How To Keep Rodents At Bay: Techniques For Effective Rodent Control For Longview Homes

When the sun goes down, mice and rats come out. They can get into trouble as they move about in your Longview yard. They may also find their way indoors. You can deter them if you know important facts about them. Let's look at the different rodents in Longview, how they behave in your yard, the problems they present, and how you can use this knowledge to keep them away. We'll also tell you what you can do if rodents are persistent and rodent pressures in your yard are higher than normal.

If you need professional assistance, remember that your Gecko Pest Control team is here for you. We use science-based solutions to address pest issues. Contact us at any time for professional rodent control in the Longview area.

Rodent Behavior Insights: Navigating The Habits Of Mice And Rats

How much do you know about rodents? Do you know that our common home-invading rodent pests are house mice, deer mice, Norway rats, and roof rats? Are you aware these rodents have poor eyesight yet can move about easily, even in utter darkness? Do you understand that they are strongly motivated by food and prefer to live as close to food as possible? Do you know what other attractants lure them onto your property? Here are some valuable insights about mice and rats to help you understand them:

• Rodents use touch to feel their surroundings and move quickly along walls and around objects on the ground.
• Rodents use echolocation by squeaking and listening to the reflection of the sound off their surroundings.
• Rodents leave droplets of urine and fecal matter as they explore and create a map of their surroundings using the scent of their waste materials.
• Rodents move from hiding place to hiding place, often finding shelter under structures and vegetation.
• Rodents can scale tree bark and rough exterior surfaces to reach high places you wouldn't expect.
• Rodents can run along tree branches or powerlines to get to your roof. Even little mice do this.
• Rodents can leap more than a foot straight up.
• Rodents reproduce surprisingly quickly. Mice can produce up to 10 litters a year, with each litter having as many as 13 baby rodents.
• Rodents eat a variety of foods, including seeds, nuts, fruits, and bugs.
• Rodents have spongy bodies and can fit through small spaces. A gap the width of a quarter is large enough for a full-grown rat, and a gap the width of a dime is large enough for even the largest mouse.

Keeping mice and rats out of your home is challenging because of their unique abilities and behavior patterns. As they seek food on your property or inside your home, they can accidentally affect your health and damage your property.

Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage

Do you know rats run in sewers, climb into dumpsters, and feed on carrion? These and other unsanitary activities make them a health concern. While mice and rats groom themselves frequently, they're still unhygienic animals in urban environments, which is one of many reasons why having them in your home isn't good.

When a rodent moves about inside your home, it rubs against surfaces. If they scurry across a cutting board or over a plate, they can leave invisible organisms that cause stomach ailments. When they chew a hole in a food package, they can taint the food inside. They can contaminate everything they touch.

Another way mice and rats cause contamination is by leaving their droppings and urine on them. You may need to replace soiled insulation. You may find an object in storage is ruined. You can also get exposed to the materials as you clean them up.

As rodents travel through unsanitary environments and their own droppings and urine, their hairs become a source of contamination. When they leave hairs around your home, they can make you sick.

Sickness isn't the only concern when it comes to mice and rats. As you know, they can chew holes in building materials, damage stored items with their teeth, and cut electrical wires. You don't want these animals roaming about in your walls and attic.

What can you do about rodents in Longview? How do you keep them out of your yard and away from the exterior of your home? Most importantly, how do you prevent them from getting inside? Let's take a look at a process called rodent exclusion.

Rodent Exclusion Tips: Safeguard Your Property from Infestations

Now we get into the meat and potatoes of today's discussion: How to keep rodents away. We'll build off the habits of mice and rats and the behaviors that cause these rodents to present a health risk. We'll break down the layers of exclusion into easy-to-digest nuggets.

Navigation: When rodents move through your yard, they use their senses. You can make your yard a buffer zone by making it harder for mice and rats to go from the edge of your yard to the exterior of your home. Some ways to accomplish this include:

• Keep trash covered, clean trash bins, and store garbage in scented bags. These steps will remove odors mice and rats can follow to your home.
• Remove objects scattered about in your yard. Mice and rats will move from item to item and use their sense of touch to get to your home.
• Consider junk piles, stored items, and other clutter that can provide surfaces for echolocation. It's best to keep objects in a shed rather than on the ground in your yard.

Attractants: Mice and rats are looking for a few key things in your yard. Your job is to remove what these animals want to find. If you do, mice and rats may become discouraged and go somewhere else that will provide a better habitat. Take these steps:

• Remove or move any bird feeders dangling near the exterior of your home.
• Rake nuts and store them in a container.
• Rake leaves and remove them to reduce bugs.
• Keep exterior lights off at night to reduce insects.
• Guard fruit trees by installing guards on tree trunks.
• Pick up any fruit on the ground.
• Protect gardens with fencing materials.
• Trim grass and landscape vegetation.
• Use fencing material to guard the void under your deck or shed.

Routes: Mice and rats follow a few common routes to get into Longview homes. You can stop them if you understand how they get into your home. Try these tactics:

• Install guards on any power lines from nearby poles to your roof.
• Install guards on exterior pipes that may allow mice and rats to climb to your roof.
• Install protection on the downspouts of your gutter system.
• Install guards on the trunks of trees that sit close to your home, or cut the branches that run near your roofline.

Openings: When rodents explore your foundation, exterior walls, or roof, they mustn't find tiny openings. If they do, they are inclined to make them larger and have the teeth to do it. Take these maintenance steps:

• Patch foundation cracks.
• Replace weatherproofing materials as needed.
• Insert expanding foam into structural cavities and gaps around utilities.
• Patch gaps around window and door frames with caulk.
• Repair screens.
• Repair damaged window panes.
• Protect vent exhaust.

Vulnerabilities: A mouse or rat can enter your home even if there isn't a single opening, even when you've removed every route. Here are some examples:

• Some exteriors make it easy for rodents to scale and reach gable vents. To prevent easy access, protect these vents with hardware cloth.
• A rodent can chew on decaying wood timbers and make holes large enough to enter. You can bolster your protection by applying metal flashing if you see damage.
• Rodents can quickly chew through weatherstripping. Removing cover near your exterior doors, such as plants and plant pots. Doing so will make rodents feel exposed.
• Rats often enter through storm cellar doors. If your home has these, check to make sure there isn't an entry point at the base where the two doors meet.

These are only some of the many ways you can counteract the natural behavior patterns of rats and mice. Use these tips as a starting point as you consider all the ways you can make your property, and the exterior of your home, resident to rodent invasion.

Professional Rodent Control: The Best Way To Keep Mice And Rats Away

Once you've done all you can to deter rodents and prevent them from breaking into your home, your efforts may still not provide enough protection. Sometimes, factors drive rodents into a yard. If something is causing a large enough population, the sheer number of rodents may overwhelm your defenses. You'll need rodent pest control to reduce their numbers when this occurs. For this aspect of rodent prevention, we recommend professional services.

Rodent pest control is challenging work. Not only is it laborious, but it is also complicated. If misapplied, issues can arise. It is best to have a licensed technician inspect your property, track rodent activity, evaluate conditions, and apply control solutions. Baiting is the primary method used to control mice and rats. Our technicians use appropriate bait and install tamper-resistant bait stations to administer the bait so that other animals, pets, or children do not ingest it.

Are you in Longview? Contact your Gecko Pest Control service team for rodent control near you. We provide smart, science-based solutions and use field-tested methods. When you want effective rodent control, we have you covered. Contact us today for immediate assistance.