Effective Rodent Control Solutions For Yakima County Homes

Characteristics Of Common Rodents

There are many rodents in the world. They account for about 43% of all mammals on the face of the earth. It is likely you know many of them by name, such as guinea pigs, gerbils, squirrels, hamsters, gophers, voles, rats, and mice. But, do you know what makes a rodent a rodent? There are a few characteristics that they all share.

A rodent is an animal with long incisors on the top and bottom that grow throughout their lives. They use these rootless teeth to chew on many things, including wood. Whether it is a large beaver or a tiny mouse, all rodents can chew through wood.
A rodent gives birth to living young. That means you're not going to find any rodent eggs in your yard or home.
A rodent is covered in fur. You won't find any feathery or scaly rodents crawling around on your property. But you will find quill-covered animals, like the porcupine. Porcupines don't just have quills. They also have fur covering their bodies.

All rodents share these common traits, but each one is somewhat different in its own way. The two most common pest rodents in Yakima County are rats and mice. The characteristics that make rats and mice some of the most problematic rodents in Yakima County include the following:

Rats and mice can tolerate dry conditions and living indoors. While a beaver can easily chew a hole through the wood in your home, it doesn't want to live in your home because there is no water to swim in. Similarly, while a gopher is content to burrow in your yard, you won't find one settling into your home.
Rats and mice eat human food. While voles can get into your home, they prefer to live on vegetation that is abundant outdoors. Your home doesn't have an abundant food source for them. Rats and mice seek out food from our homes.
Rats and mice can nest inside wood. While a gopher can waddle into your home, it isn't going to stay because it lives inside ground tunnels. Your home doesn't have enough soil for a gopher, but rats and mice can make themselves at home in our walls, attics, crawl spaces, and other areas within our homes.

Rats and mice, and sometimes squirrels, are common household pests. Rats and mice are the worst because they find suitable habitats indoors. Squirrels typically stay indoors for a short time because they have abundant food sources outside, like those voles. But a cozy attic can provide the perfect home for a squirrel under the right conditions. Let's take a look at how these three house rodents cause trouble when they find their way into your Yakima County home.

Rodent Infestations Are A Major Health Risk

Hearing rodents in your walls is only the beginning of the many ways rats and mice can cause a problem for you. In fact, you may want to thank those rodents for making noise in your walls. It would be worse if you had rodents living in your home without noticeable signs. Here are a few of the many problems rodents cause inside your home:

They rip up insulation, gnaw on stored boxes, damage holiday decorations, and chew holes in wedding dresses and other important items as they gather materials for their nests.
They contaminate attic spaces and insulation with their droppings and urine.
They chew on wires inside walls and present a fire hazard.
They deposit droppings, ticks, fleas, and microscopic worms as they explore kitchens and pantries.
They contaminate dishes, counters, and shelves as they crawl on them.
They chew holes in exterior walls and siding, making entry points for other pests.

We hope you hear the rodents in your home. They can damage your property and make you sick whether you hear them or not. So, it is best to know they are there and do something to get rid of them. Let's look at what you can do to deal with these sneaky pests.

Five Effective Rodent Exclusion Tips

If you don't have rodents in your home yet, there are many steps you can take to keep them out. These steps require diligent focus and continual maintenance. They are also layered. You won't get control of rodents using only one. Combine them for more effective rodent deterrence.

Remove Ground Objects: Rats and mice have poor eyesight and crawl along the ground, searching for objects to guide them. If you remove objects from your yard, they have to travel across open ground, which is not preferable. Pick up toys, remove piles of wood, remove junk piles, move construction materials away from your exterior, and get rid of any yard clutter. Everything you do will have an impact.
Reduce Rodent Food: Rats and mice are drawn to food options in your yard. They eat nuts that fall from trees, so try to stay on top of getting rid of those nuts. They also eat seeds. If you have bird feeders, keep this in mind. They eat human food. Don't leave food out around the grill. They'll also eat food that is decaying, so keep your trash protected in covered containers.
Block Access To Hiding Places: Rats and mice hide underneath structures. If they nest under your deck, they are more likely to make their way into your home. Use hardware cloth or some kind of fencing material to prevent them from gaining access to this vulnerable zone. They may also hide in your landscape vegetation. Trim plants near the base to open your vegetation up and make it harder for rats and mice to find a suitable hiding place near your exterior walls.
Seal Entry Points: Rats and mice slip into homes through gaps and holes. You can fix some of these entry points by replacing building materials, such as door sweeps, weatherstripping, vent covers, and screens. If you have gaps and holes that require a patch, use a caulking gun, cans of expanding foam, or wire mesh.
Block Access Routes: Rats and mice can use many avenues to get onto your roof. Once up there, they can find a way inside. Take steps to prevent rodents from getting onto your roof. You can put a mesh cover over your downspouts, apply guards on pipes rodents may use to climb your exterior, trim branches away from your tree line, and remove lattice.

You can use these five effective tips to exclude rodents from your home, but what do you do if you already have a rodent problem? While you can apply some of these tips on the inside of your home to drive rodents out, the best way to get rid of rodents is with systematic and regulated control. Let's take a look at how this works.

The Most Effective Rodent Control For Yakima County Homes

Rats and mice are clever animals that chew holes to get into your wall voids and hide in many secret places inside your home. The common way to remove rodents is to trap them. But what you might not know about traps is that they are only one part of the solution. Here's how you get the most effective control of rodents:

Identify the rodents so you can select baits and control products that will work on the specific species infesting your home.
Evaluate the conditions in your home that led to your infestations and take steps to correct them so that additional rodents are not moving in as you eliminate the existing infestation. Apply pest-proofing to seal rodents out and prevent continued access.
Apply traps according to known best practices and field-tested techniques.
Apply monitoring devices to track rodent activity during the treatment process.
Perform inspections to check for warning signs of continued activity.
Once the rodents are gone, take steps to deal with contamination, such as insulation with fecal matter and urine. It's also important to address ticks, fleas, and other secondary pests rodents have introduced to your property.

Effective rodent control is a complicated process that requires training and experience. When you contact Prosite, you can trust that your technician is up-to-date on what works best to get complete control of rodents. If you're in Yakima County, contact us for professional rodent control near you.

We can help you get rodents out or prevent rodent infestations if they haven't gotten in yet. Help is just a few clicks away.

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