December, 15, 2020

Rodent Proofing Your Home For Winter

Do you get uninvited guest during winter time? You’re not alone. Of course we are not discussing human guest, but rather the rodents that seek out your home for the winter season. And if they find food and water easily, they will start to reproduce and make your home their own.

What is the difference between Rats and Mice?

If you don’t know the difference, then worry not. In simple terms, mice are ten times smaller than rats. Once they find a suitable shelter, they make themselves at home. Feed on whatever food is easily accessible.

Rats are much bigger in size and sometimes bite at night when you’re asleep. Once they find a suitable place, they frequently visit it for food and shelter during day time.

Even though both these species are different, they live together without any fuss. Since they both share common diet and habitat, often rats seek out homes where mice already exist — as this signals abundance of food and water.

How to get Rid of them?

Both mice and rats enter your home through small openings. These openings are commonly found around your garage door and openings around the water pipes entering the house. Therefore, it is extremely important to prevent any more mice/rats entering your home.

For houses near detention ponds or areas where rodents are commonly found, it is highly recommended to install a bait-station outside the house. Rodents will eat the readily available bait and die before they enter your house. If rodents have already entered your home, these bait stations can still attract them out of your house when they seek out an easy meal. Please note: bait stations only work if rats don’t have easy access to other food sources.

Food and water is primary reason rodents invade homes. By keeping food items securely stored away, keeping garbage lids closed, and fixing water leaks, you can create a non-conducive environment for rodents.

For sever infestation, you also need to add rodent traps. Rats and mice are creatures of habit. If you know where they most often go for food or water, you can add traps in their path to entice and capture them. There are variety of traps available in the market. Some traps are designed to catch them alive so you can release them far away, while others are designed to kill them instantly.

Note: Rats and mice hide out in attic space, or closets during day time. You may need to access these areas to place traps. You need to be careful not to disturb these places too much, otherwise, these rodents will get alerted and skip out on these newly installed traps.

If you have tried these steps and still feel you need more help, you can hire a Conquest Pest Professional. Our technicians have many years of experience in outsmarting these rodents. They can also provide rodent exclusion service to prevent future invasion of these rodents during winter time. You can get your free estimate here.