alongside these are lots of other possible treatments whose efficacy hasn’t been verified.

About Ammonia

This is basically a chemical compound consisting of nitrogen and oxygen.

Its chemical composition is designated by the formula NH3. This colorless gas is known for its characteristic pungent smell and is naturally occurring.

So, how does this apply to pest control?

DIY pest control measures are mostly adopted with ammonia use. In other words, this chemical compound is mostly applied to pest situations via DIY techniques.

It’s used mostly in its liquid form known as ammonium hydroxide to treat a variety of pest issues like bed bugs, insects, and a host of other critters.

Using Ammonia For Rats

Ammonia will kill rats when applied correctly. It also doubles as a rodent repellent product. When rats don’t get killed, they’re driven away by its pungent smell.

Rats don’t have to be sprayed directly with ammonia as the chances of that are slim to none. You’ll need to apply around your surroundings.

First off, you’ll need to be able to identify rat presence.

Like most pests, rats leave behind tell-tale signs. This is in addition to the actual sighting of such rats roaming your home.

To safeguard yourself and your family from the health risks these rodents face, you’ll need to take immediate action.

How Ammonia Kills Rats

To have an idea of the workings of ammonia on rats, you’ll need to consider the keen sense of smell possessed by rats. This comes in handy as continuously inhaling this chemical compound by rats irritates and also damages their respiratory systems.

More important to our discussion is the extermination of rats through ammonia ingestion. Ordinarily, these rodents won’t simply sip or ingest ammonia in its liquid form.

Ingestion is only possible when the bait is prepared. Of course, such bait will need to be laced with some ammonia.

When ingested, it gets into the system and poisons these rodents to death. Ammonia isn’t designed for ingestion, hence the poisonous effect resulting in rat extermination.

The most ideal type of ammonia bait for rats is that made with ammonia powder.

Which Do You Prefer; Killing Rats or Repelling Them?

Not all ammonia applications will give you the exterminating effect you need.

In some situations, your ammonia treatments will better serve as repellents than exterminators. This should be good enough because rats are driven out by the pungent smell of ammonia.

The objective should be to drive them away. One clear downside to killing rats with ammonia is that these rodents could end up dying in wall cavities and other hard-to-reach areas of your home.

What results is the unpleasant odor of their decomposing carcasses.

When left unattended, such carcasses could result in health risks such as infections. You’ll need to carefully assess your options before going for your preferred control methods.

Only then are you sure about the efficacy and implications of your treatment strategy?

Repelling Rats Using Ammonia

Having discussed the poisoning method of ammonia use, let’s shift our attention to its repellent effect. There are several methods to use for repelling these rodents with ammonia.

They include placing soaked rags along rat entryways and making some ammonia spray.

Another effective repellent strategy includes sprinkling ammonia as is around infested areas.  Let’s have a look at each of these methods to find out why they’re effective in repelling rodents like rats.

  • Placing Soaked Rags Along Rat Entryways

You’ll need to get an absorbent rag or cloth for this rat repellent strategy. Cotton balls can be used in their place. About 1 cup of ammonia and an equal part of water are mixed in a bowl.

Add a tablespoon of your preferred detergent and mix. Now your repellent is ready.

To apply, dip your rag, cloth, or cotton balls into the solution and place them along rat entryways. Also, you can have such soaked clothes placed around your home.

As long as they remain wet, the pungent odor introduced by the ammonia solution will keep rats at bay. You may have to replace or re-soak these rags every few days to maintain their strength.

  • Making Ammonia Spray

To make your ammonia spray, you’ll need to make a mixture of ammonia, and vinegar. It’s also important to note that the cotton ball or rag solution mentioned above can also be made for spray treatment of rats.

You’ll need about a cup of ammonia and equal part vinegar. Have these mixed and emptied into a spray bottle. Now, spray around your surroundings. Ammonia and vinegar solution mimics predator urine.

With their sensitive sense of smell, rats easily pick up such smell and get scared. These rodents will stay as far off as possible to avoid getting preyed on by the imaginary predator.

  • Sprinkling Ammonia Around Infested Areas

You don’t have to go about making mixtures with ammonia.

It can be sprayed or sprinkled as is around your surroundings. It achieves similar repellent effects to those discussed above.

Attending to the Causes of Rat Presence is equally crucial

To achieve any real results with your rat control strategies, consider looking at the causes as well. In other words, finding out what the effects are, and also resolving them is paramount.

Without a doubt, ammonia will kill rats when ingested. However, achieving that is quite challenging.

You’ll need to prepare suitable bait that’s irresistible to these rodents.

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