Rats and mice like to breed and nest in the small, secret spaces of your home like your attic or crawl spaces. By the time you notice they’re there, you may already have a full blown rodent infestation on your hands. Rodent infestations are difficult to get rid of. Rodents are masters of hiding out of sight in walls, they breed quickly, and are flexible enough to fit through holes in your walls and baseboards the size of a quarter. Because of this, rodent control professionals need to use a combination of several rodent control methods in order to not only rid your house of rodents, but to prevent them from coming back.
Rodent Control Method #1: Traps
- What Are Traps? Rodent traps do exactly what their name implies, they trap rodents. Traps come in all shapes and sizes depending on the type of rodent infestation you are dealing with and the severity of the infestation. A rodent control specialist will know the best places to set traps in your home based on your rodent activity.
- How Do Traps Work? There are several types of rodent traps. Regular traps include things like snap traps and glue traps, both of which aim to kill the rodents. Snap traps are traps with a very powerful spring inside. These traps are set with bait and snap closed quickly killing the rat. Glue traps are a powerful sticky fly paper that can be placed anywhere. When rodents run across the glue trap they get stuck and either starve to death or can be removed from your home by a professional. Humane traps, are traps that simply trap rodents without killing them. These traps are like big cages. As soon as a rodent enters the trap the door shuts, trapping it inside. Once you’ve captured a rodent you can pick the trap up by its handle and remove the rodent to wherever you plan to release it.
- The Trouble With Traps. Rodents breed quickly making rodent trapping a full-time job. As soon as you trap some rodents, there will be more. Rodent trapping does nothing to prevent future re-infestation of your home.
Rodent Control Method #2: Poison
- What Is Poison? Rodent control professionals use poison to kill the active rodent population in your home. It is the most commonly used method by pest control companies to shrink an active rodent population.
- How Does Poison Work? Rodent poisons, also known as rodenticides, comes in several forms, but pellets are the most commonly used. These poisons are anti-coagulants, meaning they kill the rodent by causing massive internal bleeding.
- The Problem With Poisons. Rodents have to ingest several doses of poison for the poison to actually work. Because it takes so long to work, poisoned rats often die in hard to reach places in your home, like inside your home’s walls, causing foul odors and exposing your family to harmful bacteria and diseases. Leaving poison around your home can be especially dangerous if you have children or small pets.
Rodent Control Method #3: Rodent Proofing
- What Is Rodent Proofing? Rodent proofing is the only permanent way to eliminate a rodent infestation in your home. During the rodent proofing process, skilled rodent control technicians find and seal all rodent access points in your home to block rats from getting in and prevent future infestations.
- How Does Rodent Proofing Work? Rodent proofing happens in 3 stages. First your home is inspected and all rodent entry access points are located. Then all of these access points are sealed using a combination of professional grade sealant and steel mesh. Lastly, the infested areas of your home are completely cleaned, disinfected and deodorized to restore your home to a healthy environment.
Call Attic Construction
For more information about rodent control, contact the rodent proofing specialists at Attic Construction today by calling 858-609-8118. Our technicians are happy to answer your questions and will provide you with FREE initial home inspection and written report!