Homeowners can take
preventive measures to avert a rodent infestation. Mice and rats are flexible
creatures; mice can squeeze through holes no larger than a nickel while rats
can scoot through holes as small as a half dollar. Therefore, one of the first things
a homeowner should do is inspect for possible entry holes, both inside and
outside of the home.
Rats
primarily prefer to feed on cereal grains, meats, fish, nuts, and some fruits,
eating just about anything. However, rats as well as mice and many insect pests
are attracted to foods including pet food and trash that is
left unattended outdoors. Thus, the best control of any rodent, outdoors or
indoors, is sanitation and exclusion. In most cases, rats will only enter homes
because it is seeking food, water, or shelter.
Sanitation:
To reduce the availability of food and water, employ sanitation methods:
covering or packaging all foods; keeping all food and food-preparation areas
swept, mopped, and wiped clean; keeping trash areas clean; and removing or limiting
exposed water.
Exclusion:
To reduce the opportunity for rats that are seeking shelter to enter homes or
Commercial business buildings, build out the rodents through rodent-proofing
and pest proofing techniques.
Traps
can be an easy and inexpensive option, as the equipment is relatively cheap and
the traps, especially if unbaited, can be left in place for long periods.
However all traps, baited or unbaited, must be regularly inspected, as a dead
or dying rodent or a food bait can attract secondary insects and cause an
infestation.
Snap
Traps: These small wooden or plastic traps are one of the most effective means
of capturing and killing rats and mice, and can be the most inexpensive. Wooden
mouse traps can often be found packaged in sets for a few dollars, and the
rodents can be removed and the traps reused. Or, if one is squeamish of
removing the rodent, the trap can be discarded with the mouse attached without
becoming overly expensive.
When
using a snap trap to capture a rat, a larger trap specified for rat control
will need to be used. The small mouse traps are not likely to kill or hold the
rat, and could, instead, inhumanely injure the rodent.
Seattle
Commercial Ampm pest exterminators specialize in several Commercial rodent
control services, including rat removal and mouse control, rodent damage
control, rodent management, rodent prevention, residential and commercial
rodent control. Ampm certified Commercial pest control specialists
and pest exterminator operators are trained with the most advanced rodent
control techniques, ranging from rodent control through trapping to rodent
damage repair and rodent prevention services for Commercial Office Buildings,
Hotels, Hospitals, and Retail Stores. Commercial buildings are constructed from
types of materials and design methods that vary greatly in the degree of
susceptibility to rodent infestation (for example, metal and concrete versus
wood). Most structures eventually become less rodent proof due to
deterioration, alteration, or repair. Heating, air conditioning, plumbing,
electrical service, and fire sprinklers provide some of the most commonly
encountered rodent entry points.
Rats,
mice and other rodents can become a nuisance when in close proximity to humans.
Spreading disease to both humans and household pets, rodents can also cause
property damage and contaminate food sources. Ampm commercial Rodent pest
Control specializes in rodent control and removal to help get
rid of rodents in homes or businesses. A variety of lethal and non-lethal
techniques, including exclusion, habitat modification, and trapping are
available that may effectively control these pests.Food Handling Facilities and
Warehouses. Businesses in which food is stored or handled are especially prone
to rodent invasion. Good sanitation practices are essential. Keeping food
well-sealed is very important Kitchen Area under food preparation equipment is
raised above a smooth stainless steel floor, allowing for easy cleaning of food
spills and open to prevent harborage.
Scraps
of food can often be found in floor drains, under food preparation equipment
and stored products, and around entry areas. Outside doors are often left
ajar or fit poorly due to heavy use, physical damage, or improper installation.
Space under equipment mixers, stoves, counters, or refrigerators should allow
easy cleaning and inspection, or be closed off completely with rodent-proof
materials
Mice
and rats are sometimes found using freezer and refrigerator compressor areas
for harborage and water from condensation on cold coils. Mice are often found
in the insulated walls of large coolers. Looking closely at corners and edges
of metal, or other material covering the insulation, for rodent openings.
