Tips To Dealing With Rodents In Your House

Have you ever heard noises coming from the attic or walls that disturbed you? It can be quite unsettling when there are rodents in your home. This is a common problem for many Georgia residents as there are so many houses built around wooded areas. There are a few ways that you can keep your home rodent-free. Here Lookout Pest Control, formerly Any Pest Inc., discusses signs and tips to dealing with rodents who have taken shelter within your home.

Signs Of Rodents

Mice and rats are nocturnal, so you’ll most likely hear noises in your walls once the sun has set and the house has settled. Squirrels, on the other hand, are diurnal, meaning they’re awake and active during the day. Besides just noises there are other key signs that animals have invaded your home. These signs include:

• Droppings: Mouse droppings are about 1/8 of an inch long with tapered ends and are black in color.
• Entry Points: Mice can fit into very small openings the size of a dime. Look for these openings to help find home invaders.
• Chew Marks: Noticeable chew marks on wooden spoons or plastic can be a true tell. Also if your insulation looks like its been disturbed, most likely you have visitors.
• Tunneling: Mice tunnel in materials like insulation and can even get behind fiberglass in order to keep them warm while they are nesting.
• Smell: Rats typically leave urine and droppings everywhere they travel, and the smell can be strong. If you smell something strong, investigate!

Rodent Hazards

Wild mice can carry more than 30 diseases, so it is important to remove these pests before they spread and become comfortable in your home. Besides disease, the tiny mouse can cause big damage to your home. Since their teeth continually grow, mice need to continually chew on things to wear them down. In your home, they will chew on whatever is available, including wood furniture, drywall, electrical wiring, cooking utensils and even your food. They will also widen the holes they use to get in and out of the house, which can leave your home open to other bigger pest problems.

Preventing Rodents

Rats and mice are prolific breeders, so infestations can be a pain to control. By taking preventative measures you can cut down on the chance of having a rodent infestation. Such preventative measures include:

• Inspecting the perimeter of your home and sealing any holes or cracks that are larger than one-fourth of an inch
• Keeping ivy and tree limbs trimmed back from your home
• Storing stacks of firewood and piles of debris far away from the house
• Installing thick weather stripping on the bottoms of doors or making sure doors seal completely
• Store food (including pet food) in airtight containers
• Making sure indoor and outdoor trash cans are sealed

Rodent Removal

There are two effective methods to removing rodents from your home: mouse traps, and a professional rodent removal company like Lookout Pest Control. The least expensive way to remove mice is to set mouse traps by the evidence of activity. There are a few kinds of mouse traps to consider. Those include:

• Glue Traps – Glue traps simply immobilize the mouse until it dies either from starvation, hypothermia or stress. The only real advantage of these traps is that the clean-up process is easy.
• Zap Traps – Zap traps use food to lure the mice in, and then kill the mouse with a lethal dose of electricity. While these are effective, they are also much more expensive than other traps.
• Live Traps – Live-catch traps do not kill mice, but rather trap them as they run along their pathways. The homeowner then releases the mice into the wild.
• Poison Traps – Poison traps bait the mice and kill them through poison bait. These are discouraged because you cannot control where the mouse goes to die.

No matter which method you choose, first thing you should do is make sure there are no entry points into your home. Simply seal up any holes or openings. Common weak spots include around the roofline, and basically any gap at floor level bigger than a dime. Mesh and filler-foam will become your best weapon during this stage.  Unless the house is sealed properly, no trap will keep mice from returning. The best way to get rid of mice, and keep them out, is to use a professional service like Lookout Pest Control.

Call Us Today

It is important to hire professional pest control experts to locate and properly remove the rodents from your home. The above tips are helpful, but if you suspect that there are already rodents in your home, you probably need the help of professionals. It may be dangerous or inefficient to try to deal with the problem on your own, and you may end up creating more of a problem than you had in the first place. Lookout Pest Control has been providing rodent control in the metro-Atlanta area for over three decades. We have the skills, experience, knowledge, and equipment needed to remove all critters from your home so that you and your family can rest easy. If you think you are having a problem with rodents, call Lookout Pest Control today or contact us online here.

678-888-0035