Roof Rats Citrus Trees

Half eaten citrus around your home.

Roof rats citrus trees.

As we progress through the citrus season from september through march the roof rats that may have been living quietly around your house or grove make themselves known. They have now settled into ideal habitat among old growth citrus trees palm trees and other mature landscaping and take advantage of abundant irrigation canals and food resources around homes. One of the reasons that roof rats have flourished in the east valley is because of the prevalence of backyard fruit trees especially citrus trees. Place dropped or spoiled fruit into a secure garbage can.

Hollowed out fruit is the most common evidence of roof rats. Install rat guard around the trunks of the citrus trees. The roof rat sometimes called the black rat is a common vertebrate pest in citrus and nut orchards. Roof rats are long and thin rodents that have large eyes and ears a pointed nose and a scaly tail.

If there is shelter available in your yard or near your roof then rats may climb trees to get at the nuts and fruit from the tree. Rats also find their way up roofs and trees when there are vines to climb up. Rats found in trees are often known as roof rats as they may jump from a roof into the tree. To attract the.

How to get rid of fruit rats. In apples peaches tomatoes carambolas bananas pineapples and mangos large sections of fruit are eaten away. 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. Use a sheet metal or aluminum flashing that is at least 18 inches tall and wrap it around the base of the tree overlapping it by 2 or 3.

You can keep roof rats out of trees with wide bands of aluminum flashing wrapped around the trunks but only if the tree can be isolated from other trees fences and other nearby structures from. In nut orchards roof rats often nest around the base of trees. Pick up all dropped fruit on a daily basis. Set out live traps on ledges branches fences and pipes where fruit rats regularly climb.

Roof rats are actually black rats though they can be other colors and can be identified by their large ears and scaly tails that are almost always longer than their bodies. They get their name. Place the dropped fruit in a garbage. In 2001 roof rats were documented in phoenix and likely introduced into the area through freight or shipment of food livestock feed or equipment.