Drains should have adequate screens or grates to prevent rodent entry. Food
disposal, and damaged goods areas are often located close to food handling or
storage areas and are not sealed from rodents. Areas near loading docks should
be closely inspected for cracks, broken screens, damaged doors, and uneven
floors near doorways. Interior loading docks served by rail cars are difficult
to close due to the tracks, but rubber door guards made to fit the tracks are
available and will deter rodent entry.
Rodent-infested
goods in food warehouses commonly include cereals, flour, and baking mixes;
waxed carton drinks; dry pet foods; dried fruits and nuts; fresh produce; paper
goods; charcoal briquets, and damaged goods. Products in these categories
should be kept in open, easily inspected areas, not in dark corners. Regular
and routine removal of such nonsalable or nonusable products should be standard
practice to enhance cleanliness and safety and to reduce harborage.
Apartments
and Houses. Utility entry points include underground electrical and communication
trunk lines, and exhaust vents for clothes dryers. Power lines have always been
a favorite route of travel for commensal rodents, especially roof rats. Check
all roof joints for tightness and presence of flashing, if rats and mice have
access to the roof via wire, pipes, plants, or rough-textured walls. Also check
roof and sewer vents for adequate screening and sealing, including presence of
tight roof jacks.
Chimneys
should be checked for properly installed flashing or for missing mortar. Rats occasionally
enter buildings through toilet traps in inner-city areas with rat-infested
sewer systems. In such cases, tracks and water may be found on the rim of
toilet bowls. Both roof and Norway rats have been known to enter structures via
the sewage system. This route usually occurs in older established areas
with poorly maintained sewer systems. Mice often enter under entry doors,
through holes beside water pipes and electrical conduit, and through the cold
air return ducts on forced air furnaces, especially those located in outside
cabinets or garages, and underneath mobile homes.
Mice
and rats often find easy access to garage areas through open doors or under and
beside poor-fitting garage doors. Once in the garage, entry into the main
structure along electrical lines, pipes, poorly sealed fire wall sheathing, or
around furnace ducts, hot water heaters, or laundry drains.
If
rodents are able to reach the attic, travel from room to room or unit to unit
through openings for pipes, ducts, and wiring. Attics provide excellent
harborage in winter, spring, and fall, but are often too hot during summer.
Common attics, basements, or raised foundations in condominiums and apartments
are a frequent source of rodent infestation.
Roof
vent Poorly installed light-gauge roof vent, allowing easy access of
rodents between roofing and base of vent. Gaps were large enough to allow rats
and pigeons to enter.Once a rodent gets into the attic, inside entry to the
fireplace void is often easy because of poorly fitted sheeting or metal
collars. Entry to the inside of the fireplace is made from the damper area or
cool air and warm air returns on units that provide for air circulation around
the firebox. When the fireplace is in use, the heat will prevent rodent entry.
If the outside cannot be sealed, glass doors that seal the burn area are
recommended to prevent rodent entry throughout the year. Cracked and missing
mortar, or poorly fitted siding or plaster, may allow entry through brick or
rock fireplaces.
Tile or
shake shingle roofs allow rodent entry if the roof is not solidly sheeted with
plywood or similar material and the tile is not properly fitted and grouted.
Vents without tightly fitted double roof jacks also facilitate access to
rodents.
A
source of harborage for rats and mice, are fireplaces especially the newer
preconstructed zero clearance sheet metal units that eliminate the need for
concrete mortar and brick. A hollow space is left in the siding and the
fireplace support framing between the outside wall and the fireplace. Rats and
mice can enter this area from the outside via the roof joint, between the
siding and decorative wood corner trim, around gas pipes, or outside wood
storage doors.
Once a
rodent gets into the attic, inside entry to the fireplace void is often easy
because of poorly fitted sheeting or metal collars. Entry to the inside of the
fireplace is made from the damper area or cool air and warm air returns on
units that provide for air circulation around the firebox. When the fireplace
is in use, the heat will prevent rodent entry. If the outside cannot be sealed,
glass doors that seal the burn area are recommended to prevent rodent entry
throughout the year. Cracked and missing mortar, or poorly fitted siding or
plaster, may allow entry through brick or rock fireplaces. Tile or shake
shingle roofs allow rodent entry if the roof is not solidly sheeted with
plywood or similar material and the tile is not properly fitted and grouted.
