FullScope Pest Control provides tips to protect the home from a rodent infestation
DID YOU KNOW? Mice can fit through an opening the size of a dime, and rodents can squeeze through holes the size of a quarter.
During the winter season, it’s estimated that rodents seek shelter in more than 21 million homes in the United States.
With cold weather and snow blanketing much of the country, homeowners aren’t the only ones seeking shelter indoors. FullScope Pest Control, a pest management company servicing North Houston, TX Areas, warns that rodents are also looking for a warm place like our homes to escape the winter chill.
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Unfortunately, these small pests can cause more than just a headache for homeowners if they gain entrance inside.
“Rodents can contaminate food sources and serve as vectors of many diseases, such as salmonella and the potentially fatal Hantavirus,” said Derek Salazar, Owner for the FullScope Pest Control. “Moreover, mice and rats can cause serious structural damage by chewing through insulation, wallboards, wood and electrical wiring.”
A female house mouse can give birth to up to a dozen babies every three weeks. House mice produce between 40 and 100 droppings per day.
Rats
- Are baby-making machines.
- Mate around 500 times in a six-hour period
- Some can have up to 8 or 9 offspring
Rodents are problems for nearly one-third of American homeowners. In addition to drawing unpleasant reactions as they scurry across kitchen floors, mice and rats pose significant health risks and property damage.
Rodents can bring fleas and mites into the home, exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms, contaminate food with Salmonella, and spread other diseases including murine typhus, infectious jaundice, Weil’s disease and rat-bite fever.
The white-footed deer mouse is also known to transmit Hantavirus.
These pests can also cause structural damage by chewing through walls, wood and wires, increasing the risk of house fires.
Rodent Prevention
It’s much easier to prevent an infestation than to get rid of pests after they’ve found a cozy retreat inside the home. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommends the following tips to keep homes rodent-free this winter:
- Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter, using caulk, steel wool or a combination of both.
- Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
- Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
- Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
- Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags and other packages brought into the home.
To prevent a rodent infestation, homeowners should seal cracks in the home’s exterior, and screen vents and chimney openings, as well as keep attics, basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
Derek Salazar advises homeowners to also be on the lookout for signs of an infestation. “If you find rodent feces or hear sounds of scurrying in the walls, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect the home for rodents.”
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