Oct 13, 2021 | Pest Control
During the colder months, rats are looking indoors for shelter, providing them with warmth and a food source. Once inside, they can not only cause considerable damage to homes by gnawing electrical wires, but they can also pose health risks as they are known to carry bacteria, such as salmonella. To help avoid these pests, every homeowner should utilize preventative measures throughout their house for rodent control.
Keeping the exterior of your home well-sealed is the first step to prevent rats from the inside. Check around the outside of your home for any gaps or holes that are leading inside. Make sure to seal around any openings in the walls, especially utility pipes and vents. Consider installing weather stripping for the gaps in doors and windows.
While outside, look throughout your yard for debris such as piles of leaves or excess woodpiles. Rats will often use these to hide or take cover. Consider keeping your woodpiles 20 feet from your home. Try to keep your shrubbery away from the sides of your home and mow the grass frequently.
Rats are always in search of a food source. Eliminating access to food from your property is another great way to keep them from infesting. If you leave your pet bowls outside, consider bringing them inside to avoid attracting them. Make sure to keep all food, including pet and bird food, in airtight containers. Likewise, make sure your trash cans are sealed tightly and take the garbage out frequently.
Suspecting that you have a rat inside your house is always alarming. It’s best to contact a pest control professional who can inspect your home, identify the type of rat, and set you up with a comprehensive treatment plan.
Jul 20, 2021 | Pest Control
Dealing with a rodent is never an ideal situation for a homeowner. These creatures can pose serious health risks and property damage issues for your home and family. Different factors can attract varied species of rodents. To avoid these pests, every homeowner should be aware of the different types of rodents that can invade, along with how to prevent each one.
Norway Rats
Norway rats are one of the largest species of rats, measuring around 10 inches in body length. These rats have thick fur, usually brown with black shading. Norway rats are nocturnal and will often burrow into piles of garbage to search for food. If these creatures invade homes, it’s usually due to sparse food sources. They will typically invade areas in the house that go undisturbed such as crawlspaces or basements.
Norway rats can cause serious property damage by gnawing through materials like plastic and lead pipes. They can also bring house fleas and mites into homes. To prevent these rodents, make sure to tightly seal all trash cans outside your home. Check around the exterior and foundation of the home to search for any holes or gaps leading inside and seal them if needed.
Roof Rats
Roof rats are about 8 inches long with slender bodies. Their fur is smooth with gray coloring and black shading throughout. A great way to identify them is that their tails are darker than Norway rats and they are usually hairless and scaly. These rats are known to be extremely agile and skilled climbers. They live in colonies and prefer to nest in higher levels of buildings, trees, and homes. While they do prefer to eat fruit, they will still eat any available food source they can find.
If you happen to have fruit trees on your property, it’s important to clean up any fallen fruit as soon as possible as it will attract these creatures to your yard. Repair any roof damage such as broken tiles or gaps under eaves as these rats can sneak into any gap or hole that is as small as a quarter.
House Mouse
Light to gray in color, house mice weigh around 1 ounce or less! These small rodents like to nest in dark, secluded areas inside structures. House mice are excellent climbers and can jump up to a foot in height, which allows them to reach isolated or withdrawn areas.
House mice can be a threat to homes as they are known to spark electrical fires by gnawing on wires inside the house. They can also pose serious health threats as they can contaminate stored food and spread diseases such as salmonella. House mice often like to hide throughout household clutter. It’s essential to keep storage areas clean and well-organized and keep the boxes off the floor.
If you start to see signs of rodents in your home, contact a professional pest control company to ensure they don’t multiply and cause severe damage!
Apr 28, 2021 | Pest Control
While rodents will typically infest your home during the colder months of the year, it is still possible for these pests to be found inside the home during the warmer months too. If a rodent, like a mouse or rat, is found inside a house during spring and summer months, it’s likely that they’ve been there since winter! Rodents can cause expensive damage to your property. Learning some common signs of rodents in your home is the first step in identifying an infestation and establishing a rodent control plan.
One of the most common and telling signs that a rodent is in your home is finding their droppings. Measuring around 1/8 to ¼” long, droppings are left behind in places where food is stored, such as the kitchen and pantries. Rodent feces can be dangerous as it can carry harmful bacteria and transmit dangerous diseases such as salmonella. When looking for these droppings, make sure to check under the sink, in pantries, in cabinets, along baseboards, and on top of wall beams.
Mice and rats are always in search of food and water and will often chew their way to it. Both rodents can cause serious damage by chewing through materials found throughout the house, such as plastic and lead pipes. House mice and Norway rats are known to gnaw on wires that are behind walls, causing the dangerous risk of a fire. Check throughout the house for any suspicious chewing marks on wires, pipes, or even plastic containers as these can be an indication that a rodent is inside your home.
