When It’s Time To Call A Rodent Exterminator

If you have ever seen a rodent in your home, it’s usually not a pleasant experience. Rodents are one of the most destructive and hazardous animals you can have in your home and you will want to take quick and effective rodent control measures to prevent an infestation if you suspect you have a rodent problem.

Rodents are identified as various types of rats, chipmunks, squirrels, gophers and mice. In this post, we will focus on the most common types of rodents that prompt the need for rodent control:

Rats
Adult rats range in size from 4.5 to 11+ inches long and generally weigh less than 1 pound. Rats are quite intelligent and can quickly adapt to changes in their environment such as rat control measures including rat traps and rat bait. They are attracted to fruit trees, dog and cat food, bird seed and water among other things easily accessible in backyards and garages. You will often find them in attics, burrows, crawl spaces, under porches, inside walls and other difficult-to-reach areas of the home.

Rats carry and transmit several diseases by hosting disease carrying organisms such as ticks and fleas. In addition, they can cause structural damage to your home by gnawing and burrowing and have even been known to cause electrical fires by chewing on wires within the walls of a home.

Mice
Mice are rather small in size with adults ranging in length between 2 and 3 inches. Females are prolific breeders and can have up to 9 offspring in a year. Having 4 or 5 female mice in your home could easily and quickly multiply into an infestation. . Mice can often be found running along the walls in your home, eating and contaminating your food and building nests in dark warm places.

The 3 main areas of concern in the home when it comes to Rodents are:

Damage to electrical wiring
Rodents chew on wires in walls and around the home. Exposed wires can short circuit appliances, cause hard to repair electrical issues, and even pose a fire hazard.

Spread of Disease
Rodents can contaminate your home with their hair, feces, urine, and by hosting fleas and ticks. Their waste matter can get in your food, on your clothes and personal items spreading gastrointestinal diseases including Salmonellosis and/or E-coli infections and respiratory diseases including Hantavirus. In addition, the primary mode of transmission for Plague and Murine typhus is the rat flea.

Destruction of property
Rodents can dig, scratch, bite, burrow and gnaw through a variety of items including books, clothes, food, paper, wiring, pipes, wood, drywall and stucco. Their propensity for damage is very high and when you have an infestation, the damage increases exponentially.

Rodent Infestation Prevention and Control:

Preventative Measures
Rodents are simply looking for food and shelter. The best preventative measure you can take is to make sure that your home is not an environment that meets their needs. You can accomplish this by:
Keep all exterior doors weather-stripped and all subfloor and attic vents in good repair
Ensure that all fruit dropped from trees is cleaned up off the ground as soon as possible
Make sure dog and cat food is sealed and kept in a container with a lid
Make sure that your garbage is sealed and kept away from the house
Store food in sealed containers and clean up all crumbs
Wipe down pantry ledges with bleach wipes and keep the area dry and well lit.
These Prevention methods should be implemented as quickly as possible in order to prevent a rodent infestation.

Rodent Control Measures
If you suspect you have a rodent problem or find evidence that rodents have infested your home,
contact a pest control company immediately
. Resist the urge to use homemade solutions to solve the rodent problems as that often attracts more rodents to your home.
The benefit of hiring a professional is that pest control technicians are trained to effectively and efficiently address current rodent infestations, in addition to preventing any future infestations through rodent exclusion.