If you’ve lived in a home long enough, shoot if you’ve lived long enough period, chances are you’ve had to deal with a rodent invading your space at some point. Rats can enter your home through any opening the size of a quarter while mice only need an opening the size of a dime, so you can see how easy it can be for them to gain entry. If you only trap rodents once they are inside, you are treating the symptom and ignoring the disease. We always say it could be like trying to empty the sea of fish, they’ll keep coming. Exterior entry points also need to be repaired to completely solve rodent problems. Once inside, rodents present a variety of problems that could effect your health and your property negatively.
1. Rodents Spread Disease
Rodents are the direct and indirect transmitters of many diseases. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of all the known diseases transmitted by rodents. A couple of the more common, or well known diseases are Hantavirus and Salmonella, and who could forget about the Plague!?
2. Rodents Spoil Food
In addition to risk of disease, living with rodents can result in losses of food for both people and pets. Not only do the rodents actually eat a lot of our food and our pet’s food, but they also damage the packaging and contaminate other food with droppings and urine.
3. Rodents Cause Damage
Rodents have two incisors on the top and bottom of their mouths which grow continuously. Thus, they must keep them worn down by gnawing, such is the reason we find many places of damage in and around our homes. Look up at any place on your roof where it meets another part of the structure (i.e. at the eaves or other overhang)…can you see damaged wood there? Chances are very good that it has been gnawed on by a rat or squirrel.
Attics are favorite hang outs for rodents. Rats, squirrels, and even mice are amazing climbers. Once in an attic the can chew through electrical wires, which can cause fires. They also tunnel through insulation, soiling it with urine and feces. Contaminated and disturbed insulation doesn’t only stop working as effectively as it should, it also should be removed and replaced to avoid exposure to the urine and droppings.
Here is a concerning video of rats in an attic that have chewed through the air ducts:
4. Rodents Bring Other Pests
Ticks, fleas and mites are common pests that infest rodents. They can be left behind to feed on you or your pets after eliminating a rodent infestation.
What’s the point?
If you exclude rodents from gaining access inside your home to begin with, you will not have to deal with any of these problems! By sealing up and eliminating any potential entry point, your home can be “rodent proofed.” Finding all those quarter and dime sized holes can be nearly impossible without a great deal of experience. Over the last 10 years, we have found and eliminated entry points in hundreds of homes. If you want an experienced professional to give you the peace of mind of knowing your home is rodent proof, call us at Venus Pest Company for your pest control needs in College Station, Bryan, or Dallas here in Texas. Oh and please don’t put a bunch of poison in your attic…unless you enjoy the smell of dead rat!
