With winter comes the holidays and having close family and friends come to visit you, and you to them. Unfortunately, there are other critters that like to do some visiting of their own. This is the time when rodents come and nest inside your cozy home to keep warm and dry. Due to chilly winters, rodent control and infestation prevention are enforced in order to protect the health of your family.
Pest control companies are full of suggestions for making your home an unwelcoming place for rodents. Here are some tips for preventing pest invasions in your home during the winter:
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Getting Rid of Entry Points into Your Home
To protect themselves from the harsh and cold winter weather conditions, rodents will go to any measure to get inside your home. It's almost as though, for these rodents, homes and buildings are big puzzles they need to crack in order to find a safe haven from the terrible outdoor conditions. Rodent control companies find that these pests will run up walls, squeeze through cracks and openings (such as drains, gutters, and basement vents) in order to gain access into your home. Once inside, these pests will find holes that you may not even know exist, and will set up shop.
To prevent such things from happening, it may be good to trim tree branches that hang over your home, as rats and mice are good climbers and can use the trees as tools to enter your home from above. Sealing cracks and holes in your home is another good preventative measure. It's recommended to hire the services of a pest control company to inspect your home or building. They can be very helpful in finding all points of entry for these pests as well as how to avoid infestations.
Getting Rid of Access to Free Meals
Areas where you are most likely going to store food, such as home pantries, basements and garages, are where pest control companies often find signs of mice and rat infestations.
A home that has open garbage cans and trash and yummy snacks scattered about is paradise for a rodent. In order to prevent hoards of cold AND hungry rodents, homeowners should make sure to put lids on their trashcans (both inside and outside because it's much harder for rodents to access). You could go further and put outside garbage can on top of cinderblocks to make it much harder for rats and mice to jump higher than 12 inches.
It's also a good idea to put food away and not leave it out overnight. Even putting food in cardboard boxes or plastic bags run the risk of being attacked by rats and mice as they have strong, sharp teeth that can gnaw through those. Therefore, investing in food storage containers that are sturdy, such as lidded plastic, metal, or glass containers, will help keep rodents away.
Cleanliness
Though it won't totally prevent an invasion of rodents, buildings and homes that are more cleanly won't attract as many pests. A cleaner home or building will have less food sources (from crumbs and such on the floor) and fewer hiding spots for pests to nest in.
Landscaping
Rodents prefer landscapes that are full of weeds and debris and that are easy to burrow in. They love a good compost bin or stack of firewood to nest in as well. Therefore, rodent control businesses suggest that you keep your landscape at the very least maintained and to place items such as compost bins and firewood away from your home or building and on top of 12 inch platforms.
Keeping the above tips in mind, you should also be aware of the signs of a rodent infestation. The signs can include crumbs or bits of packaging around stored food, small droppings, a musky odor, and squeaky sounds that may resemble a toy remote control car. If a home or building has rodents, residents should immediately call a pest control company. Instead of using dangerous poisons and such to deal with rodent issues, Rodent control experts will use effective but safe techniques in order to take care of the problem and prevent future rodent invasions.