In winter, homeowners must be proactive in keeping their homes safe against rodents such as mice and rats. These rodents can cause serious property damage spread dangerous diseases, and contaminate food. Romneypestcontrol.com experts can educate you about effective ways to keep your house free of rodents during winter. Implementing preventative measures and working with a pest control team lets you create a sanitary environment without pesky invaders trying to gain entry into your house.
What to Know About Rodent Behavior
Mice and rats are resourceful rodents that seek warmth, shelter, food, and water during winter. They can get into your house through tiny openings and cracks. Once they are inside, they can establish nests and start to reproduce. Such rodents cause property damage as they gnaw on electrical wires, chew waterlines, nest in insulation and furniture, as well as pose health risks by spreading diseases.
How to Prevent Rats and Mice from Getting Inside
When winter comes, you can take steps to make your house less attractive to rodents. These steps include the following:
- Seal entry points. Examine your house meticulously for gaps, openings, or cracks that mice or rats can use to enter. Such areas must be sealed with weatherstripping or caulk to prevent access. Keep an eye on areas around doors, windows, vents, and utility lines. Rats and mice can squeeze into tiny gaps. Common access points for rodents include roof intersections, air conditioning chases, soffit vents, and roof vent stacks. Such entry points can be sealed by a pest control professional to exclude rats and mice as well as prevent an infestation. If you are dealing with an active rodent infestation, an expert can address the issue by baiting and trapping.
- Cut off their food supply. Food items must be stored in sealed metal or heavy-duty plastic containers. Never leave food out overnight because this can draw rodents into your living space. clean up crumbs and spills regularly to get rid of possible sources of food for rodents.
- Store and dispose of trash regularly. Store trash in tightly sealed bins that must be placed away from your house. Dispose of trash regularly so that rodents are not attracted to it. Make sure to rinse containers before you place them in recycling bins.
- Maintain your landscaping. tree branches and shrubs near your house must be trimmed regularly. Rodents can use overgrown shrubs and branches to access your home’s roof. In addition, firewood must be stacked away from your home’s exterior.
- Think about professional rodent control. A pest control professional who specializes in rodent control has the expertise, knowledge, and tools necessary to identify and get rid of rodent infestations. They can also offer advice on preventative measures you can take.
Even the cleanest house in the city can still offer enough food, warmth, moisture, and shelter to rodents. Thus, you may not be able to fully make your house unappealing to rodents. Even if you have doing everything to keep rodents out, you should still pay attention to signs of their presence such as droppings, gnaw marks, live rodents, and scurrying in walls. If you think rodents have invaded your home, contact a pest control company to help reduce your exposure to dangerous diseases that rats and mice may carry.