These pests can eat any fruit or vegetables you may be growing in the garden, any bird food you leave out, and like to chew on garden furniture and garden pipes.
A rat infestation may be considered unsanitary, but leaving out rat traps can be even more horrifying.
The sight of rigid, large, hairy rodents with long incisors and arms in the air can be frightening for all to see.
Fortunately, there is a humane – and beautiful – way to prevent rodents from entering your garden.
According to Frame’s Pest and Wildlife Control: “Chrysanthemums are a great way to naturally repel pests from gardens and other outdoor areas.”
The hardy flowers have a high concentration of pyrethrin, a natural insecticide that effectively repels rats.
Agreeing, Turner Pest Control confirmed chrysanthemums are good rat repellants.
However, beware that chrysanthemums are mildly toxic to cats, noted the Metropolitan Veterinary Center.
If there are cats nearby, planting beautiful chrysanthemums may not be the best option.
Instead, Turner Pest Control suggested other ways to drive rats out of the garden by introducing natural predators.
Fortunately, cats are considered a natural predator, so if you have them around, they can reduce the rat population more than you think.
To make your garden less attractive to rats, it’s wise to make sure there’s no food on the ground, bins are closed and pet food is sealed.
If all else fails, it may be time to call in professional pest control to fix the problem.