Rodents are prolific breeders and carriers of a wide variety of diseases. They can also cause costly damage to structures and equipment.
The key to preventing rodents is reducing the availability of food, water, and shelter. This includes regularly sweeping facilities, removing hay or straw piles, cleaning up debris, and avoiding overcrowded conditions. Contact Rodent Control Tampa now!
Rodents invade homes and businesses in search of food, water and shelter. Once inside, rodents destroy property, contaminate supplies and cause costly damage to the structures they inhabit. They also spread diseases when people breathe contaminated air or touch contaminated surfaces. Rodents are a serious threat to public health, especially for people with asthma and other allergies.
Taking steps to prevent rodent infestations can help prevent the need for pesticides. Start by inspecting your home and removing potential hiding spots for rats and mice. Look for cracks, gaps and holes that can be sealed with caulk or steel wool. Then, remove piles of brush and other debris that rodents use for shelter and nesting sites. Keep garbage cans and other storage containers tightly sealed and away from the exterior of your home.
Mice and rats are able to squeeze through openings only a fraction of their size, so it’s important to inspect all the areas where these small pests can enter. Check the spaces around pipes, foundation vents and doors, wall cavities, crawl spaces, the cushions of stuffed furniture and other kitchen nooks and crannies. Also, examine yard areas for signs of tunnel homes built by rodents. Clear away stacks of paper and cardboard that may be used by rodents to make indoor nests. And store perishable and non-refrigerated foods in plastic boxes, rather than the cardboard cartons they come in.
Rats and mice are natural gnawers, and their distinguishing feature is a pair of continuously growing incisors in both the upper and lower jaws. They gnaw through a variety of materials to wear down their teeth, including the wood studs in walls and the wires within electrical wiring. Performing regular maintenance on the structure of your home or business can help to deter rodents by making it more difficult for them to chew through pipes and wires.
Keep in mind that a single mouse or rat can balloon into an unmanageable infestation in just one year, so the earlier you detect rodent activity, the better. Conduct regular property inspections, paying special attention to high traffic and temporary storage areas, where rodents are most likely to infiltrate.
Pest Identification
Rodents can carry a wide array of diseases and parasites that are dangerous to humans. They also cause serious property damage by chewing through wires that lead to electrical outages and fires. The most important step to preventing pest infestations is identifying and correctly evaluating the types of pests that are damaging your facility. An inspection should include looking at physical damage, droppings and a review of what plants are being affected by pests.
Many pests leave behind specific damage patterns, making it easier to identify them from the trail of evidence they create. For example, weevils eat around the edges of leaves while caterpillars create holes throughout the entire leaf. Taking pictures of the damage and comparing it to a pest identification chart can help you narrow down what type of pest is responsible for the problem.
It is also helpful to look at the size of the droppings and their coloration. For instance, rodent droppings are typically black or dark brown in color while insect droppings can range in hue from dark brown to even reddish colors. Lastly, the texture of the droppings can give you insight into the timeline of when they were produced. Newer droppings are often moist, while older ones can be dry and crumbly.
Another useful indicator of a pest infestation is observing the location and condition of a pest’s nest. Rodents can build their nests from a variety of materials including wood, hay and cotton. In addition, rodents tend to use the attic and wall voids of buildings as shelter. These areas can be accessed by crawl spaces and through open vents.
Depending on the species, some pests may also change their appearance with age or stage of life. For example, weed seedlings have a different appearance than mature weeds. This can make identifying pests more challenging, but it is essential to correctly evaluate the type of pest you are dealing with in order to implement effective control tactics.
A trained Orkin Pro can assist you in identifying a pest problem and implementing the best solution. Call today to schedule an inspection of your facility.
Exclusion
A major step in eliminating rodent infestations is rodent exclusion. Exclusion is the process of sealing cracks, crevices and holes to keep rodents out of buildings. It is most effective when it is performed in conjunction with pest control. In occupied buildings, trapping and exclusion should occur simultaneously to prevent trapped mice and rats from chewing through sealed openings and creating more problems.
Rodents find their way into structures primarily through openings that allow them access to food, water and shelter. To eliminate potential entry points, thoroughly inspect the exterior of the building. Look for places where pipes enter the structure, windows and doors, foundation vents and gable or soffit vents. In addition, check crawl spaces and other accessible areas for rodent entry holes. Rats can fit through an opening the size of a quarter, which they may enlarge by gnawing. Mice can wiggle through an opening the size of a dime.
If you have a double-walled home, consider modifying it to exclude rodents by sealing openings between the two walls with galvanized sheet metal or welded wire cloth. A similar modification can be made to prevent rats from entering crawl spaces by placing noncombustible stops of good quality concrete (a) or bricks (b). In older buildings, the gaps around pipe entry points should be filled with steel wool and caulk. The spaces between joists, floors and sills should be sealed with caulk.
Outside, make sure garbage cans and other storage containers are tightly sealed. Bulk dumpsters frequently have open or badly bent tops, which allow rodent entry. Clean up spilled refuse and empty trash cans often to reduce rodent attractants.
Maintaining a healthy yard is another important rodent exclusion step. Remove piles of hay, firewood or debris that provide shelter for rodents and other wildlife. Keep weeds and brush in their proper place away from the house, as these may act as bridges for rodents. Remove or eliminate bird feeders, as they often provide an open source of food for rodents. Keep compost piles as far from the house as possible and don’t store firewood close to the house.
Pest Control
The most important element in any rodent control operation is prevention. This involves reducing the availability of rodents’ key food and shelter requirements. It primarily means improving hygiene or sanitation in and around buildings and structures as well as preventing access to those things rodents are most likely to seek. These include open sources of water, discarded or spilled feed, unsecure garbage containers, unsecured trash cans, compost piles and woodpiles. Removing vegetation such as vines, ivy and other plants that provide cover or nesting sites for rodents. Keeping firewood elevated away from the home and rinsing out food containers before throwing them away. Keeping the lawn free of debris, weeds and tripping hazards as well as putting a buffer of 2 feet between landscaping and buildings.
Rodents also enter homes and other structures in search of food and shelter. They are attracted to a wide variety of food items including seeds, nuts, roots, tubers, stems and fruit. They are omnivorous and will also eat insects and even small mammals such as birds. The distinguishing feature of rodents is the pair of continuously growing incisor teeth in their upper and lower jaws that they use to gnaw on things.
It is generally considered that once an area is disinfested by rodenticides (killers) it should be treated as a ‘no-go zone’ for rats and mice until it is clear that the population has been stabilized. This may require multiple applications of poisons or baits and/or traps.
Ideally, rodent management strategies should be integrated into land-use planning and urban design. This will limit the potential for future rodent populations and reduce the need for subsequent control programs.
During construction and demolition projects, it is particularly important to resolve rodent problems as quickly as possible. In general, three time periods are prone to rodent colonization of work areas: 1) when the project mobilizes with initial excavation or clearing/grubbing; 2) during construction; and 3) upon demobilization. During each of these phases displaced rodents can quickly colonize adjoining areas due to exposed soil, debris, trailers, fencelines and on-site food sources. Having an effective rodent control program in place before the work begins can prevent this dispersal. A nontoxic census block – first developed by Zeneca at the 1995 NPCA convention – can help to establish a baseline population number prior to deploying a more conventional toxic bait program.
