Cheap turns out expensive, especially when you gamble with your health.
Let’s be clear: when a customer calls us because they have seen a rat in their kitchen or storeroom, the first thing that usually crosses their mind is the price. It is tempting to pop down to the supermarket and buy a pack of brightly coloured bait (the brighter the better), thinking the problem will be solved for less than ten euros.
However, rodenticide – commonly known as rat poison – comes with small print and side effects you might not expect.
The critical mistake
Recently, the case of a cruise ship with several people affected by hantavirus, some of whom died, has highlighted something we at RapiPlaga warn about all the time: the rodent is only the tip of the iceberg; the real danger is what travels with it.
Putting down poison as an amateur is a gamble in your own home. If the rodent eats the bait, it will die somewhere unknown: in a false ceiling, behind a built-in kitchen unit or in a ventilation duct. The result? Weeks of an unbearable smell and a brand-new infestation: blowflies, maggots and possibly fleas.
What started as a way to save money ends up as a bigger bill to find the source of the problem and treat several infestations. Sometimes false ceilings or plasterboard walls have to be broken open, sending the cost soaring and turning the supposed saving into weeks of serious disruption.
So what do we do?
At RapiPlaga, whenever it is technically possible, we prioritise physical trapping. That way we know exactly where the rodent is, we avoid problems and we remove the risk of it decomposing somewhere inaccessible.
But this is where we really make the difference: once the rodent is caught, the job is not over – it has only just begun. Rodents are reservoirs of pathogens and carriers of secondary pests (fleas, ticks, viruses and bacteria). When the host dies, these parasites will look for a new source of food: you or your family.
Disinfection
Rodents urinate and defecate constantly. Those traces are what spread diseases such as leptospirosis or the hantavirus mentioned above. When you hire a professional service, you are not just paying for “a trap”: you are paying for health protection:
Elimination of viruses and bacteria: thorough disinfection of the affected area.
Expert diagnosis: we find the entry point so it can be sealed and the problem does not happen again.
Legal peace of mind: if you run a business, you leave a public health matter in the hands of certified professionals.
In conclusion: is it expensive to hire professionals? What is expensive is risking your family’s health or your business’s reputation. A rat is not just an annoying animal; it is a health crisis in miniature. This is nothing new with hantavirus: rodents were the key vector that wiped out half of Europe in the past. Don’t let history repeat itself in your home.
