Last week we looked at the main signs of potential rodent infestation, as explained to us by trusted pest control specialist, The Exterminator. While The Exterminator took time to explain the signs of a rodent problem, they emphasised that the best thing that you can do is prevent rodents from taking up residence in your home in the first place.
Here are their top tips for preventing unwanted guests.
- Rodent-proof your home by sealing up any holes or gaps that could be used as doors by rodents. Look out for holes in and outside your home, and plug them with caulk, steel wool, or sealant. Inside your home, check for holes around doors, pipes and sinks, floor vents and inside the attic. Outside the home, check the eaves and gables, around doors and windows.
- Make sure that you don’t have any potential nesting sites on your property, including leaf piles or deep mulch. If you do, remove them or ensure that you turn them regularly.
- Make sure that food and water sources near your home are cleared away. This includes animal food – if you feed the birds, don’t scatter seed on the ground. Regularly turn compost piles. Ensure that your bins and food recycling are in tight lids.
- Be vigilant in the home – rodents will eat anything but are partial to cereals and dried goods; if you notice nibbles or crumbs, discard the food immediately and look for other signs that you have rodents.
What to do
Realising that you have rodents is one thing, deciding what to do is another.
Rats and mice might look cute, but a mouse can have up to ten litters of 5-6 mice a year. That’s 60 mice in a year. What’s more, those babies could start reproducing as soon as 6 weeks after birth. This means that, within 10 weeks, one mouse could have had twelve babies, and those first six babies could each have had 6 more babies. So in just ten weeks, that one mouse could become 49. It won’t take long for that one mouse to become hundreds, and even thousands: a serious infestation.
Dealing with a rodent problem isn’t as easy as laying traps or poison; it is a specialist job that needs to be done properly to make sure that it is thoroughly dealt with. If you think that you have a rodent problem, call your local pest control specialist. Many, like The Exterminator, don’t charge a call out fee; they will come and assess the problem before advising the best course of action.
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