Sep 18, 2024 | Florida Pest Control
Rodents, like rats and mice, are some of the most common intruders into our Broward attics and once they get in, they can cause plenty of destruction. From gnawing on electrical wires to leaving droppings that can affect your home’s air quality, these pests can turn into a homeowner’s nightmare. However, with a few proactive steps, you can keep your attic rodent-free and even improve your home’s energy efficiency in the process. Check out these tips for keeping rodents out of your attic.
Tips For Keeping Rodents Out of Your Attic
Seal Up Entry Points
Rodents can squeeze through tiny gaps, so it’s important to thoroughly inspect your home’s exterior for any potential entry points. Pay special attention to areas around the roofline, vents, and any cracks or holes in the walls. Use materials like steel wool, caulk, or metal mesh to seal these gaps.
Keep the Attic Clean and Clutter-Free
Rodents love clutter because it provides them with hiding spots and nesting materials. By keeping your attic clean and organized, you can make it less appealing to these pests. Look to store items in plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes, and regularly check for signs of rodent activity, like droppings or chewed materials on a regular basis.
Trim Trees and Shrubs Around Your Home
Rodents often use tree branches and overgrown shrubs as bridges to reach your attic. By trimming back trees and keeping vegetation away from your home, you can make it harder for them to gain access. Try to keep branches at least six feet away from the roofline to lessen the chances of them using it to get inside your attic.
Install a Chimney Cap and Vent Covers
Chimneys and vents are common entry points for rodents. Installing a chimney cap and vent covers is a simple and effective way to block these access points. Make sure these covers are made of durable materials that rodents cannot chew through.
Regularly Check Your Roof and Gutters
Your roof and gutters should be in good repair to keep rodents from finding a way in. Loose shingles, gaps in the roofline, and clogged gutters can all provide easy entry points for rodents and other household pests.
Consider Rodent Control Services
If you’re not sure where to start or want to ensure every entry point is covered, hiring a professional can be a great investment. There are several pest control experts near you that are familiar with the types of rodents in the area and can provide tailored solutions to keep your attic rodent-free.
Consider Attic Insulation
Attic insulation can be a major help in keeping rodents out of your home. Certain types of insulation, like cellulose, can help seal gaps and crevices where rodents might try to enter. Additionally, insulation materials that are treated with borates can act as a natural repellent. Not only does proper insulation make your attic less inviting to pests, but it also has the added benefit of improving your home’s energy efficiency.
Maintain a Regular Inspection Schedule
Finally, make it a habit to inspect your attic and the exterior of your property regularly. Look for any signs of rodent activity, like droppings, gnaw marks, or nesting materials. The sooner you catch a potential issue, the easier it is to address before it becomes a bigger problem.
Keeping rodents out of your home may seem like a daunting task but with a few proactive steps, you can create an environment that’s unwelcoming to these pests! If you’ve noticed rodent activity on your property or in your attic, call a pest control company near you to get a free inspection and the best rodent control plan for your rodent situation.
Aug 29, 2024 | DIY Pest Control, Florida Pest Control
Our warm climate attracts several unwanted pests, including rodents like rats and mice! These pests will cause significant damage to your property and pose health risks to your family. Let’s review why you need rodent prevention, how you can prevent them from invading your home and the potential damage they can cause!
Rodent Prevention Guide
How Rodents Can Damage Your Home
Rodents are more than just a nuisance, they will cause serious harm to your property, including:
- Structural Damage: Rats and mice chew through wood, insulation, and electrical wiring, potentially leading to costly repairs and fire hazards.
- Contamination: Rodents will contaminate food and surfaces with their droppings and urine, spreading diseases like Hantavirus and Salmonella.
- Gnawing: Rodents have a constant need to gnaw, often gnawing and damaging our furniture, doors, and personal belongings.
- Nesting: Mice and rats will create nests in walls, attics, and basements, causing insulation damage and increasing the risk of fire.
DIY Rodent Prevention Tips
To keep your Doral home rodent-free, consider these DIY rodent prevention tips:
- Remove potential nesting sites in your yard, including leaf piles and deep mulch.
- Keep your garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Inspect your home for any openings and seal them using steel wool or metal sheeting.
- Clean up leftover food crumbs and spills after each meal.
- Store food in plastic or glass containers with tight lids.
- Keep your home decluttered by removing old newspapers or magazines and storing items in plastic containers instead of cardboard boxes.
- Eliminate excess water by fixing any pipe leaks and consider enclosing your crawlspace to help minimize moisture and keep pests out.
If you’ve noticed rodent activity on your property, it’s best to call a pest control company near you. These rodent experts will provide your home with a thorough inspection, identify the type of rodent that’s invaded, and provide a rodent control and prevention plan.
May 7, 2024 | DIY Pest Control, Florida Pest Control
House mice, roof rats, Norway rats, and other rodents seek our homes as a place for shelter to breed and search for an available food source to survive. These creatures are known to contaminate our environments and spread diseases such as plague, tularemia, and hantavirus. Rodents will often chew through insulation and electrical wiring, creating the risk of a fire. Placing do-it-yourself rodent-proofing measures throughout your home will protect your property and family from these pests.
