Rodent Retreat causes more than just damage to homes and businesses. They can carry diseases that put your family or employees at risk.
Reduce rodent activity by eliminating sources of food and water. Store food in airtight containers and keep garbage in covered bins. Clean regularly to remove crumbs and nesting material. Watch for tracks and grease marks on walls, pipes, and rafters.
Rats are opportunistic survivors that thrive anywhere humans live, seeking shelter, food and water. They breed rapidly and their droppings can carry diseases that can affect human health. They also create a significant annoyance with their loud gnawing and scurrying. These rodents can cause serious damage to homes and businesses. They gnaw through electrical wiring, insulation, woodwork and pipe, resulting in fire hazards, costly repairs and structural integrity issues. Their sharp incisors continuously grow throughout their lives, making them prone to chewing on anything they can reach. This can lead to severe rot, mold and mildew, and can contaminate food, posing a major health risk.
Rat infestations are often difficult to control because of their prolific breeding and strong survival instincts. However, it is possible to take steps to prevent a rat problem before it starts by making the area around your home or business less attractive. Start by conducting a thorough inspection and sealing all access points. Rats can fit through spaces as small as the width of a quarter, so it is essential to check and seal any gaps or cracks larger than that. It is also important to remove attracting food sources and debris. Store garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids, keep pet food out of the open and clean up spills and crumbs regularly.
The best way to eliminate rats is to use a non-lethal method. Many companies offer traps that catch the rodents alive and allow them to be relocated rather than killed. This is the least invasive and messiest option, but it can be time-consuming. It is also important to be consistent; if you stop trapping for a month, the rat population will quickly re-establish itself.
It is also a good idea to talk to your neighbors, as they may be experiencing the same problem. Ask for tips and tricks to get rid of rats, and try some of the things that have worked for them. For instance, some people recommend rubbing peppermint, spearmint or eucalyptus oil along beams and other areas where rats are a problem to deter them.
Mice
Mice can be found indoors or outdoors, and are more likely to reside near food sources in populated areas. They are known to contaminate more food than they actually consume, which can lead to health code violations and loss of revenue in commercial settings. Mice are also notorious for carrying and spreading a variety of pathogens that can pose serious health risks to humans.
While lethal methods such as traps and poisons can offer quick results, they do not provide a long-term solution. Killing one rodent only encourages others to move in and take over the territory, so it’s important to address the conditions that attracted them in the first place.
To make your property less attractive to rodents, remove sources of food and water. Store food in airtight containers, keep garbage bins tightly sealed and fix leaky pipes. Regularly clean kitchens and pantry shelves to eliminate crumbs, and make sure pet food is stored in secure containers. Clutter provides hiding places for rodents, so regularly declutter basements, attics and garages.
Rodents can be difficult to spot because they are nocturnal and avoid sunlight. However, scratching sounds can indicate their presence. Droppings are another common indication of mice or rat activity. Look for droppings in corners, cabinets and along baseboards. The size of the feces can help determine the type of rodent: smaller droppings indicate mice and larger ones indicate rats.
Other signs of rodents include gnaw marks on furniture, woodwork and pipes. You may also notice urine stains and droppings inside your home. Look for smear marks and fur around the outside of your home, along with chewed openings in walls, cornices and doorways.
A property inspection is the best way to determine how rodents are entering your home and where they are residing. It’s crucial to seal entry points (mice can fit through openings the size of a dime) and gaps around utility lines, pipes, vents and doors. Using durable materials like steel wool, concrete and metal mesh can close the entrance points to prevent rodents from gaining access.
A professional pest control service can quickly and efficiently resolve infestations, protecting your property, health and safety. They can also provide a thorough inspection of your property and recommend exclusion methods to keep rodents out of your home for good.
Rodents in the Attic
Rats are often found in the attic, where they can cause damage to insulation and wires. They also pose a health risk because of their droppings and the potential for spreading diseases. The key to preventing rats in the attic is to keep them away from food sources. This means that you should not store food in the attic and should clean up spills promptly. You should also regularly empty and clean garbage cans that are located close to the house. Stacks of firewood should be kept away from the house, as should piles of leaves and other debris. Rats are also attracted to dirty environments, so it is important to keep garbage cans and pet food containers tightly closed. Regularly cleaning dishes and storing them away can also help to prevent rodent infestations.
Rodents get into the attic by taking advantage of small gaps and crevices in your home’s exterior. They are able to squeeze through spaces as small as a quarter, so you need to check all areas of your home that lead up to the attic. Checking vents, joists, and utility lines can also help you identify possible entrance points. You should also look for gnaw marks on furniture and other wooden items around your home. Gnawing is a sign of rodent activity, so if you notice any gnaw holes, you should take action.
When a rat makes its way into the attic, it will often nest in cardboard boxes or other soft materials. This can create a lot of noise, and you may hear scurrying sounds at night.
Depending on the extent of the infestation, you may need to have a professional inspect and perform rodent removal in the attic. Once the trapping process is complete, there may be a need to replace damaged insulation and wires, and vacuum or clean up feces and debris. During this process, your professional should also perform an exclusion to prevent more rats from coming in.
If you notice signs of a rat problem in your attic, contact a pest control company right away. They will be able to perform a thorough inspection of your home’s exterior, and seal any entry points to your attic and crawl space. This is a process called rodent proofing, and it is an essential step in eliminating the infestation and preventing future problems.
Rodents in the Basement
Rodents have a natural attraction to dark, damp areas where food is found. The basement is often their first stop, a perfect place to set up nests and to hide. Rats are also known for their high reproduction rates, so a few rats can quickly become an infestation.
The best way to solve a rodent problem is to trap and remove them. Snap traps are the most effective for this because they kill rats instantly without having to handle them. It is important to set traps throughout the home, especially in the basement, wherever you have seen signs of rats, from droppings to brown staining that rats leave behind when they travel over a path. You should also keep an eye out for open plumbing pipes and drains as rats are excellent swimmers and have been known to enter homes through toilets.
In addition to traps, a professional rat exterminator can help you prevent rats from entering your house by finding and sealing all of the cracks and holes that these pests use to gain entry. It may seem like a lot of work to seal these gaps, but it’s better to do this than to have rats gnaw their way through your walls and floors.
It is also helpful to eliminate areas where rats like to hide, such as clutter around the house, trash bins that are not emptied regularly, and food that is left out or poorly stored. You can also take steps to limit the number of places where rats like to build their nests, such as moving firewood away from the foundation and keeping branches and shrubbery trimmed properly.
Finally, many people find that having a cat or dog helps to reduce the number of rats in the home because they are natural predators of these rodents and will quickly catch them and eliminate them. This is a much better option than using a rat poison, which can result in dead rats that are inaccessible or unsanitary and can create a horrible odor inside the house.