How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Home for Good
As the temperature continues to rise as the summer progresses, you and your family may not be the only ones trying to beat the heat in your home. There is a common misconception that rodents, such as mice and rats, may only overrun your home during the winter months. Unfortunately, these unwanted pets can come into your home any time of year. In the summer months, rodents will enter your home in search of food, water, and shelter from the heat. In addition to being a nuisance, rodents can also carry a plethora of diseases as well as cause damage to your home. Not to worry though, we, at Palmetto Exterminators, are here to help ensure that you and your family keep rodents out of your home for good.
Eliminate Food Sources
Nobody wants to open their cabinet in the morning while making breakfast to find an uninvited furry friend staring back at them. Mice, rats, and other rodents are opportunistic feeders and will eat just about anything left behind by humans. This means that one critical way to control them is to remove their food and water sources. Indoors, this can be done by cleaning up any spilled food items in cupboards or on floors, as well as keeping kitchen surfaces clean, especially at night when these critters are most active. Additionally, make sure all garbage cans have a lid and that all food containers are tightly sealed. Outdoors, be sure that all food waste ends up in a covered trash can. If you have a garden, be sure to pick up any produce that may have fallen. It will also be useful to identify areas where standing water, such as puddles, may form by filling in holes or covering buckets and containers.
Don’t Let Them Live Rent Free
Not only are these pests looking for a bite to eat but a cozy and cool new home too. These rodents only need a small amount of space to create a nest and plenty of areas around the average home provide the perfect conditions for them. Maybe even a great hiding spot too! To protect the inside of your home, it is important to remove any clutter or unorganized boxes and keep items stored on shelves rather than the floors whenever possible.
Around the outside of your home, be sure to clear any clutter and debris that’s lying around as these areas are very easy for rodents to find and settle into. Also, consider keeping any grass or plants around your home trimmed and well-maintained; Overgrown foliage can keep rodents concealed from the human eye. By keeping the inside and outside of your home well-maintained, the threat of these rodents will significantly decrease.
Identify Access Points
Aside from eliminating places for rodents to create a home, make sure they can’t get into yours in the first place. While our previous tips can help you remove rodents from your home, ideally, they would never be able to enter in the first place. As most people probably know, these critters can be very sneaky. Rats are so sneaky, in fact, that they can squeeze through openings half an inch wide which is about the size of a nickel. Mice are even worse due to their ability to fit through openings a quarter of an inch wide (picture a dime-sized hole or smaller). Even when there are no holes, their strong and sharp front teeth allow them to chew through a variety of materials including wood, drywall, and electrical wiring. Do a thorough inspection of your home, inside and out, and identify any openings a quarter of an inch or larger, so that they can be sealed. Be sure to check behind appliances and larger furniture as sometimes holes can form without your knowledge. Some quick fixes to eliminate these problems include repairing holes in the foundation or walls, sealing any openings on windows or doors, and making sure areas around pipes, drains, and vents are tightly sealed.
Maintenance is Key
Do not let all your hard work and effort go to waste by not maintaining all of these repairs and changes you have made. Always check for any new rodent activity and make repairs happen quickly in the case that it is identified.
We know that people’s lives are busier than ever, which is why Palmetto Exterminators is here to help. Services, like our quarterly pest control, can identify potential threats in and around your home, and provide exceptional residential pest control and preventive maintenance. Contact Palmetto Exterminators today to get rid of rodents in your home for good!
