8 Things Your Rodent Exterminator Wants You To Know | The Family Handyman
It'due south good to know what yous're up against when rodents invade your home. Here'south what pro exterminators say.
According to a 2013 commodity from the University of South Florida, rodents crusade a jaw-dropping $19 BILLION in damage each year. That's a lot of mice and rats and other furry fiends chewing through wires causing fires, not to mention structural damage from nests and ceaseless chewing of forest, drywall and plaster.
Rodents Carry Disease
Besides grossing y'all out, mice and other rodents can make y'all ill. According to the Centers for Affliction Control and Prevention (CDC), rodents can carry diseases such every bit as hantavirus, leptospirosis, listeria, rat-bite fever (y'all don't need to go bitten to contract this) and the plague. And their prolific feces, urine and dander tin can wreak havoc on your allergies and immune system.
Rodents are Messy
Rodents may be tiny, but they aren't subtle. They leave droppings and urine everywhere, along with bite and claw marks in food, wrapping and building materials, says Megan Cavanaugh of Done Correct Pest Solutions.
To deter rodents from setting up store, keep food in air-tight containers and clean upwardly after meals. Store pet food in sealed plastic containers, also.
Rodents are Tiny Houdinis, then Monitor Accordingly
Depending on the rodent, they can clasp through spaces equally tiny as a dime. Yeah, really. To ward off invasions, you must regularly and thoroughly check all your spaces for potential entry points.
Mike Duncan, national technical manager at Truly Nolen Pest Command, suggests checking:
- Openings in soffits.
- Air-conditioning lines around the unit of measurement where pipes lead into the structure. Often times, rodents volition utilise the insulation foam roofing the freon lines to climb and enter at the roof/soffit areas.
- Garage door sweeps. These get worn and often torn at the edges, which allows entry into the construction.
- Debris around the dwelling house. "Rodents volition often accept refuge in these blazon of areas that go undisturbed," he says.
- Cavanaugh says that your foundation should exist inspected annually, by you or a pro, for whatsoever deficiencies.
- In-habitation usual suspect spots include the kitchen, laundry room, storage rooms and the basement.
Caulk is Your Friend — Just Non Your But Friend
"It is a skillful do to caulk around pocket-size entry areas," Duncan says. Some well-pregnant people, he says, will effort to keep rodents out past filling holes in their foundation or abode with spray foam. Don't.
"To a rodent, this is just protection from the elements and allows them to go unseen," Duncan cautions. "It is a expert practise to use some type of wire mesh or steel wool backside the foam to deter them for entry."
You May Need an Exterminator
If traps and filling gaps on your own hasn't worked, it's time to call an exterminator. If you lot're hiring a pro, Cavanaugh recommends these steps:
- Get multiple bids.
- Ensure the company has highly trained staff to take on your problem.
- Get a warranty, if that's important to you lot.
- After the offset or 2d visit your pest control company should exist able to give you a reasonable time frame, so you tin can manage your expectations and remain satisfied with the service yous receive.
Prepare for the Exterminator
Overall, Cavanaugh says, the visit should be low-stress. You shouldn't need to vacate your home or do whatsoever specific prep. Your exterminator should give you thorough data and updates with each visit. (Yeah, sometimes it takes multiple visits to solve the problem).
Ask Most Exclusion
Duncan says if you hire an exterminator, make sure the company includes an exclusion service along with trapping. "Exclusion is the primary key to long-term eradication," he says.
Trapping without sealing up how rodents enter the belongings volition lead to an endless cycle of invasion and extermination. "Rodents will place rub marks, which volition in plough bring others," he says.
Pass on Bait Boxes
Duncan says people often enquire if they should put bait boxes in attics or crawl spaces. He says they aren't a adept choice. "These draw more rodents to the dwelling house," he says. "While the bait contains a toxin, if the rodent gains access to the structure, they tin die inside and create an awful odour."
The aforementioned applies to 'throw packs,' a pre-measured bag of allurement that dehydrates and kills mice and rats. The rodent will swallow the bait, Duncan says, and then clamber elsewhere to die and decompose. That's a problem. "Where they dice tin can be something fifty-fifty Sherlock Holmes would have a difficult time finding," he says.
Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/things-rodent-exterminators-want-you-to-know/
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