Tips for Keeping a Home Rodent-free

Homeowners can take several easy preventative measures to discourage mice and rats from taking up residence in their homes, and some of them may even help improve the home’s overall appearance. For example, sealing up holes and cracks where mice and rats can enter will lower heating and cooling bills.

Eliminate what attracts mice and rats

The first signs of mice or rats will be in the kitchen, where they search for food. There will be fewer rodents in a clean kitchen.

• Mice and rats will gnaw through items like cereal boxes, bags of grains, and bags of chocolate, so keep these items stored high off the ground. Additionally, store food in airtight containers such as Tupperware and mason jars that mice can’t penetrate.
• Keep dishes out of the sink, the countertops clear, and prep surfaces like cutting boards clean at all times. Rodents are nocturnal and come out at night when humans aren’t around, so setting the kitchen straight before retiring is crucial.
• Keep food in the kitchen to contain the things that attract mice and rats the most to one room in the house. Don’t take food into other rooms in a home.
• Pet food attracts rodents. Pets usually eat at floor level, leaving behind some kibble from time to time. Clean the area around a pet’s food bowl daily and remove any food left after meals. Store the food in an airtight container.

Secure the building

Solid construction is a good rodent deterrent. When a home is airtight, mice and rats have a much harder time taking up residence inside. Remember that the average house mouse weighs only half an ounce and has a body only a few inches long. Most mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime or a crack the width of a pencil. While bigger than mice, rats can still squeeze inside through a tiny opening.

• Seal cracks around windows and doors. Use the flashlight test at night to identify spots where a home isn’t airtight. Have someone outside shine the light around the doors and windows to see where the light comes through. A person inside should mark the spots where the light shines through. Once sealed, perform the test again to ensure all the gaps have been filled.
• Mice and rats can enter homes through spots around plumbing and pipes, such as the areas underneath the bathroom or kitchen sink. Fill in these gaps with spray foam insulation.
• A leaky roof, untreated wood, rotting siding, and structural damage to a home’s exterior can all be invitations to unwelcome rodents. If mice and rats can squirm inside a damaged wall, they can take up residence there and create further damage. Replace any worn materials around a home’s exterior.
• Freestanding sheds, garages, and other structures around a property can also harbor mice and rats. Securing these structures keeps rodents off the property and further away from the house. Move wood piles away from the home and clean up brush and yard waste piles.

Population Control

Rodents multiply quickly. Most live for under a year, and a female can give birth to fifty or more young during her lifetime. The young begin reproducing when they’re less than a month old.

There are a few tactics for keeping mice populations down in addition to prevention techniques.

Some claim that dogs and cats are excellent mousers. However, trapping rodents with traditional or live traps might be more effective,

If homeowners face a rodent infestation, they should contact a professional rodent control expert to evaluate the situation and offer a workable solution.

Russell Pest Control is a family-owned Phoenix area pest control company specializing in effective, responsible and proactive insect, weed, and rodent control for commercial and residential customers. We offer free estimates. Call (623) 469-7583 today! "Expect the best from Russell Pest"