Rodent Infestations: Prevention And Control Strategies For Fort Worth Properties

Everything's big in Texas. So it shouldn't surprise you that rodents in Texas can create a big problem. But, as we're sure you know, there are many kinds of rodents. Some are worse than others. Today, we'll focus on the two most problematic rodents of all: Rats and mice. We'll tell you how to find signs of these rodents on your property and inside the structures on your property. We'll give you important insights to help you evaluate the dangers of having rats or mice around and share with you the safe way to remove an infestation. But, once rats and mice are gone, the job isn't done. You need to take steps to prevent future infestations. So, we'll also give you some exclusion tips to help you keep these pests out for good. You can also use these tips to prevent an infestation if you don't have one yet. If all of this is a bit more than you want to deal with, remember that the All-Safe Pest & Termite team is always available to provide advice and service options. We offer leading-edge pest control in Fort Worth. We'll help you find the best solution for your home and family. If you own a business in Fort Worth, don't worry, we also offer commercial rodent control that meets all government regulatory standards. We'll set you on the right track. Navigate to our contact page for assistance, or just give us a call.

Signs Of Infestation: How To Identify Rodent Activity

When common rodents come into your yard, they do a few notable things. You can track rodent activity by looking for the signs of rats and mice doing these things near your exterior walls or inside structures on your property.

Holes: Rodents make many holes for many reasons. There are far too many ways rats and mice create holes for us to go into all of them, but here are a few ways you can use certain holes to track rodent activity.

• If rodents are getting into your home, you may find holes in your exterior. Look for them in wooden timbers, weatherstripping, door sweeps, sheet metal, and concrete around foundation penetrations.
• If you have Norway rats, you may find ground holes. These animals dig out burrows underneath junk piles and other debris.
• If rodents are passing between wall voids and interior spaces, you may find holes in building materials. Check baseboards, sheetrock, paneling, etc.
• If rodents are in your pantry or kitchen, you may find holes in food packages. Keep in mind that a rodent doesn't need a hole large enough to enter, just one large enough for food to leak out.

Look high and low for the holes rodents create, and consider the size of the holes to tell whether you have rats or mice. Rats are big rodents, so you can expect them to create larger holes. But don't look for a hole you think a rat can fit through. A full-grown rat can get through a gap about an inch wide and a hole that's not much wider. Mice can fit through a little gap the width of a pencil or a dime-sized hole.

Droppings: Another great indicator of rat or mouse activity is the appearance of black droppings. These are small pellets. The droppings left by mice are half the size of rat droppings, and rat droppings can be around half an inch long. Here are a few places to look for droppings.

• Look along your exterior foundation. Rats and mice run along walls because they use walls to guide themselves.
• Look around moisture points, such as where pipes enter your home or where pipes come out underneath your kitchen sink.
• Check along baseboards in your pantry and storage rooms.
• Check underneath your refrigerator or the sides of your oven.

When you find droppings, clean them up. Doing so will allow you to check the area in a few days to see if there is continued activity. If there is, you'll find more droppings. Wear gloves and a mask when cleaning up rodent waste to avoid getting sick.

Often, we get a phone call when rodents start making annoying noises in walls, but rats and mice can live in your home without making any noises you can detect. It is best to proactively look for holes and droppings to catch rodents early. Why is early detection important? Let's take a look. 

Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage

When rodents sneak around inside your home, they do a few things we're sure you're not going to like. It is helpful to understand the risks because it is easy to think of rats and mice and harmless little woodland creatures. While they rarely present a direct threat, there are many indirect ways that rodents can cause harm.

• Rodents in your attic. They rip up insulation and soil it with their urine and feces. They chew holes in stored furniture and other items. And, over time, they can make quite a stink as they continually leave drops of urine to help them navigate their environment with their sensitive noses.
• Rodents in your walls. They gnaw on building materials and chew on wires causing damage and fire hazards. 
• Rodents in your pantry or kitchen. They pick up germs when they get into dumpsters, trash cans, and sewer culverts and spread contamination to your food and cooking surfaces.
• Rodents in your home. Regardless of where they settle in your home, rodents carry ticks, fleas, and other parasites, which are vectors for diseases.

Rats and mice are more afraid of you than you are of them, so they're not a direct threat. But you should always keep in mind the many indirect ways they can make you sick or damage your property. Use these facts as motivation to take the steps needed to get rid of rodents and keep them out. 

Professional Rodent Control: The Safe Way To Remove An Infestation

When you find rodent activity inside your home, what can you do to get those pests out? The tried-and-true method is to use traps. But it isn't easy to catch rats or mice. They are clever animals. You can expend a lot of energy only to keep having rodent problems. Even if you do catch a few pests, you may find yourself continuing to catch them over and over if you don't know how to completely arrest all rodent activity. If you want results you can trust, it is best to let a trained and experienced pest management professional deal with these critters. If you contact All-Safe Pest & Termite for rodent control in Fort Worth, here are a few ways we'll address your problem.

• We start with an inspection. During the inspection process, our technicians will track rodent activity, consider entry points, evaluate routes, and create a plan that will stop rodents in their tracks.
• During the treatment process, we will use a range of products. Traps are the best solution for indoor rodent extraction. Properly deployed traps capture rodents and arrest all indoor activity. Bait stations are the best solution for outdoor rodent population control. After we've sealed small exterior holes the rodents are using to enter your home, we may use tamper-resistant bait stations to track activity and cull rodent populations.
• As we work to make your home a rodent-free environment, we will perform follow-ups to check traps and monitoring devices and perform inspections to check for continued warning signs.

Rodent control is a process. It doesn't happen overnight. But, when performed by a licensed professional, you'll know your money is well spent. Once we've given the all-clear, you can rest easy knowing that rodents are no longer a factor in your home.

Once the rodents are gone, what's next? How do you prevent future infestation? The most important step you can take is to address any remaining exclusion work and to deal with home repairs over time.    

Rodent Exclusion Tips: Safeguard Your Property From Infestations

While your All-Safe Pest & Termite technician will help you with exclusion work, there may be more work to be done. Some exclusions are extensive. For example, you may need to repair brickwork, foundation cracks, rotted wood, weatherstripping, door sweeps, screens, etc. You can do this or hire a contractor to do the work. Along with these home repairs, you can take other steps to exclude rodents from your home, including:

• Remove yard clutter to make it harder for rats and mice to navigate your property.
• Cover trash and clean receptacles to reduce smells that attract rodents.
• Use fencing material to block access to the space under your deck.
• Trim vegetation in your landscaping to remove organic hiding places.
• Blow and rake leaves and remove them from your property, particularly leaves underneath structures.
• Cut tree branches near your home.
• Install guards on exterior pipes that run up the side of your home.

Rodent exclusions aren't easy, but they are an important part of keeping your home and family safe. When done correctly, they can last a long time. As you work to keep rodents out of your yard and prevent them from entering your home, remember that All-Safe Pest & Termite is always available to provide advice and service options. Contact us at any time for service in Fort Worth.