The Importance Of Quality Rodent Control For Your Collegeville Property
Collegeville has much to offer. People travel here to take in the car show, enjoy some horseback riding, or dine at our local restaurants. Rodents come here for similar reasons—well, not exactly the same reasons. People enjoy car shows and horseback riding because they are entertaining. Rats and mice like to have fun too, but they enjoy different activities. They climb objects, run through the cavities within structures, and play games with each other. But, what they love more than this is taking part in local dining. They eat natural food sources in our yards, like seeds, nuts, and fruits. They enjoy our local buffets—namely, the food options available in open trash receptacles. And, they go to our box stores to get food in bulk; that's your pantry, food storage room, or kitchen. Unfortunately, when they get into Collegeville homes, they are annoying and harmful pests. Today, we're going to look at some of the common things common rodents in our area do on our properties and in our homes. We'll give you four simple, yet effective, rodent exclusion tips to help you keep your home rodent-free, and we'll also tell you how to get rid of rodents if you have an infestation. For direct answers to your questions, feel free to speak with us directly. Terra Pest Management Specialists provides advanced solutions for rodent control and general pest control in Collegeville. Navigate to our contact page and tell us about your rodent problem or pest concerns. We have answers.
If you sit outside, you can catch a glimpse of backyard rodents. Squirrels are active during the day and readily reveal themselves in many ways. They scale trees, bound through the yard, run across power lines, and nibble on acorns. But there are many rodents you won't see because they are active at night. These are the rodents that are most likely to invade your home. Here are a few quick facts you should know about each.
Rats: We have two common rat pests: Norway rats and roof rats. Norway rats are brown rats that tunnel in the ground and typically access structures from the ground floor. Roof rats are black rats that climb trees and run across powerlines, just like those squirrels do. They typically enter through roof vulnerabilities. If rats get into your home and attempt to live there permanently, they're going to need to find a robust food source or feed on outdoor food sources.
Deer Mice: If you see a little mouse that has the coloration of a deer (orangish-brown on the top and white on the bottom), you've found a deer mouse. There is good and bad news when it comes to these pests. On the bad side, they are the mice that are likely to spread Hantavirus. On the good side, they don't generally infest homes. They get into sheds, barns, and outbuildings. Like a vole, these are usually outdoor mice, but they don't dig tunnels the way voles do (or Norway rats).
White-Footed Mice: These mice are light reddish brown on the top and white on the bottom. They are the most abundant rodents in Pennsylvania and they behave much like deer mice. However, of the two, you're more likely to have trouble with these mice in your home. White-footed mice dine on a wide variety of food sources, such as human food, decaying foods, seeds, nuts, fungi, caterpillars, centipedes, snails, fungi, and fruit.
House Mice: When it comes to home-infesting rodents, these are the worst in all the world. House mice will love living in your home and you'll have a hard time convincing them to leave. While they eat 15 to 20 times a day, they dine on crumbs, so you'll have trouble starving them. You'll also have a hard time keeping them out of your food because they can chew through packaging materials. You can keep them out of your food by storing items in sealed plastic containers. While a house mouse can chew through plastic, they won't try if they can't smell the food inside. These mice are typically gray with a light underbelly.
When any of these rodents find their way into your home, it is time to contact Terra Pest Management Specialists for professional rodent control. Rodents in Collegeville are no small problem. Let's look at common traits that cause rats and mice to present problems.
The Problems Rodents On Your Property Can Create
Whether you have big or small rodents in your home, you have a big problem on your hands. The primary issue with rats and mice is that they reproduce quickly and can live in large numbers. All of the dangers they present will increase as their numbers grow. What dangers? Here are the primary facts to know about rodents.
- They chew on building materials to enter your home. The holes they create can allow moisture inside and this can lead to water damage or mold. Those holes also allow secondary pests to enter your home.
- They chew on things as they climb around in your wall voids. One big concern is rodents chewing on wires. A cut wire can spark a flame and present a serious threat to your safety—not to mention your property.
- They get into attics and cause lots of trouble by soiling insulation and stored times, clawing building materials, and chewing holes in stored furniture.
- They will explore your home and get into places that you want to keep clean. As they move about, they can contaminate areas with their hairs, droppings, urine, and saliva.
- They carry ticks into homes. One little mouse can have dozens of seed ticks on its body. When those seed ticks grow into adults, they'll go looking for a larger mammal to take as a host, which is when they'll get onto your dog or cat, or try to bite you directly.
The steps required to keep rodents out of your home, while simple to understand, are not easy to apply, so it is important to keep these threats in mind. Rodents can't help but cause harm to you and your property as they explore your home and grow a population, so it is critical to do the hard work to keep them out.
Four Simple Yet Effective Rodent Exclusion Tips
When discussing the topic of exclusion, we focus mostly on pest proofing. In fact, pest proofing and rodent exclusion are nearly synonymous. But, in broader terms, rodent exclusion is any step you take to prevent rodents from entering your home. Let's start with pest proofing, and then look at three other ways you can stop rodents in their tracks.
- Rodent Pest Proofing: Use a caulking gun, cans of expanding foam, and hardware cloth to stop rodents. Seal around plumbing, wire conduits, window frames, and door frames. Fill in holes, cavities, and recesses. Replace weatherstripping. Install door sweeps. Repair screens. And cover vents.
- Blocking Common Routes: Cut tree branches that touch your roof. Install guards on pipes or conduits that provide a route for rodents to scale your home. Block access to downspouts by applying hardware cloth or stuffing copper mesh into them.
- Removing Food Attractants: Rake nuts up from underneath trees. Remove bird feeders or relocate them so they aren't near your exterior walls. Keep trash in sealed containers that are free of strong odors. Protect fruits and vegetables with fencing material. Clean up around outdoor grills. Reduce insects and other bugs in your yard, which rodents eat.
- Removing Habitat Attractants: Rake leaves. Pick up any yard clutter. Move firewood away from your home and consider making an elevated platform to store your wood. Pick up dead branches and put them into a plastic bin. Apply hardware cloth or some other fencing material to block access to the void underneath your back deck, or under your shed. Trim landscape vegetation to create open spaces that will make rats and mice feel exposed.
If you take the time to carefully apply these tips, you may never have a rodent problem in your home. These all-natural solutions can provide effective rodent control for your home. But factors outside of your control may cause your rodent control to fail. For example, any nearby construction project may drive a large population of rodents into your yard. These rodents may immediately start looking for ways into your home and chew through your pest-proofing. In a case like this, professional rodent control services are extremely helpful.
The Best Rodent Control Solution For Your Property
Rodent control in Collegeville isn't easy work, and there are many challenges when rodent control products are needed. Take the work off your shoulders by contacting Terra Pest Management Specialists for trusted rodent control services in Collegeville. Our pest specialists have the training and experience to evaluate your rodent control issue and provide industry-leading solutions. Whether you're trying to arrest a current infestation or prevent one before rodents get into your home, we can help. Call, text, or email us to get connected. Our services are of the highest quality and backed by our 100% service guarantee!
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