Do-it-Yourself Rodent Proofing Tips
Rats and mice seek out food, water, and shelter in homes, so it’s important to eliminate these factors from your property to avoid an infestation. Let’s review our DIY rodent-proofing tips for your Florida property:
- Rodents can enter through the smallest opening, so inspect your home’s doors and windows for holes, gaps, and loose or broken seals, repairing where necessary.
- Remove any clutter from your home, including old newspapers, books, magazines, and cardboard boxes you don’t utilize anymore.
- Always keep your yard well-maintained by mowing on a regular basis, keeping shrubs and trees trimmed, and removing yard debris.
- If you store lumber or firewood, place it at least 20 feet from your home and elevated off the ground.
- Check for any excess moisture throughout your home; repair any leaky pipes and eliminate excess moisture in your crawlspace through crawlspace encapsulation.
If you’ve noticed signs of rodents or would like extra help with rodent-proofing, call a pest control company near you! Professionals will provide you with a free analysis and a recommended rodent control treatment and prevention plan!
Jan 24, 2024 | Florida Pest Control
Contamination, disease, and property destruction are all possible in your home if a rodent invades it! Rodents, including mice and rats, can be destructive creatures and once they’ve invaded your home, it can be difficult to remove them since they reproduce so quickly! One of the best ways to ensure these pests don’t enter your Florida home is taking the necessary precautions to avoid them in the first place. We break down the types of rodents to be cautious of and our best do-it-yourself rodent prevention tips to keep rodents out of your Sunrise home.
Types of Florida Rodents
- House Mouse: Preferring dark, secluded areas in your home, these rodents are found in crawlspaces, basements, and attics. Mice adapt quickly to our human environments, seeking out food and water for survival. These rodents are also skilled climbers and can jump a foot high to reach isolated areas!
- Roof Rats: With their padded feet, roof rats will climb into our homes at the highest points, including our attics, eaves, and roof lines. These rodents typically live in colonies and stick together once they’ve found a place to habitat.
- Norway Rats: One of the largest rodent species, Norway rats are nocturnal and will seek food sources at night, especially in your trash can. Once they’ve infested a home, they are known to gnaw on furniture, walls, plastic, lead pipes, and even electrical wires.
Preventing Rodents in Sunrise
Rodents are attracted to food, water, and available shelter, so it’s crucial to eliminate these factors from your property to avoid a rat and mouse infestation. Check out our DIY rodent prevention tips for your Florida property:
- Seal and repair windows and doors that are loose or have a broken seal.
- Utilize screens on doors and windows, especially for those that tend to be open.
- Inspect the exterior of your home for any cracks or gaps and seal them immediately.
- Avoid leaving your pet food and water bowls outside overnight and store pet food in plastic containers with lids.
- Repair any leaky pipes and eliminate excess moisture in your crawlspace; we recommend enclosing crawlspaces to moisture issues and help eliminate household pests.
- Keep your yard well-maintained by mowing your grass, trimming back shrubbery, and removing debris on a regular basis.
- If you store lumber on your yard, look to place it at least 20 feet from your home and elevated off the ground.
- Have a regular cleaning schedule that includes vacuuming, mopping, and sweeping.
If you suspect you have a rodent infestation or are interested in getting ahead of preventing them, call your local pest control company. Professionals will provide you with a thorough inspection, identification of the rodent, possible entry points, and a rodent control and prevention plan.
Dec 28, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean
pests can’t invade your home! Unfortunately, there are several overwintering pests looking to your home to provide them with food, shelter, and water. Let’s breakdown the most common winter pests to lookout for at your Florida property.
Roaches
Cockroaches are common household pests seeking a warm environment to provide them with food and water. These pests can pose a serious health risk to humans as they transmit diseases and trigger allergies and asthma. Roaches will utilize any small hole, gap, or cervices to enter your home. They are also known to hitch a ride inside grocery bags, boxes, and used appliances.
Rodents
Rodents, including rats and mice, are year-round pests but they can become a major problem as the winter season approaches. Rodents will seek out warmth, food, shelter, and water inside our homes, squeezing through small holes and gaps to get inside. Mice and rats can cause damage to our homes and be a health risk to humans as they are known to chew through insulation, wiring, wood, and contaminate surfaces through their droppings.
Silverfish
These pests will look to your basements and bathrooms to seek a damp, cold place to live in. While silverfish are harmless to humans, they can invade in numbers, and cause them to be a major nuisance to remove them. These pests will often gain access to your home by hitching a ride through the items you’ve taken out of storage in your garage or attic. Silverfish will also feed on your books, glue, wallpaper, and boxes.
Preventing Winter Pests in Florida
It might seem impossible to deter wildlife creatures from your home during the winter but by placing certain preventative measures throughout your property, you can avoid their infestation! Check out these winter pest control tips when you want to keep these pests away:
- Inspect the exterior of your home for any cracks, gaps, and holes, seal them as soon as possible.
- Avoid leaving your pet food and water out overnight.
- Fix any leaky faucets or pipes found as soon as possible.
- Take your garbage out on a regular basis and utilize a trashcan with a tightly secure lid.
- Declutter your home by removing old newspapers, mail, and cardboard laying around your home.
- If you’re using mulch in your landscaping, place it at least 1 foot from your foundation.
- Consider reaching out to your local pest control company to get a customized plan to prevent pests from invading your home.
