Have you noticed mouse droppings around your home after the holidays? Perhaps the festive meals attracted them or maybe they were hiding in the boxes of decorations you brought down from the attic. Colder weather will often motivate rodents to seek shelter indoors. What better place to look than a human’s home with nice, easy access to food and water? Mice and rats are a common pest to find inside during the winter.
How to Identify a Rodent Problem
How do you know whether you’re dealing with mice or rats? If you can get a glimpse of the intruder, you will have a better sense of which pest you're dealing with. They both have long tails, but rats are larger. Their tails are hairless. If you haven’t actually caught sight of the little pests yet, there are other indicators that will help you become aware of their presence.
Mice and rats both tend to use the same paths when they travel. Rats usually leave a grease mark along the wall they travel along, whereas mice will not. Mice typically leave behind droppings that are much smaller than the droppings of rats, but will leave behind a greater quantity of them.
Damage Rodents Cause
Both rodents, however, cause severe damage and should be dealt with as soon as they’re noticed. Rodents have been known to spread bacteria and diseases to humans. On top of contaminating food sources, their urine, feces, and saliva can be left anywhere they’ve been in your home. Their nests will emit a very foul smell. Structural damage is common with rodents. They can gnaw through wood, furniture, personal belongings, drywall, attics, roofs, and more! Electrical damage can be a product of their chewing, resulting in fire hazards and safety concerns. Rodents can devastate a home. In addition, they breed very quickly. You may think you’re dealing with only one or two, but you’re probably mistaken. If you've noticed signs of rodent damage, it’s time to contact a professional!
Why DIY Methods Fail
If you’ve ever experienced a rodent infestation, you know how determined these little creatures can be. As soon as you catch a few and the scratching coming from the walls subsides, you begin to notice activity in another area of your home.
Traps you set for the critters tend to fail as well. Location is key when placing a trap since mice usually travel the same paths without straying too far. Mice are constantly on high alert, and remain so even while feeding. If they smell humans around the area, they’re likely to avoid it altogether.
Mice are clever, and they’re instincts help them survive even when it comes to traps. DIY control attempts can result in aggression in rodents. Mice and rats may lash out to defend themselves and end up scratching or biting their pursuers. The best way to handle a rodent infestation is to contact your local pest control professional.
How to Rid Your Home of Rodents
Here at Action Pest Control, you can trust us to take care of your rodent infestation as soon as possible. We know how important it is to get these pests out of your home permanently. Our experts have undergone extensive rodent control training. Not only will we rid your home of any existing rodent infestation, but we will put prevention methods in place to stop recurrent infestations.
Let the experts take care of your rodent problems. Contact Action Pest Control to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Lexington.