Pest of the Month: Rodents

Mice and Rat Exterminator at Independent Pest Solutions

The pest of the month for March is rodents. This includes mice and rats, which can cause havoc. Thankfully, Independent Pest Solutions is here for you if you are dealing with a rodent infestation. We can help you prevent rodent damage, or minimize it once it’s already begun. This article will provide some information about the rats and mice that live in and around the Pacific Northwest. 

Like all animals, rodents rely on water and food resources for survival. This means that they often take up residence near humans. Human buildings also provide rodents with shelter from the elements and predators. Rats and mice will try everything to get into your home or work building. However, if you properly inspect your building and seal up any potential entry points (such as cracks and holes), you can prevent them from getting inside. Another reason that rodents will sneak into homes is to look for food. If you eliminate their access to food, it can force them to seek sustenance elsewhere. This means that you should hold your food in containers that rodents can’t get into, you should clean up crumbs, and you should use secure lids for your trash cans. 

Although it is true that not every rodent is carrying a dangerous disease, many of them can. These diseases can cause harm to people and pets alike, making them very sick. Some diseases that rodents can spread, such as hantavirus, are deadly. In order to keep your commercial or residential building a safe and healthy place, it’s important to make sure there’s no vermin there. You don’t want to have to worry about the people you care about getting sick from rodents. 

Not only can rats and mice spread disease, but they also can cause extensive property damage. Troublesome rodents like to gnaw on wiring, which can lead to serious electrical issues and dangers. Rodents also like chewing on furniture, and they will tear apart anything that they think they can use for nesting materials. Rats and mice can also leave behind dark, oily smudges on surfaces that they rub against, such as cabinets. These smudges can be hard to remove. Rodents are not known for cleaning up after themselves, and they leave droppings and debris behind wherever they go. It’s also possible for rodents to create holes, so they can live inside your walls. 

When rodents live inside your home or business, there are some telltale signs indicating that you have an infestation on your hands. Some of these signs include:

1. Chew Marks: These marks mean that rats or mice are gnawing on materials and surfaces in your home. They can be smooth or rough. 
2. Droppings: It’s possible for rodent droppings to either be dried and hard or moist and soft. They are usually shaped like rods and tapered at the ends, and can be between 1/8th and 1/4th an inch long. 
3. Tracks: Rats and mice leave behind distinct footprints. House mice prints have four toes in the front and five toes in the back. 
4. Rub Marks: When rodents rub up against surfaces such as walls, they leave oily rub marks. 
5. Odor: Rodent urine can be very pungent if there are lots of rodents in the area. Rodents use their strong-smelling urine as a way to communicate with each other. 
6. Runways: Rodents usually use the same pathways over and over, which can be identified because of rub marks, droppings, and footprints along a trail where the rodents travel. 
7. Burrows: Rodents might create burrows on your property using materials such as insulation. 
8. Actual Rodent Sightings: If you see a rat or mouse scurrying around, it is highly likely that there are many more hidden from view. 
9. Damaged Food: Rats and mice will eat seeds, cereals, and anything else they can get ahold of. They’ll even eat insects caught on glue boards. 

If you suspect that you have a rodent problem, it’s smart to reach out to Puyallup pest control experts as soon as possible. Independent Pest Solutions will do an initial inspection to figure out the extent of the problem, and then determine what treatment methods will work best. One of the most common species of rat that lives in the Pacific Northwest is the Norway rat. Norway rats are also known as wharf rats, brown rats, and sewer rats. One of the easiest ways to distinguish Norway rats from other types of rats is that they are very large. Their fur is black or brown, with a shaggy and coarse texture. Norway rats like to build their nests beneath concrete slabs and sidewalks, as well as in low ground cover. They often live near buildings. When they live inside buildings, they live in sewers, walls, basements, and crawlspaces. Despite how big they are, adult Norway rats can squeeze through holes bigger than a mere half inch. 

Another type of rat that lives in the local area is the roof rat. Roof rats have depended on human settlements for resources for a very long time. One of the ways that you can tell roof rats apart from Norway rats is that the tails of the former are very long, longer than their bodies. Roof rats have smooth fur that is brownish or blackish. Roof rats have a tendency to build their nests higher off of the ground, taking up residence in places like trees. When roof rats live inside of a commercial or residential building, they usually build their nests in upper levels of the structure or in the attic. 

A species of mouse that people call us for mouse pest control for is the house mouse. House mice are brown or gray, with large ears and beady eyes. House mice don’t have a long lifespan, but they reproduce extremely rapidly. A few individual rodents can quickly turn into a full-blown infestation. Mice are hardy and adaptable creatures, and can live pretty much anywhere if they have the basic resources they need for survival. They are surprisingly adept at jumping and climbing, and are able to squeeze through tiny cracks and openings. 

For rodent control in Puyallup, Independent Pest Solutions has the team for the job. Our pest control technicians have many years of experience in eliminating rat and mouse problems so that our clients are able to feel comfortable at their workplaces and homes again. When you need effective rodent pest control services, you need to have the professionals handle it. It can be very difficult to eradicate rats and mice. It’s not going to cut it to just lay out a few traps; Independent Pest Solutions knows the most effective methods to use. Not only do we eliminate the infestation that is happening currently, but we take preventative measures so that the rodents can’t gain access to the building again.

Some of these include sealing of potential entry points, as well as making sure that they don’t have access to food. Reach out to Independent Pest Solutions today.