Rodents are attracted to cluttered spaces. Regularly clean and organize crowded areas to eliminate hiding spots and nesting sights.
Check doors, windows and crawl spaces for entry points. Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a dime and rats can contort themselves into small spaces. Fill gaps and cracks with metal mesh, cement or hardware cloth.
Keep Food and Water Safe
Rodent Protection are seeking two things when they enter buildings: food and a warm place to nest. If you can keep food and water out of reach, the rodent population will diminish.
Store feed in troughs or other rodent-proof containers and remove it from the premises regularly. Store bird seed and pet food in a garage or other outdoor building rather than openly outside the door.
Don’t block perimeters with pallets, equipment or cabinets – they provide hiding spots and make it hard to inspect and use traps in those areas. A good rule of thumb is that prevention always trumps eradication! A few simple steps now can save you a lot of money, stress and time in the future.
Rats and mice chew wires – including live electrical wires, which can cause fires. They also gnaw through car, truck and tractor wiring, which can lead to expensive repair bills. They also contaminate animal feed with their urine and feces, spreading disease from one animal to another.
In addition, rat droppings contain the bacteria that cause plague (the same one that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages) and Salmonella, which causes diarrhea. Moreover, fleas that carry rodent droppings can bite humans, causing swollen lymph nodes and fever. Rodent feces can also spread Salmonella to livestock, resulting in poor growth and reduced production.
Seal Off Entry Points
Rodents are opportunistic creatures with an inquisitive nature that means they are constantly looking for entry points into living spaces. As a result, it is important to inspect your home and property to make sure that all of the potential holes and cracks are properly sealed.
You should look for areas where the ground and wall of your house meet as well as any exterior pipes that lead to water hydrants or appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Those cracks and gaps are common places for rodents to enter homes in Cleveland, OH. Look around the area where kitchen additions or outbuildings attach to your house as well. These junctions are usually made of cinder block and can be easily cracked or damaged by freezing and thawing.
Other common entry points include vents and chimneys, which can be covered with mesh screens or covers that will prevent rodents from getting in. Also, window sills and frames can be used as entrance points by mice and rats, especially if the windows have loose or missing screens. In addition, a clogged downspout can provide rodents with an easy way to access your roof.
It is best to use caulk or spray foam to patch small holes, as these materials create an airtight seal that can keep rodents from entering your living space. But for larger gaps and entrance points, you should use a material that mice have difficulty chewing through. A good choice is copper steel wool, which can be stuffed into the hole and then covered with caulk or spray foam.
Remove Nesting Spots
While it isn’t possible to prevent all rodents from gaining entry into homes or other buildings, taking preventative measures can reduce the number of mice and rats that can get inside. The first step is to seal up the holes that they use to enter, both on the interior and exterior of structures.
Rodents leave a trail of droppings as they explore their surroundings, and they often build nests in sheltered locations. You can look for signs of rodents in a space by checking for their droppings, gnaw marks and the presence of a rat or mouse nest. Basements and crawl spaces are ideal locations for rat nests, while garages and sheds can provide shelter and warmth to mice nests. Gaps in walls or pipes also serve as easy pathways for rodents to slip into a home.
If you find a rodent nest, it is important to handle with care as they can carry infectious diseases that can make you sick. Wear protective gloves and use a cleaning formula to sanitize the area where the nest was located before removing it. Similarly, if you find rat droppings or poop in a common area, mop the surfaces and passageways with bleach to sanitize them.
You can also minimize rat hiding spots by reducing the amount of clutter that builds up around your home or building. Remove items that can provide rodents with hiding places, such as cardboard boxes, fabric and old clothes. Also, trim vegetation and keep the yard and surrounding areas clean to eliminate secluded spaces for rodents.
Using Traps
Once preventive measures are taken, if the rodent problem persists, it may be necessary to use traps. Trapping is a safe and effective treatment option for most small to medium rodent infestations indoors or outdoors. There are a variety of different trap types available to suit specific rodent behavior patterns and to ensure that your rodent problems will be taken care of.
Our website provide this service Snap traps are one of the most common and well-known forms of traps and work by utilizing a spring-loaded mechanism to snap down on the rodent when it attempts to step on a baited plate. This kills the rodent instantly. Modern snap traps are designed to be safer around children and pets by incorporating a release bar that prevents the trap from accidentally triggering when kids or animals handle the bait or trap.
Glue traps are flat traps coated in a sticky substance that attracts and traps mice when they attempt to run over them. These traps are usually placed along high-activity mouse runways and can be used inside multiple-catch or live traps to help streamline mouse removal.
Electric rat and mouse traps deliver an immediate electric shock to rodents when they trigger the device, killing them immediately. They are most often used in conjunction with other rodent control methods, such as sealing entry points, to provide maximum results.