What time of year are rats most active?

In the winter and early spring when the weather is pleasant, they're more active. When temperatures drop at night and it gets chilly, they like to be indoors.

azcentral.com - Roof rat season is here: 5 steps to keep them out of your home

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Weldon B. Johnson

The Republic | azcentral.com

If you think about it, roof rats are a lot like us.

In the winter and early spring when the weather is pleasant, they’re more active. When temperatures drop at night and it gets chilly, they like to be indoors. And they're also eagerly anticipating the oranges and other fruits ripening on trees around the Valley. That means this is the busy season for the vermin, as it is for those of us wanting to keep rats out of our homes and yards. 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 from a preference for spending most of their time at least four feet above the ground and can often be found in trees, shrubs and attics. RELATED:Got termites? If not, you probably will | Eww: Arizona's creepiest, crawliest inhabitants explained They are not native and were first discovered in the Valley in the Arcadia area in 2002. Most likely, they were inadvertently brought here from a neighboring state. Since then they have been on the move, showing up in East and West Valley communities in addition to Phoenix. Want to avoid roof rats? Keep your home and yard inhospitable to the rodents. “The key factor is to not have food for them or clutter or anything that would make them want to stay,” Maricopa County Environmental Services spokesman Johnny Diloné said. “The more we keep our backyards well-kept and eliminate their food sources, the less likely they are to hang around.” Roof rats are most active in the cooler months but they are present year-round.

Tips to keep roof rats away

The website of Maricopa County Vector Control offers this advice on keeping the rats in check.

1. Starve them out

• Citrus is a source of food and water for roof rats. Pick fruit, even if it’s not ripe, and pick up any that falls to the ground.

• Don’t leave pet food out overnight, and pick up dog feces.

• Limit use of bird feeders. Either stop filling them altogether or only provide the amount birds will eat in a day. Sweep up any spilled food before sunset. Store bird seed in sealed, rat-proof containers.

• Indoors, store bulk food in sealed, rat-proof containers.

• Keep garbage containers tightly covered.

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2. Clean up your yard

• Rake under trees and shrubs.

• Prune fruit trees so the ground under them is visible.

• Remove wood and brush piles. If you must store wood and lumber, keep it at least 18 inches above the ground and 12 inches from walls. • Trim palm trees. Roof rats nest in the skirts of old palm fronds, in piles of debris and in hollow trees. • Thin out bushes so you can see daylight through them. Roof rats like to nest in oleanders in the summer. RELATED:12 dangerous creatures that call Arizona home | Arizona overrun by giant, flying beetles in search of love

3. Seal your home

• Roof rats can enter through openings as small as a nickel, so be diligent sealing cracks and crevices. Use stucco diamond mesh, which is available at building material suppliers, to seal holes and vents. It is easy to cut and mold, but for rats it’s like chewing razor blades. • Check for holes in exterior walls and near water heaters, washers, dryers, dishwashers and under sinks. • Caulk cracks, screen the sewer stacks on the roof and stuff air-conditioning lines that run from outside into the attic with steel wool or copper mesh to prevent rats from entering.

4. Be strategic with traps

• Set traps baited with a little peanut butter in areas such as the laundry room or garden shed. • Place traps away from places they can be found by pets or small children. • Roof rats can be skittish about unfamiliar objects, so leave the traps in place for at least a week before moving them. RELATED:What you should know about Arizona's 'kissing bug' | 2 new scorpion species found in Arizona

5. Be careful with poisons

• Bait stations are protected places for rats to feed without being accessible to non-target animals. • Don’t wire poison bait blocks directly to tree branches. That could lead to accidental poisoning of cats and birds. • Make sure your home is sealed before putting out poison bait so the rats don’t enter the house and die, creating a stench it might be hard to get rid of.