Ways to Keep Rodents Out of your House

During the fall and winter months, the temperature dramatically decreases — and rodent control becomes a problem that shouldn’t be ignored.

Like humans and pets that happily seek the warmth of shelter inside their homes, so do unwelcome pests such as insects, rats and mice. Rodents can represent a major health risk to you especially in children, as rodents are known as carriers and transmitters of various deadly diseases.

Read on as we shed light on how to keep rodents out of your house in the winter.

Rodents Crawl in Small Gaps

Mice and other small rodents can make their way through very small holes and cracks, so be sure to seal any cracks or openings along the exterior of your house. A careful inspection near doors and windows and doors, significant gaps will often appear in these areas.

Rodents Are Always On the Lookout for Food

Just as rodents are strategizing to stay warm in the winter, they’re also on the hunt for food. Any food supply that is easily accessible makes an attractive target for rodents and should be cleaned up and properly stored to avoid possible rodent infestation.

Always keep food in sealed containers, and clean up areas whenever there’s food lying around, even if they’re only crumbs.

Taking precautionary measures to remove the main sources of entry and food will go a long way in helping keep rodents out of your house in the winter.

But, what happens if those pesky rodents are really that smart enough to crawl their way inside?

Consider Rodent Removal

Prior to getting the whole rodent infestation business finally taken care of, ask yourself if you are willing to get on with the problem single-handedly.

Depending on the nature of the problem, some rodents, especially larger ones, should be handled by professionals. These pests are vectors of diseases and other health hazards.

It’s not advisable to mess with them if you aren’t sure what you’re doing. But, if you’re up to the challenge, the first step in the removal of rodents is identifying what type of pest you have in your home

Identifying rodents can be easily done if you actually see them scurrying about, running straight to places in which you can’t reach.

If they aren’t visible, you can tell by signs left such as food droppings, mice droppings, body trail marks, odor, and such. Once you’ve identified what uninvited guests you have, you can take the appropriate, careful measures to get rid of them.

Tackling a rodent infestation usually translates using bait and traps, repellents, poison and more.

Types of traps normally include snap traps, electric traps, glue traps, and live traps. Plan ahead to know the most effective trap for your situation.

For example: using live traps will have you remove the trapped animal. Otherwise, the rodent will suffer a painful death. Poison traps are also effective, but this should be considered many times. A poisoned rodent may result in dying in a place you can’t get to, resulting in foul odor and disease from the decaying carcass. That said, the use of poison represents a major health risk for your family and pets.

Be sure to use proper clothing to protect yourself: wear gloves, protective clothing, and a mask when getting rid of trapped or dead rodents to avoid being bitten, getting in close contact with parasites, and other dangers.

If you aren’t willing or able to deal with the necessary steps to deter pests from entering your home including removing food sources, or to properly identify and eradicate pests (including with handling dead animals), consider contacting a professional pest control company.