Here in Mesa, AZ three rodents can give local home and business owners a hard time: rats, mice, and squirrels. Though each of these rodents is its unique species, they all can spread disease and parasites, and they can do similar damage around your property. The good news is there are things you can do about these destructive pests. Below, we’ll talk about the dangers of rodents on your property and what you can do to keep them away.
Common Area Rodents
As we said above, the most common problem rodents are mice, rats, and squirrels. Mice and rats compete directly with one another, with the larger, more aggressive rats tending to outcompete and drive away mice if they infest the same space. That means you’ll rarely have an infestation of both rats and mice. However, you can experience a simultaneous infestation of either rats or mice and squirrels. Let’s take a deeper look at each of these animals.
- Mice: Though they might make for a cute cartoon, in real life, mice can be a disease-infested nightmare for home and commercial property owners alike. Like their larger cousins, rats, mice spread a variety of pathogens including hantavirus, salmonella, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Mice are attracted to the foods in your pantry – grains, fruits, nuts, and the like – so they often contaminate kitchens and other food storage areas with these germs.
- Rats: Less picky than their smaller cousins, rats spread many of the same diseases as mice, but they may contaminate more areas because they’re willing to eat just about anything. That means nowhere in your house is safe from rat activity if there is so much as a candy wrapper in the garbage.
- Squirrels: They are not typically the first animal that pops into peoples’ heads when they hear the words “rodent problem.” However, these bushy-tailed animals can be just as destructive as rats and mice. Not only do they spread diseases of their own (including fleas, ticks, and other disease-bearing parasites that may infest your home), but like all rodents, squirrels have to constantly chew on things to grind down their ever-growing teeth. To keep their teeth filed to the correct length, squirrels – as well as rats and mice – chew on anything they can get their paws on, such as electrical wiring, vinyl siding, wood, hard plastics, and more.
Rodent Prevention
Mice, rats, and squirrels are all attracted to three primary things in your home: food, water, and shelter. To make your home more inhospitable, you need to deal with all three. For rats and mice, make sure you’re keeping all pantry foods – including pet foods – sealed in airtight containers. Tightly cover garbage to keep the smells from attracting rats.
For squirrels, you’ll need to make sure you’re covering gutters with gutter guards and taking other measures to prevent the accumulation of tree nuts around your property. Also, eliminate or reduce access to as many water sources as possible. Finally, inspect your home for cracks, holes, and other exterior access points that rodents could use to enter.
If you have a rodent infestation that you just can’t seem to get rid of, you may need professional assistance. Here at Pro Active Pest Control, we can help eradicate even the toughest infestations through a combination of thorough inspections, customized treatment plans, and recurring services to ensure that reinfestation does not occur post-treatment. If you’re ready to give the rodents on your property the boot, call us at (888) 335-4008 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today.