The Importance Of Effective Rodent Control For Yakima County Property Owners

How much trouble can a little rodent cause? That is a good question, and one worth exploring, so why don't we do just that? Let's look at what animals are considered rodents and why rodents are uniquely designed to cause trouble for property owners in Yakima County. We'll take the information and link it to steps you can take to prevent a rodent problem and give you five effective rodent exclusion tips to complete an effective rodent prevention plan. You can consider this a masterclass on rodent control. It will help you manage all rodents that are known to get into Yakima County homes and businesses. But it isn't easy to keep rodents out. You'll have to do some hard work. If you don't mind, then this article will give you the tools and insights you need to get the job done right. For professional rodent control in Yakima County, let Prosite help you with hassle-free rodent pest control. Our team members are highly educated and experienced rodent troubleshooters. We can address your problem and provide you with a long-lasting and results-based solution. Jump to our contact page and reach out to us for assistance.

What Animals Are Considered Rodents?

We have a lot of critters in Yakima County. What makes an animal a rodent? There are a few characteristics that all rodents share. They are furry animals, so you can exclude feathery and scaly animals from any rodent list. They give birth to living offspring, so they aren't going to leave eggs on your property. And, most of all, they have long incisors and jaws made for gnawing on wood. Whether you have a large beaver or a tiny little mouse on your property, they're both equipped to chew on wood. (Fortunately, there are currently no reports of an indoor infestation of beavers!)

Common pest rodents in Yakima County include rats, mice, squirrels, gophers, and voles. Gophers and voles are considered lawn pests. They don't get into homes and businesses. Squirrels occasionally enter structures but are limited to dwelling in attics or other secluded spaces. The worst of the worst are rats and mice. These pests can enter structures, explore every level, and stay permanently. Whether or not they stay permanently depends on many factors, some of which you can control.

Animals require food and water. If they can't get a bite to eat or a drop to drink within a structure on your property, they can only use those structures for habitation. If you seal entry points in your exterior, you can eventually seal these animals outdoors. Keep in mind that you may trap rodents in your home or business, but this can lead to extra damage as they attempt to get out. Professionals use special exclusion devices and an indoor trapping strategy to prevent unnecessary damage.

Why Effective Rodent Control Is So Important

It is not good to have rodents in your attic, inside your walls, and climbing around in your kitchen. They damage your belongings, soil your attic insulation, contaminate food, and chew on wires inside your walls. These are more than enough reasons to apply effective rodent control to get on top of a rodent problem. But there are other reasons you should know about.

• Rats and mice breed quickly. A small problem turns into a large problem the longer these animals are not effectively controlled.
• There are many ways to deal with rodents improperly. They can have undesirable consequences, such as harming rodents, causing rodents to die inside your walls, increasing damage to your property, poisoning stored foods, and more.
• Rodents can continue to secretly infest your home or business after you've attempted to catch and remove them. It is common for property owners to catch a few rodents and stop finding rodents in their traps. When this happens, it is more likely that rodents have learned to avoid the traps, rather than there being a resolution to the rodent problem.
• Rodent control is a multi-faceted strategy. It isn't enough to lay traps down and remove rodents. There are several other aspects of rodent control that work alongside trapping, for example, surveillance, exclusions, and exterior population control.

When arresting a current infestation and when you want the most effective rodent management around the structures on your property, it is best to hire a trained professional. For assistance with professional rodent pest control in Yakima County, contact Prosite.

Five Effective Rodent Exclusion Tips

It is hard to get rid of rodents, which is why we recommend keeping them out in the first place. Rodent exclusion is something any property owner can do. We'll quickly outline five effective tips to help you keep rodents out.

1. Make Your Yard Hard For Rodents To Navigate

Rats and mice use objects on the ground to navigate. Imagine a blind man walking across an open field. He isn't going to do well without something to touch. Rodents have terrible eyesight so they use their whiskers, hair, and bodies to feel objects around them. An open yard that is free of clutter will seem a bit daunting for a rat or mouse to cross.

2. Remove Smells That Lure Them To Your Exterior

Rats and mice don't just use their sense of touch to navigate. They'll catch a scent in the air and follow it to the source. A stinky trash can or a pile of garbage will provide a beacon that rats and mice can zero in on. Imagine it like a ship at sea scanning for a lighthouse on the shore. When you remove the scent of decaying organic matter around your home or business, it is like turning the light off.

3. Block And Remove Access Routes

It is possible to put barriers in place or to remove routes that rats and mice commonly use to enter structures. The secret is understanding how they enter. Here are a few helpful examples:

• Rodents chew on concrete and squeeze through tiny holes. A rat only needs a gap the width of a quarter. A tiny little mouse can squeeze through a gap that is more than half that width. Use expanding foam or caulk to patch any gaps around pipes and other foundation penetrations.
• Rodents can climb trees and use branches to get onto your roof. Cut branches away from the roofline to prevent them. If you can't reach them to trim them, you may wrap sheet metal around the trunk of the tree. What does this do? Rodents can't grip sheet metal with their claws. If the sheet metal is too high to leap past, rodents can't scale the tree.
• Rodents can climb up pipes that run up the sides of structures. Installing a guard on a pipe can prevent them from scaling your exterior. All the guard does is prevent the rodent from climbing any higher, and from going around the guard. You can also put guards on wires that touch the side of a structure. Have you ever seen a squirrel running across a wire? Rats and mice can do this too—only they do it at night when you probably will never see them.

We could provide other examples, but these are a good start to blocking rodents from entering the structures on your property.

4. Block And Remove Hiding Or Nesting Zones

Rodents hide underneath objects and in the voids underneath structures. A simple solution is to remove the hiding place, such as relocating a stack of campfire wood or construction materials to a spot that is well away from your exterior. Another solution is to apply skirting under a shed to discourage rodents from getting underneath.

5. Seal Your Exterior

The most common exclusion method is to repair building materials that work to keep rodents and other pests out. Inspect your exterior doors and make sure your weatherstripping and door sweeps aren't providing a tiny gap that invites a rodent to make a larger opening. Repair any damaged screens on windows and doors. Check to make sure all of your vents have covers.

With some basic contractor and handyman skills and a little muscle, you can keep rats and mice out. If the conditions on your property make it tricky to apply these steps, contact a pest control service provider to manage rodent populations with an appropriately designed bait plan.

Yakima County's Secret Weapon To Complete Rodent Control

When you want to know for sure that no rodents remain inside any of the structures on your property or you want exterior rodent management and exclusion work performed by a licensed professional, contact Prosite. We provide advanced pest solutions in Yakima County. You'll always get the highest level of expert service with a friendly smile. Our technicians are trained and experienced problem solvers who listen closely to your concerns and help you find the best solution for you.

If you need to get started with rodent management or get rid of rats and mice, give us a call or navigate to our contact page. We'll walk you through the steps from start to finish. You don't have to battle these clever and resourceful animals by yourself. Get help today!