Almost all households in Utah experience the stealthy assault of mice and rats. Yearly, homeowners rely on rodent control services to help keep rats and other pests at bay. Whether in the attic, basement, crawl space, dining room, or kitchen, these rodents find their way inside the houses of Utah residents for these necessities for survival: food, moisture, and shelter.
During cold seasons, they need to eat as much food to maintain their body temperature. They can obtain moisture from the food they feed. Likewise, they search for warm indoor shelters as nesting grounds.
So, how do you proactively prevent these rodents from infesting your house? Here are four essential but excellent tips you can do to keep them at bay.
1. Seal Entry Points Inside and Outside the House
Entry points are passages that allow the entry of rodents. These passages include a break, crack, crevice, gap, or hole on crawl spaces, doors, screens, walls, windows, woods, and vents. For a mouse, it can shove itself on a spot that is the size of a five-cent piece. Meanwhile, a rat can thrust itself on a hole that is the size of a ten-cent piece. Sealing possible entry points prevents the rats and mice from going in and out of your home.
Since these rodents are so capable of squeezing themselves, the smart move is to identify where to find them inside and outside your house. Check for the possible entry points in the following areas.
- Near the cabinets or closets that lead outside
- Around the pipes under sinks of the kitchen and laundry room
- Inside the attic, crawl space, and basement
- On, around, and under the windows or doors
- Inside vents or under crawl spaces
- Between the floor and wall
- In the roof
- Around the house foundation
After you have determined the entry points, make sure to seal them inside and outside the house to fend them off. Use rodent-proof materials, such as sealant and steel wool, to place inside the small holes. Combining both sealant and steel wool is better to deter the rodents from getting inside or outside. Fix the damaged screens of the windows and doors.
2. Bait and Trap Rodents Around Your House
Baits and traps dwindle the pesky rodent population. When using baits, use tamper-resistant bait stations. Stations like these contain the baits in place to target the rodents only. Be sure to keep children, pets, and other livestock away. When using traps, opt for a snap trap because it kills rodents immediately and swiftly.
Both baits and traps vary between mice and rats. Carefully read and understand the label instructions before setting them up. Please place them in areas where mice and rats are likely to come around. As they are afraid of open spaces, put them next to the wall, attics, basements, crawl spaces, outbuildings, or other areas where there is evidence of their trail, dropping, urine, gnaw marks or shredded materials.
Mice are most likely to get caught as they are less wary than rats. On the contrary, rats may take several days to approach the baits and traps.
3. Clean-Up Food Sources and Nesting Grounds
Aside from preventing their incisors from growing quickly, mice and rats have fast digestion. Food is like the number 1 necessity for their survival as they constantly need it to consume. They can only live up to two to four days without food. They are omnivorous creatures and can eat almost anything. Of course, rats indulge in protein-rich foods while mice love fruits and vegetables.
Eliminating the potential sources of food can help a lot in preventing them from invading your home.
- Store food in containers with airtight lids.
- Wipe off spilled food or mess immediately.
- Wash the cooking utensils and dishes right after use.
- Dispose appropriately of your garbage daily.
- Remove leftover food and water from your pet’s bowl regularly.
- Keep the cooking and grilling areas clean.
- Maintain a dry and well-ventilated attic, basement, crawl space, or vent.
- Repair leaky pipes and clogged drains to remove moisture.
- Check the bags, boxes, packages, and parcels thoroughly.
- Pick up or clean up the clutter.
- Keep firewood more than 100 feet away from your house.
- Raise the garbage can, firewood, and hay at least one foot off the earth.
- Eliminate old and unused cars, tires, and trucks.
4. Call For Help
If you do not have the time and resources to remove these pervasive rodents…
If you are not comfortable with safely removing or getting rid of them…
If you have a more significant infestation on your property…
It is best to seek the services of pest control professionals to deal with the extermination of the rodent infestation in your home. Pest control in Southern Utah is proactive about taking care of your pest problem by inspecting your home for the pests to be exterminated, determining the treatment to resolve safely, and maintaining the protection from the pests through regular treatments and preventive measures.
Mice and rats reproduce quickly, as you can imagine. They can give birth to about five litters a year, more than what humans can do in a lifetime. So if you do not deal with them right away, they will undoubtedly bring more headaches and hassles your way.
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