When fall and winter hit, be ready. Rodents want a place to stay warm, and your home is just such a spot. It offers shelter as well as food, becoming practically a rodent paradise during the colder months.
How Do I Know If I Have an Infestation?
For better or worse, a rodent infestation is typically easy to identify for the following reasons:
1. Feces or Urine
If you find droppings, small dark pellets the size and shape of a grain of rice or larger, there’s a good chance you have a rodent problem. Typically you will also smell the strong and potent scent of urine when a rodent is within your home. Be careful cleaning up these droppings as rodents are known carriers of several diseases that can be transmitted through their waste.
2. Food Caches
Some mice are known for stockpiling their food in a single place. If you find a small pile of seeds, crumbs, and other food, you have new tenant which might be inviting other houseguests over.
3. Scratching or Squeaking
When you are bed in the middle of the night, it can be disconcerting to hear scratching or squeaking coming from somewhere in your walls. Assuming you aren’t having a night terror, there are mice (or some other rodent) living in your walls.
4. Dark tracks, Rub Marks, & Grease Stains
If you have a rodent infestation you will often find rub marks within your home and grease stains on the walls from where the pest runs around. A rodent follows the same trail from its nest to its food supply, so dark smudges or tracks can build up.
5. Gnaw Marks or Entry Holes
A rodent has teeth that grow continuously through its lifetime. It will constantly gnaw and chew on whatever it can find to keep these teeth a manageable length. If you see what looks like small teeth marks or leftover shavings beneath, you have a rodent problem.
6. The Rodent Itself
If you find the mouse or rat in your house, it’s a good sign that it’s set up shop. And even if there is only one now, rodents can reproduce fairly quickly.
A Rodent-Free Life: How Can I Prevent an Infestation?
1. Properly Storing Food
Even if your house is warm and cozy, if it doesn’t have food readily available for mice, it discourages them from exploring more of your house than necessary.
2. Do Your Yard and House Maintenance
Clear away brush, vines, and bushes from near your home. This will make it harder for rodents to enter your home. Clearing away such vegetation also helps you identify possible entry points. Seal any cracks or holes, however small.
3. Seal Everything
Rodents can chew their way through almost anything, but here’s a good place to start: Seal food in glass and metal containers, seal your trash cans properly, and seal any small holes in your house.
Can I Treat Rodents Myself? When Do I Need to Call Someone?
While traps and baits can be useful for dealing with the lone rodent that accidentally wandered into your home, you should call Humboldt Termite & Pest Control as soon as you suspect a problem. Rodents can often carry diseases like hantavirus, rat bite fever, or even trichinosis, most of which can be spread even without even touching the creature. With diseases like hantavirus, it’s possible to even inhale the virus made airborne as the rodents dispose of their waste.
So yes. You can use DIY methods for treating rodent infestations, but we urge caution. Especially if you decide to make use of any poisonous solutions. It should go without saying, but we are compelled to state it for absolute clarity… poisonous solutions for combating and killing rats can also be dangerous for humans and our beloved family pets. Furthermore, if a rat does indeed die from a poison, the very last thing that you would want is for it to die within your walls, potentially attracting other pests to enjoy a snack, or leaving you dealing with the stench of a decaying corpse in your home – GROSS!
“The nice folks responded to our rodent issue promptly and were courteous and professional. I would recommend them to anyone who wants good service and a good and fair price. The rats did not appreciate the call.”
David E.
If you suspect rodents, please do not hesitate to call a professional for extermination and extraction.
What Do We Do?
With our expert team, you are in good hands.
Step 1: Identification – We’ll determine the extent of the infestation and provide you with a variety of treatments and products.
Step 2: Extermination & Repair – We’ll treat the infestation quickly and effectively with the best products to keep your family and pets safe. It’s important to note that it doesn’t do any good to simply remove rodents if the way they entered into the home is not sealed. We can help you fortify your home against future infestations.
Step 3: Ongoing Prevention – We’ll keep your home rodent free today, tomorrow, and any day after that. Our Quad-P service is designed to provide you the proactive protection you need to protect your home, investment and family from rodents. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you not only combat today’s pests, but keep them away for good.
Rodent Free Is the Way to Be.
Here’s How Pest Control Works
STEP 1: Customized Estimate
An agent will provide you a customized estimate, explain how service works and review our guarantees.
STEP 2: Schedule Treatment
Your agent will schedule your initial service over the phone.
STEP 3: Service Courtesy Call
Your technician will contact you the day before to confirm your appointment.
Contact us today or call (707) 822-8644 and learn how we can help you get them out—and keep them out. Rest easy, we’re on the job.
