Rodent Retreat is a serious home danger. They can spread diseases such as hantavirus, leptospirosis and salmonella. Their urine and droppings contaminate food and surfaces. Their gnawing can damage wires and drywall. Their fur and dander exacerbate allergies and asthma.
Keep rodents out by reducing rodent habitat and storing foods in sealed containers. Proper yard maintenance (tree trimming, mowing and keeping debris cleared) can also help.
Rodents are more than just a nuisance; rats carry and spread diseases, can worsen allergies and asthma, and can damage homes and businesses through gnawing. They also chew on electrical wires, which can cause fires. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to keep rodents away from home and business buildings long term, including professional rat removal and preventative pest control measures.
Rats are opportunistic invaders that can squeeze through tiny openings to create habitats inside homes, and they often nest in wall voids or attics. They are also adept at digging under foundations and animal enclosures, which can compromise the structure.
The most effective way to control rats is by removing their food and shelter sources. This is known as exclusion and can be done by blocking access points with steel wool or mesh, keeping garbage bins tightly closed, storing food in airtight containers, and regularly removing trash and debris from the yard. This can be combined with trapping with bait stations containing rodenticides for a more comprehensive rat control solution.
Rats are prolific breeders, so catching one will not solve your problem. You will need to catch multiple rats and implement a comprehensive plan to remove them from your property. In outdoor areas, this can include keeping the garden free from debris and securing compost bins, avoiding leaving pet food outside, and trimming vegetation to limit hiding spots. Using motion-activated sprinklers or lights to deter rodents may also help, and natural predators like owls can be encouraged by providing nesting boxes. In indoor spaces, sanitizing the kitchen and storing food in airtight containers will reduce potential attractants. Also consider utilizing repellents, such as peppermint oil and cotton balls soaked in vinegar, to discourage rodents from entering the home or business.
Mice
Mice and rats are persistent pests that cause serious damage to homes and businesses. These rodents are constantly on the lookout for food, water and shelter. They can transmit diseases, chew through wires, and cause fire hazards in homes by eating through insulation. They also gnaw through wood and other materials, creating structural damage over time. Rodents reproduce quickly, so a small infestation can rapidly grow out of control without prompt treatment.
Homeowners can take steps to prevent rodent problems by denying these pests easy access to food, water and shelter. These preventative measures include regularly sweeping floors and wiping down counters to remove food scraps and residue, keeping garbage cans with tight-fitting covers and promptly taking out trash, and storing food in airtight containers that mice cannot chew through, such as plastic storage bins. Keeping the yard and surrounding areas neatly trimmed, removing leaf piles, and addressing any drainage issues on the property are also effective ways to deter rodents.
A key sign of rodent infestation is droppings, which are usually located in cabinets, drawers, and other places mice can easily access. The size of these droppings will help you determine what type of rodent is involved. Other signs include chewed or gnawed items, scurrying sounds in the attic or walls, and dark greasy marks along baseboards.
Store-bought traps may work for minor infestations, but professional rodent removal services are essential for dealing with larger issues. These services can identify the root causes of an infestation and resolve them so that rodents cannot return. They can also recommend humane trapping methods that prioritize the well-being of these animals while still providing effective results.
Gophers
Gophers (also called pocket gophers, ground squirrels, or rock chucks) can create extensive tunnel systems in pastures and gardens. These rodents are primarily herbivorous, eating roots, grasses, flowering weeds, and cacti. They also store away a large number of worms for winter consumption. Their extensive networks of holes can create problems for ranchers, farmers, and construction businesses. Grazing livestock can injure themselves by stepping into deep holes, and tractors or heavy equipment often break down or are damaged when they run into plugged tunnels.
These little rodents are between 5 and 14 inches long, including their tail, and have a brown or gray fur that blends in with the soil for camouflage. They have long, spade-like paws that they use to dig crescent-shaped mounds and burrows. Unlike moles, which usually dig individual nesting areas, gophers dig in groups of family members and plug entrances to their tunnels to protect their young from predators. Each gopher can create 6 new mounds a day, which can make your lawn look like Swiss cheese if left unchecked.
Home remedies for a gopher problem range from leaving fish in their burrows to making noise to scare them away. However, trapping, fumigating, and other methods to get rid of these creatures are rarely practical for homeowners because of the huge underground tunnel systems and access points they create.
Fortunately, there are professional gopher removal methods available. Rather than using poisons, which require the homeowner to place a bait in their own burrows, pest control specialists can use a probe to find the main tunnel and then place a trap in it. If the gophers eat the bait, the trap will be triggered and the animal will be trapped without needing to enter the property owner’s own tunnel.
Moles
Moles are small burrowing mammals that can cause major damage to your lawn and garden. They are insectivores and feed primarily on earthworms, grubs and other insects found underground. Moles often tunnel through the soil to search for these prey, which can disrupt and uproot the root systems of your plants, causing them to wither and die. Moles also create rounded mounds of dirt (known as “molehills”) around their excavation sites, which can detract from the beauty and value of your yard.
Despite their name, moles are not rats; they belong to a different order of mammals, related to bats and shrews. They have cylindrical bodies covered with short, velvety fur and small eyes and ears that are almost hidden in their fur. They have powerful front limbs that are well adapted for digging.
Most commonly, you can identify a mole problem by the presence of underground tunnels and rounded mounds of dirt. However, this is not a foolproof sign that you have moles; other pests like skunks, opossums, raccoons and Norway rats can dig up your yard, too, creating similar holes and mounds.
While it is not uncommon for moles to invade homes, they rarely cause significant damage indoors because they spend most of their time outdoors in gardens and yards. They are more likely to enter older homes with dirt floors or basements that open into the ground, or through cracks in the foundation walls.
Natural methods of repelling moles include planting daffodils, marigolds or other plants in the allium family that are naturally repellent to them. You can also create a physical barrier by digging a trench about 6 inches wide and two feet deep, filling it with rock or wire mesh and then covering it with wood or soil to prevent moles from accessing your garden beds. There are also a variety of commercially available, safe, non-lethal mole repellents that can be applied to the soil or sprinkled around your yard.
Weed Eaters
Rodents are a major issue on poultry and hog farms as they spread disease, cause feed contamination, tunnel through foundations of houses, barns and lagoon banks and damage equipment. They also gnaw through a variety of material including insulation, water lines and electrical wiring. These rodents are extremely prolific breeders and reproduce rapidly.
Mice and rats have poor eyesight and rely on hearing, touch and smell to navigate their environment. They gnaw on just about everything in order to wear down their continually growing incisor teeth. The constant gnawing can destroy a wide variety of materials, resulting in weakened structural timbers, wires, hoses and piping.
They can transmit a number of diseases through direct contact or through feces, urine and saliva. They are also able to infect people and other animals through their fleas. The primary way to control rodents is to practice good hygiene and prevent food, water and shelter from attracting them. Store food in tight-fitting, rodent proof containers. Keep grass cut short and remove brush and thick shrubs that offer rodent hiding places and cover. Store hay, grain and other agricultural products in sealed, rodent-proof storage facilities.
Avoid hanging bird feeders in the garden as they tend to attract rats and mice. Also remove any sources of water like bird baths or containers that hold rainwater.
The use of a tracker powder is an effective means of reducing the population of rodents on your property. Tracker powders are restricted use pesticide dusts containing acute or delayed action toxicants that can be applied in areas where rodents travel or rest. They can be mixed into the soil or applied directly to plants where rodents are found.