The Most Effective Rodent Control For Baldwyn Homeowners
What animals are considered rodents? Are rodents dangerous? How can we prevent rodents in our homes? While the list of rodent questions is long in Baldwyn, the concern for most homeowners is what to do about mice and rats.
Few things are more startling than suddenly seeing rats or mice in your home. These unwanted pests can contaminate your food with bacteria, spread many diseases, and they can quickly damage your home. Fortunately, we have the ultimate guide to rodent control in Baldwyn, so you can be prepared for any rodent issue.
Read on to learn what Baldwyn residents should know about the types of rodents they may see, the kind of diseases and damage rodents cause, how to prevent rodents naturally, and how contacting the pros for pest control in Baldwyn can make all the difference.
Types Of Rodents That Often Invade Baldwyn Homes
Mississippi’s climate appeals to people and rodents alike – including rodents who don’t mind making your home into their own. For Baldwyn residents, you’re most likely to encounter these rodents:
- House mice: House mice usually only grow up to four inches in length, with cream-colored bellies and dusty gray fur.
- Norway rats: Including the length of their tails, Norway rats can grow more than a foot in length with large, round bodies.
- Roof rats: Roof rats have longer tails than Norway rats, but their bodies are leaner, making it easier for them to climb onto rooftops or scurry through trees.
- Gray squirrels: While this may be the least common rodent you’ll find inside your home, gray squirrels can still sometimes end up in Baldwyn homes.
Rodents in Baldwyn are not only a nuisance, they can also damage property and spread disease. If house mice, rats, squirrels, or other rodents are inside your Baldwyn property, you need to take steps to get them out!
Rodents Spread Disease And Damage Property
Unfortunately, the rodents in your Baldwyn home are more than just an annoyance or scary sight – they also have the potential to make you sick. Rodents, especially rats and mice, can carry plenty of dangerous diseases, such as:
- Hantavirus
- Tularemia
- Salmonellosis
- Rat-bite fever
- Plague
- Leptospirosis
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
Besides the diseases listed above, some rodents may also bring parasites into your home, like fleas, mites, and ticks, which can then infest your house. These pests come with their own set of problems and risks.
You may be wondering, “Do rodents attack people or pets?” While most rodents are unlikely to attack you unprovoked, they can lash out if they feel threatened – especially if you’re dealing with rats or even a squirrel. This could put you, your family, and even your pets at risk if they happen to come across a rodent. Always keep a safe distance from rodents and other wild animals; don’t approach them or attempt to catch them on your own.
In addition to impacting your health, rodents also damage property, which can lead to expensive repairs. Rats and mice use their sharp, strong teeth to chew through materials in search of food and water. They will gnaw on almost anything, including drywall, insulation, wood, wiring, and even pipes. Rodents can cause unsightly holes in the walls, plumbing issues, and damage food containers and your personal belongings. Even more concerning, when rodents chew on electrical wiring, this can spark a fire in your home.
Keeping rodents out of your Baldwyn home can help protect your health and your property. Next up, we’ll discuss some of the best and easiest solutions to preventing rodents in your Baldwyn home.
Five Effective Tips To Prevent Rodents In Your Home
Rodents aren’t completely preventable, but there are a few tips and tricks you can use to keep them away, such as:
- Use rodent-proof material, like steel wool, to seal any exterior gaps around your home. Mice only need a hole the size of a pen to get inside, while rats can slip through anything bigger than a quarter.
- Don’t leave food sitting out overnight in your home, including dirty dishes with food particles in your sink or pet food in bowls.
- Make sure you store your food in sealed packaging or plastic containers. Avoid keeping them in paper or cardboard containers, as rodents can easily chew through them.
- Keep garbage cans or trash cans completely sealed and ensure you’re regularly emptying them.
- Be careful to completely clean up after meals, spills, and food preparation, so there aren’t any food scraps left behind.
One of the most important rodent control measures is to identify and seal any potential entry points into your home. In the next sections, we’ll explore this rodent prevention method in greater detail.
Top Rodent Entry Points
If you hear noises behind your floorboards at night, you might have rodents in the walls. But how did they get in? Different types of rodents will prefer different entry points, depending on their size and what attracted them to your property. In general, these are the top rodent entry points you should be looking out for:
- Decks and bay windows
- Cracks in the foundation
- Cracks in walls
- Chimneys and poorly maintained roofs
- Attic and crawlspace vents
- Under doors and around windows
By making sure that your foundation, windows, and walls are well maintained, keeping doors and windows closed, and installing door sweeps and fine-mesh screens, you can make it significantly more difficult for mice, rats, and other rodents to come in.
What To Do If You Spot An Entry Point
Once you spot an entry point, it is essential to seal it off so that rodents are, at least temporarily, deterred. Even the best-maintained homes can still end up with rodents. If you still see rodents on your property despite your best efforts, a pest control company can inspect them for hard-to-find entry points, properly repair them, and recommend a treatment plan to get rid of rodents in Baldwyn.
Eliminate Rodent Entry Points Into The Home
Eliminating rodent entry points is an important step in helping deter these unsanitary pests. In addition to sealing off existing entry points, you can try the following to prevent new ones:
- Repair all cracks in your walls, foundations, and windows.
- Fix holes in the roof and poorly maintained attic vents.
- Consider installing fine-mesh screens on windows and door sweeps.
- Check electrical lines and the seals around them.
Eliminating rodent entry points can seem overwhelming, and for good reason. Rodents are creative at finding new ways to come inside your home, and large rats, not just tiny rodents, can squeeze through even small holes.
How To Patch A Rodent Entry Point
Patching a rodent entry point can be a temporary or permanent fix, depending on how you do it. In general, here is what you can do to prevent rodents from using their usual entry points:
- If you have small holes in your walls that could serve as potential entry points, seal them with steel wool and caulk.
- Larger holes can be filled with cement, hardware cloth, expansion foam, or sheeting.
- Check that appliance pipes are in good condition and replace them if necessary.
Rodents are determined pests that can chew through nearly anything, and rats can even get through aluminum and concrete. If your patching efforts are not successful, more effective methods of getting rid of rodents might be necessary. These solutions can be provided by your local rodent control experts At McCary Pest Control.
Contact The Pros For The Most Effective Rodent Control For Your Home
Because nocturnal rodents are most active when you are not around, it might be challenging to find out exactly how they are getting in. Most rodents know to hide from humans, at least at the beginning of the infestation, and might be coming in from hard-to-see entry points, including under and behind appliances, attics and crawl spaces, and more. If rodents have taken over your Baldwyn home, our experts at McCary Pest Control can help you close off entry points, repair existing ones, and recommend treatment plans to prevent them from coming back.
Given the dangerous bacteria and diseases rodents can spread, there’s only one safe and effective method for getting rid of them, and that’s by using the services of McCary Pest Control. With years of experience serving Baldwyn and surrounding counties in Mississippi, we’ve dealt with rodents of every kind and infestations of every size.
If you are seeing any of the warning signs of rodents or believe you’ve got an infestation, there’s only one way to protect your Baldwyn home. Call us today at McCary Pest Control to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Baldwyn, and to find out the best way to get rid of rodents.