Winter Brings Rat & Mice Infestations
It may be the most wonderful time of the year – the weather is turning cooler, you can wear your favorite sweaters, pumpkin spice flavors have been released to the market, and other fall-related events are happening.
However, the cooler weather also means an influx of unwanted pests could come into your home. That’s right! Rodents like mice and rats can take away the homeowner’s cheerfulness during this time of the year. A rodent infestation is the last thing any homeowner wants to deal with when it should be a joyous occasion.
Why Should You Prepare Your Home For A Potential Rodent Invasion?
During the warmer seasons, rats and mice will breed continuously, multiplying their numbers. One female mouse can have 60 babies a year, with their sexual maturity occurring within three weeks of their birth. Those babies can have their babies, and the cycle starts all over again.
A female rat can have 24 babies a year.
Just think of the sheer number of mice and rats that can be born in the space of three months. If you weren’t concerned before, it’s time for you to be concerned now.
The majority of rats and mice carry diseases – not all, but a good deal of them do. On top of that, they can cause damage to your home – from chewing wires to burrowing holes into walls to oil tracks where they walk to leaving their poop as they walk.
It’s imperative to keep your home as clean as possible to keep them from making your home their home.
When is rodent season? This can be difficult to say because it depends on the area in which you live. If it’s starting to get cool and stay cool in your area, you can rest assured that rodent season is upon you. For Texans, the season can run between October and late January.
The reason the rodents move into homes is that the winter season decreases their food supply outside, and your home is a wonderful source of food and warmth. The great thing about cold weather is that it doesn’t last forever. As the temperatures get warmer, you can feel confident that the rodents will leave your home for the great outdoors. This can happen anywhere from February to May.
If you want to enjoy the season without worrying about rats and mice invading your home, what can you do to prevent them from moving in in the first place?
4 Ways To Protect Your Home From A Rodent Infestation
Since rodents crave warmth and food, you may need to protect your home from them getting inside. This means doing a thorough investigation of your home to spot possible entryways. You should do this as early as possible to minimize the risk of them making a home in your home.
What can you do?
- Eliminate Clutter – The most significant thing mice and rats look for is clutter, as it gives them a great hiding space and materials to build a nest. When you eliminate the clutter, you can easily find evidence of an infestation.
- Use Airtight Containers – Protect the food source by using airtight containers to store your food. It makes it difficult for mice and rats to recognize the food as a source of food and makes it hard for them to get into it.
- Fix Crevices and Cracks – If you see a hole, crack, or crevice that’s at least a quarter inch wide, you want to seal it up to eliminate the potential entryway. A mouse doesn’t need much space to get inside a home.
- Watch For Signs – There are several signs that you could have an infestation – paw prints, small holes, chewed wires, gnaw marks, poop droppings, etc. Listen closely for any scurrying noises in your ceiling or walls.
Call In An Exterminator
If you discover you have a rat infestation – be it a mouse, rat, or other pest – you don’t have to live with it. Instead, you can hire the professional Houston rat control services of a pest control company such as Hartz Pest Control. They have been serving Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress, and The Woodlands, Texas for over 30 years. Their professional and well-trained test control technicians can devise a plan to eradicate the problem and ensure that the chances of it happening again are less. And the best part is that their rat control services are guaranteed. Contact Hartz Pest Control now to get a fast online quote.
Hartz Pest Control hires courteous, friendly professionals who are licensed and work with homeowners to rid them of their pest problems using an array of solutions that are safe for their customers, families, and pets.