Vents without tightly fitted double roof jacks also facilitate access to rodents.
Gaps or
flaws in foundations and slabs, or where the wall framing meets the foundation
or slab floor, may provide large enough openings for rodent entry. Older
buildings commonly have cracked foundations, cracked plaster or mortar, warped
siding, or broken and torn vent screens. Wood or masonite siding is especially
vulnerable to warping and cracking near corners and around the base of the
building. Old, unused holes where utilities formerly entered the structure are
also common, especially in raised foundation and basement homes. Window screens
are often left off or fit poorly in older, low-cost apartments and homes,
allowing rodent entry from exterior utility lines and pipes running along
exterior walls. Runways going to window ledges are often observed on stucco and
brick walls and in ornamental plantings next to buildings.
Manufacturing
Plants and Farm Buildings. Overhead or underground pipes, conveyor belts, and
augers commonly found in farm buildings and factories are often used as entry
points and routes into and between buildings. Such equipment, particularly if
abandoned, may provide harborage as well as food. Rodent-proofing these areas
is not easy if the equipment is still in use.
Gap in
garage door:Rodent barrier or guard used between steps, foundation, or other
sources of rodent entry and the loading dock doors when doors must be left open
at night. Large gap between roll-up warehouse door frame and wall, allowing for
easy rodent access.Utility entry points must be constantly monitored for excess
openings caused by equipment repair, installation, or modification. Outside
walls and doors must also be monitored for damage from equipment or livestock
and for damage or wear from heavy use. If work patterns require doors to be
open during hours of darkness, when rodent entry is most likely, rodent
barriers may be needed, such as a solid fence or wall or a metal wing wall
between the foundation and adjacent loading dock areas.
Buildings
constructed with ribbed or corrugated metal siding allow rodent entry if the
bottoms of the siding panels do not rest flat on a solid surface or they are
not otherwise closed off. Sections of prefabricated buildings should be
assembled tightly, and gaps at joints should be covered with metal flashing.
Often, however, they are left open, especially at corners and at the
foundation/slab interface.
Roll-up
or overhead doors often provide easy entry for rodents, birds, and bats. With
the door closed, check for gaps along the sides, bottom, and top of the door. A
gap at the top is common. Rats and mice can easily climb up the space between
the door and the inner wall or track to the top, where they gain entry and
climb down the inside of the track. Gaps between the track and the wall are
also common, especially if the track has been installed on brick walls. Door
bottoms may be bent or damaged, leaving gaps along the floor. Uneven floors due
to frost heaves may leave gaps when the door is closed.
Screens
on windows, crawl spaces, and vents are often damaged in farm and industrial
buildings. Check these carefully for needed repair or replacement.
One of
the greatest challenges in farm buildings is preventing feed and seed from
being a food source for rodents. Good sanitation practices are very important.
Clean up spilled feed, and store feed and seed in rodent-proof buildings and
containers. Keep sacked materials off the floor when possible. This facilitates
for rats
mice inspections and reduces harborage.
Pest
control Exclusion Methods: Excluding rodents from livestock and
poultry operations is another challenge due to livestock and manure management
and various animal husbandry practices. Nevertheless, rodent-proofing is
important and can be accomplished. Many of the entry points already identified
for other types of structures apply to farm buildings. Additional problem areas
include insulated walls used for harborage, feed bins, and portable feed
bunks.
Media Contact
Company Name: Rodent Rats Mice Mouse Control and Removal Exterminators
Contact Person: Andrew Zip
Email: Send Email
Phone: 4252008045
Address:15127 NE 24th St. Suite 221
City: Kirkland
State: Washington
Country: United States
Website: http://ampmexterminators.com/
Company Name: Rodent Rats Mice Mouse Control and Removal Exterminators
Contact Person: Andrew Zip
Email: Send Email
Phone: 4252008045
Address:15127 NE 24th St. Suite 221
City: Kirkland
State: Washington
Country: United States
Website: http://ampmexterminators.com/
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