Winter In Acworth, Georgia Requires Rodent Pest Control
The returning of winter means you will have to spend most of your days indoors. However, you will not be the only one seeking shelter from freezing temperatures; during this time, rodents such as rats and mice head indoors looking for food, and they may be coming to your home.
“There is no home in this world that does not have mice or rats”, these words came from an owner of a highly rated critter catcher In Indianapolis. She continued to say, “Everyone has at least a few mice or rats coming in or going out. They may also be living there”.
Well, these annoying pests will invade your home in various ways. For example, a rat can fit through a hole that is the size of a quarter, whereas mice can squeeze through a hole the size of a pencil eraser. Wilkes Said, “They will look for crevices and cracks in the foundation and squeeze themselves through it. They can also find space where the fascia board meets the decking on the roof”.
Did you know that both mice and rats are strong swimmers, and they have been known to swim through sewer lines or even climb vertically up a drainpipe to get into your home?
There are two most common types of rodents in the U.S. that are known to get into homes. They are:
• The House Mouse (Scientific Name: Mus Musculus)
• The Norway Rat (Scientific Name: Rattus Norvegicus)
These rodents are known to inhabit all regions of the country. However, rats are most prevalent in rural and urban areas, while mice are prevalent in suburban areas.
A house mouse is usually brown or gray, and they are known to grow up to a few inches in length; whereas rats vary in color ranging from brown to reddish – gray to even black in color. They have long tails compared to a mouse.
A Norway rat will grow to an average length of about 16 inches. They are all colorblind and have poor eyesight. However, they have an excellent sense of smell, touch, taste and sound. They do rely on these abilities to find and locate food.
Ways To Know If You’ve A Rodent In Your Georgia Home
Most people will know they have a rodent problem after they start noticing gnaw marks on doors and furniture, droppings, evidence of nesting and even damages to packaged foods and dry goods.
Well, rats and mice are known to leave black or dark brown droppings in their path, around food sources, and around the nesting areas. These droppings come in a shape of a granule and could range from a ¼ of an inch to 3/8 of an inch. You could use the amount of droppings to know the extent of the infestation.
Another rodent activity sign is greasy tracks along the floor. You could also use footprints and tail tracks in dusty areas to know, especially along the walls.
As dark gets in, rodent activity increases. This increases the opportunity to see them. At night, you could try to listen for squeaks, movements and unexplained sounds coming from behind the walls. The main reason why rats and mice will take refuge in your home is due to the abundance of food.
Mice prefer to eat grains. For this reason, you are most likely to notice tears, rips and bite marks to bags of cereal and rice. Rats are known to eat just about anything, and they are likely to scatter food about as they are eating.
According to Purdue University Extension research, it showed that rat teeth grow at a rate of 5 inches per annum. This is why rants have to gnaw constantly to prevent their teeth from growing too large that will lead to starvation.
When rats gnaw, it causes damages to your home. Rodents have been known to chew on almost anything such as PVC Pipes, Wires, Anything made from wood and even bricks.
In special cases, there have been reports that a rodent started house fires from chewing through electrical wires. The greatest treat rats and mice pose to man, is that, they offer high bacteria and diseases, which are transmitted through rodent droppings and bites.
“The biggest danger is urine and feces, if rodent population gets out of control”, Says Wilkes. Exposure to rodent droppings could transmit serious illnesses such as leptospirosis, salmonella, and hantavirus. Rodents are known to transmit plague, infections and rat bite fever. Wilkes said that she has never heard of people who got sick from drinking soda through a contaminated can that was stored in an area infested by mice.
Rodent Removal Specialist In Acworth Georgia
The good news is that you can drive all rodents in your home out by hiring our professional rodent control service, setting traps or plugging holes.
Pest control experts advise everyone to evaluate the exterior part of your home twice every year for new holes or spaces where rodents could use to get in. You will have to look for cracks in your home’s foundation, spaces around the door, window and any other that a rodent might use to get in.
Wilkes said that rodents could chew their way in through anything that is not galvanized or copper. She recommended that people should consider using caulk, copper mesh and even galvanized flashing to plug entry points. The moment you have sealed all entry points, you may now stat the removal process.
According to pest control experts, using bait boxes and traps are effective in removing rodents. However, there are many options available from traditional traps to no-kill methods that allow you to release them back into the wild. As you probably know, bait boxes contain rodenticide that kill rats and mouse in few days.
These bait boxes shelter poisonous rodenticides and prevent pets and children from reaching the poison. These boxes should be placed in areas that rodent activity is high and in their natural walking path.
At times, you should attempt to take away the food supply and do not leave food out on the kitchen counter. Make sure you store them securely where they cannot reach. Alternatively, you could store them in a sealed secure container.
If your home is really infested with rodents, it is advisable to seek the services of a professional and experienced rodent removal company. Most of these companies will inspect your exterior entry points and make improvements, apart from removing them from your home.