The most common home-investing rodents in Bradenton are mice and rats. We're going to leave squirrels out of our discussion today. Let's take a moment to discuss the rodents that will give you the most trouble, and take a look at some specific ways you can prevent them from getting into your home.
House Mouse
We have a few mouse species in our area. The one to be most concerned about is the house mouse, which is known scientifically as Mus musculus. If you're not aware, house mice are field mice that have discovered a place to live that is far more wonderful than a field. That place, as you can probably guess, is our houses. They also get into our businesses. House mice love living in man-made structures. But you may not be aware of why they love living with us so much. Your first thought might be that your home has lots of food for a mouse to eat, and that mice would want to live in your home to have easy access to food. While this is partly true, this is not the reason mice get into your home, or why they stay in your home. A house mouse can get into a shed that doesn't have a single morsel of food in it. That shed is nothing more than a big mouse house. A shed, garage, or home provides safety for a tiny mouse. There are fewer predators roaming around inside your home, and this is good news for a defenseless mouse. So, how does this help with rodent control? Consider the following points.
-
Protecting your food from mice is not going to stop an infestation. Mice will eat bugs in your walls, attic, cellar, boiler room, and also around the outside of your home. They don't need to eat your food. As you work to deter mice, you need to consider pest control methods that reduce bugs, such as addressing moisture, standing water, and exterior lights.
-
Mice are timid creatures. If you remove hiding places near your home, you'll make it more difficult for these rodents to chew a hole into your home. They don't prefer to be exposed for long.
House Rat
House rats are rats that live in trees and other above ground habitats. When house rats, which are also called roof rats, get into your home, they'll be very happy to stay. Like a house mouse, a house rat won't be driven out by a lack of food. Here are a few points to consider about house rat control.
-
House rats usually infest attic spaces. This is a good place to look for nests, droppings, urine, or house rats crawling around. Detection is the first step in rodent control.
-
These rats are great climbers. Trim tree branches away from your roofline to prevent them from getting onto your roof.
-
House rats can work their way up the downspouts of your gutter system. Put wire mesh in downspouts to prevent this.
Norway Rat
These rats are often called brown rats because they are often brown. They're also referred to as sewer rats, streets rats, and wharf rats, among other names. These names help with understanding this type of rat. While Norway rats can infest your home, they are more likely to live in a ground burrow in your yard or some damp, dark hiding place. Here are a few points to consider about Norway rat control.
-
Look for rat droppings around your home to detect Norway rat activity. Do not handle these droppings because they can make you sick.
-
If you have a dog, you might find your dog's feces collected into a pile somewhere. This is evidence of a Norway rat infestation. These rats eat feces. It isn't a preferred food, but do eat it.
-
Norway rats will attempt to chew through door and window frames, weatherstripping around doors, door sweeps, exhaust vents under decks, and to slip through gaps around pipes. Seal and repair these to keep Norway rats out. You may need metal flashing to bolster some spots.
Traps
The tips above will help you resist rodents and reduce activity, but the effective use of traps inside and outside of a man-made structure is the only way to get complete control of rodents. This should be done by a licensed professional because rodents have an incredible knack for avoiding traps that are improperly deployed. If you need assistance with rodent control in Bradenton, reach out to Keller's Pest Control. We know what is required to effectively control rodents.
