What just happened to my TV? What on earth is going on in my attic? What happened to my bread box? Are you stuck at home in cold weather with more than just your family? Each year in the winter, rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the U.S.
The first couple of things to do are call a licensed professional pest control company to treat and rid your home of rodents as well as identify and eliminate sources of entry including drains, pipes, cracks and holes.
To keep mice and other rodents out, make sure all holes of larger diameter than a pencil are sealed. Spray foam insulation is easily chewed so use something like steal wool or close woven wire mesh until a more permanent measure can be taken. In addition to keeping a clean home, keep trash bags in tight bins and away from the home. Be on the lookout droppings, gnaw marks and damaged food.
What are other things you should know?
• They carry germs: Hantavirus is a viral disease that may be contracted through direct contact with, or inhalation of, aerosolized infected rodent urine, saliva, or droppings. Wild and domestic rodents have been reported to harbor and spread as many as 200 human pathogens. Germs become airborne when swept so wipe up droppings with a moist cloth instead.
• Damage and destruction: They can chew through many things including wiring in your walls disrupting electric, audio/video, pest tubes, etc. Rat teeth grow nonstop roughly 1/3 millimeters per day and about 5inches per year. They can chew lead pipes and bricks. It’s not that they eat it, but they are keeping their teeth sharp. It’s bad enough that they are eating your food but also keeping their teeth in peak powerful performance while also damaging beams, sewage drains and more.
• Nocturnal: most active between 6PM and 6AM
• Breeding: one rat can produce about 60 babies per year and then offspring can begin to breed within 4 months. One pair of mice can produce 100’s of offspring per year.
No matter what the issue, our Pest Control Service can help keep your home pest free all year long.
Facts from NPMA’s Pestworld.org
