WARMER days are welcomed by all – but there are some pesky visitors the sunny days also brings out.
Rats are not only a health hazard for humans but run the risk of sneaking into your home in the search of food.
It might be tempting to reach for rat poison to stop those annoying visitors, but it’s a toxic option and can cause harm to other animals, such as beloved pets.
But the solution to keep the annoying rodents at bay can be a simple one – and it also won’t break the bank.
Stopping rats in their tracks is as easy as spreading some onions in your garden.
Rats absolutely loathe the smell of onions so cutting up a few slices and spreading them around your garden, especially at the entry points they’re using to get into your property, will help keep them at bay.
This a great, natural option and is also cheap because you can pick up an onion from Tesco for around 12p.
Onions are so powerful in stopping the ratty nuisances because they are “a nemesis of rats,” according to experts at Buzz Boss.
“It’s a powerful rat repellent because of its pungent smell and taste,” the experts told The Mirror.
If you want to have handy access to the vegetable, even planting an onion plant in your garden is also an effective way to stop rats.
Other plants which also work include, lavender, chrysanthemums and black pepper.
But if you don’t have green fingers, there are plenty of other simple hacks which are affordable options, including garlic.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=” ‘These miracle bags should be in every home,’ says mum who created a cheap hack to prevent flies from entering your home” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6360413294112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“Rodents hate the strong smell of garlic,” Juanita Schulze, a gardening expert from David’s Garden Seeds told The Sun last year.
“Garlic does not come from seeds, but get some garlic bulbs and plant those in your garden to keep rodents away.”
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D111015%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]Juanita added: “Another garlic tip is to chop garlic finely and boil in water.
“Then strain the garlic pieces out and put the garlic water in a spray bottle.
“Spray the bottoms of your plants to keep the rodents away. Spread chopped garlic around the outside of your garden.”
If you’re not sure whether rats have infested your outdoor space, there are plenty of signs to look out for.
These include droppings, bite marks, damaged plants and even a scent trail — yes, rats have a pungent smell, similar to urine and sweat, that can linger in the air.