Did you know that it’s Rodent Awareness Week 2016?
Every year, the National Pest Management Association sponsors a Rodent Awareness Week to educate homeowners about some of the most cringe-worthy pests — rats and mice. Rodent Awareness Week is the perfect time of year to learn what will keep mice away and what will repel rats so you can get them out of your home.
In Orlando, it isn’t uncommon to find rodents or their droppings around decks, storage sheds, attics, or the roof. Our customers often ask us how to get rid of rats independently. This can be tricky without the help of an exterminator. But homeowners should know a few things before calling in a professional.
Why & When Do Rodents Move In?
Rodents will enter a person’s property for one or both reasons: food & shelter during winter. While mice and rats find their way onto your property and into your home for food and shelter, they may stay there to make nests and breed. This is what we refer to as an infestation. These furry freeloaders love to move in when the weather cools off, and the heaters turn on. Rodents are mammals, and the species that live in Georgia cannot survive frigid temperatures.
3 Ways To Stop The Rat Problem Before It Starts
We’ve created a handy guide to help you keep rodents off your property. Follow these steps, and remember not to handle mice, rats, raccoons, or other animals with your hands. These critters can carry diseases, like Hantavirus or more serious Rabies.
1. Lock Them Out
Field mice can squeeze through tiny holes. More often than not, a mouse can get into your walls from outside. If you have an unfinished basement, inspect it for openings the size of your thumb or larger. Many homes in Orlando are made of brick, meaning they have to weep holes, which allow water to drain. You should protect These entry points from mice with a metal insert that allows for ventilation. Sometimes, these inserts can be found at hardware stores.
2. Don’t Invite Them To Dinner
Remember the experiment where a mouse is placed into a maze it must navigate to find a piece of cheese? Rodents are plentiful at finding food. That’s one key reason they find their way to your property. They may start by consuming your trash and searching for what else they can find.
Keep food in Ziploc baggies or larger plastic containers with a snap-on or sealable lids. For larger quantities of dry goods you may keep in a garage or storage closet, like pet food, try using a 5-gallon plastic paint bucket or recycle a big tin snack container.
3. Send Them Running With Rodent Repellents
There are some natural rat repellents that we recommend trying. It is important to try natural rodent repellents first, especially if you have children or pets. Do your research and read product labels to ensure you aren’t using poison that can potentially harm your family. Leave the chemical pest treatments to professionals.
Some theories suggest that mice can be deterred by the scent of peppermint and rosemary oils, which can be found in many groceries. You can also purchase products like Earthkind and Shake Away repellent granules, which use many of these scented oils. This is a great thing to try if you want to safeguard your home, but scented oils have not been proven to remedy an already active rodent infestation.
Need Assistance?
Mice reproduce at a very rapid rate. Mice can mate at six weeks old, give birth in 21 days to 8 young, and immediately mate again after delivery. Any number of rodents can signal an infestation, but keep a vigilant eye out for signs of droppings and young. At this point, your best bet is to call a rodent exterminator who can work quickly with professional traps not found in stores.
And if that doesn’t work… Adopt a cat!