Rodents like rats, mice, and squirrels can be a nuisance to your home or business because they are known to ruin properties, cause damage, and spread contamination and disease. To ensure these critters get out and stay out of your home for good, make sure you use the following effective methods of rodent infestation identification and rodent control.
5 Signs of Rodent Infestations
Rodents are drawn to residential homes and commercial properties in search of food, shelter, and water. Flexible and agile, rodents have the ability to access entry points as narrow as the diameter of a coin to get into your home or business. Chimneys, exterior holes, appliance pipes, cracks in basement foundations, and attic ventilation ducts are common ways rodents can enter your property.
Signs that rodents have entered your home include:
- Rodent droppings, which can spread a foul odor throughout your home
- Gnawing or bite marks on wood, plastic, wires, or non-perishable, cardboard food packaging
- Tiny paw tracks or greasy, dark stains along floorboards and attic entryways
- Strange squeaking or scurrying noises at night
- Nests in attic insulation
Once a rodent has entered, they will quickly nest and breed near food and water sources that help their brood thrive, spreading contamination in the process.
Diseases Spread by Rodents
The main reason for rodent control is to prevent these critters from wrecking your home and passing on diseases. Rodents carry several infectious diseases, including:
- Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe infection caused by interacting with rodent feces or urine. Symptoms can range from a fever and muscle ache to difficulty breathing.
- Rat-bite fever is a bacterial infection carried by both mice and rats. It can occur from direct or indirect contact.
- Salmonellosis is contracted by interacting with food or water contaminated by rodents and can cause food poisoning.
Effective Rodent Control Methods
Once you’ve determined you have a rodent infestation, it’s time to invest in rodent control before the problem gets worse. However, choosing to do it yourself with snap or live traps is not recommended because DIY rodent control is often ineffective and costly for the untrained and unequipped. Furthermore, handling live rodents is dangerous and increases the risk of disease spread. Therefore, the most effective way to control rodents is by calling the wildlife professionals at Critter Control® of Polk County.
Expert Rodent Control at an Affordable Price
At Critter Control® of Polk County, we pride ourselves in using eco-friendly and humane methods of removal when it comes to getting rid of unwanted critters inside your home or workplace. After fully inspecting your property to determine the extent of your rodent infestation, our expert technicians will apply humane and safe rodent removal techniques, clean and restore any damages or contamination left by the pests, and seal off all entry points to ensure the rodents will not return.
If you encounter rats, mice, or other nuisance rodents on your Polk County property, keep your distance and call us at 863-204-2815 to schedule your inspection and receive a free rodent removal estimate.