Hearing strange noises at night is always concerning, but it’s also a common indicator that rodents have made their way inside. These pests are typically active during the night and, if inside, hearing them scurry around the house is common. Rodents usually prefer dark, secluded spots to build their nests, such as in attics or in between walls. Checking these areas could give you the answer on whether rodents have been infesting!
If you suspect a rodent infestation in your house, contact your local pest control company who can safely remove them from your home.
Mar 19, 2021 | Pest Control
Squirrels are classified as rodents making them distant cousins to other more popular species like rats and mice. Like their rodent counterparts, squirrels can cause damage to your home and spread diseases to you and your family. Squirrels can access your home through small openings such as open doors and windows, down chimneys, through fireplaces, and through holes or openings in roofs or eaves. Once inside, these pests can chew through wires, siding, and insulation, causing costly damage and putting you at risk of fire. To keep these nuisance pests out, here are five ways to deal with a squirrel in your house.
Identify Where They Get In
The first step in dealing with squirrels is to figure out where they are getting into your home. Squirrels only need a small opening to squeeze through and once they are inside, getting them out can be difficult. Perform a thorough inspection of both the interior and exterior of your home, checking for holes, openings, and gaps that squirrels and other pests can use to gain access.
Seal Up Entry Points
Once you’ve identified where the squirrels are getting in, seal it up to prevent them from using it again. If there is no presence of squirrels inside your home, go ahead and seal up ALL of the entry points you find. If there is a squirrel present, make sure to leave one entryway open so they have a way to get back out. Cover this last opening with a single sheet of newspaper. If it is still intact 2 to 3 days after you stop hearing the squirrel, it is safe to go ahead and seal it up. Make sure doors and windows are covered with screens and properly fit to your home. Place wire mesh over chimneys and open vents. Use caulk, steel wool, or other appropriate materials to seal any other openings you find.
Give Them A Reason to Leave
Squirrels will often not leave your home on their own, especially if they have already given birth to a litter. To avoid this, try to drive the squirrels out as soon as you notice their presence. Playing loud music or keeping the lights on are both good ways to repel squirrels. If there is a squirrel present, try to avoid the area as you can spook them, causing them to flee to another part of the house, usually causing even more damage.
Use Traps
As a last resort, you can use traps to get rid of squirrels in your home. There are several different types of traps you can use. Live capture traps are a box-type trap that allows you to capture the squirrel alive and then release it outside. These traps have to be checked frequently and some states even require permits to use them. Kill traps are also box-type traps but eliminate the squirrel quickly and safely. Body-gripping traps can be used outside known entry points to capture the squirrels as they go in and out of your home.
Prevention is Key
As with any other type of pest control, prevention is key to keeping squirrels and other nuisance pests out of your home. The first step, as mentioned above, is to seal up any entry points around your home. Trim any overhanging trees that squirrels and other pests can use to access your roof, windows, and attic. Use traps as necessary.
If you have a problem with squirrels or any other pests, contact a professional pest control company who can help identify the type of pest you are dealing with, find potential entry points, and help prevent future infestations.
You May Also Be Interested In:
Mosquito Yard Prep!
Green Mosquito Control: An Eco-Friendly Alternative
When Is Millipede Season?
Is There A Cockroach Season?
Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite!
Feb 10, 2021 | Pest Control
Unfortunately, we haven’t quite gotten over the cold weather yet. Lower temperatures means there are plenty of pests and wildlife creatures looking for warmth inside your home. Common wildlife, such as rodents, can be a major nuisance during the colder seasons. If found inside, these pests can damage electrical wires, insulation, and even spread disease. Identifying the type of rodents that have entered your home is the first step in the wildlife exclusion process.
Norway Rats
Norway rats are known as one of the largest species of rats, measuring about 10 inches in body length. These rats have thicker bodies with fur that’s usually brown with black shading. In addition to having a pale color underneath their tails, the tail itself is shorter in length when compared to their bodies. Norway rats, if desperate enough, will eat just about any food source they can find, although they prefer to eat meat. If they find food in a particular place, they will continue to return to that same spot. This can make baiting and removing them easier. These rodents make their habitats in burrows but can also be found throughout buildings and in sewer systems.
Roof Rats
Roof rats have gray fur with black shading and smooth coats. They are about 8 inches long with slender bodies. They have darker tails than Norway rats and they are usually hairless and scaly. These rodents are extremely agile and are skilled climbers. They often prefer higher levels of buildings or homes, hence their name “roof rat.” While they prefer to eat fruit, roof rats will eat any available food source they can find. Unlike the Norway rat, the roof rat will not go back to the same location for food, making them much harder to bait.
Prevention is the key to making sure these rodents don’t enter your home. Use these rodent prevention tips throughout your home to ensure these creatures stay out.
- Repair any roof damage such as broken tiles or gaps under the eaves.
- Seal around utility pipes with steel wool and use either caulk or concrete.
- Declutter any areas where rats may hide out, including your garages, attics, gardens, storage sheds, and even warehouses.
- Apply weather stripping to your doors and windows throughout your house.
