At Newtown Termite & Pest Control, Inc., we are dedicated to ensuring that our clients enjoy a pest-free lifestyle. This includes providing control services for all sorts of insects, arachnids, termites, bed bugs, and, of course, rodents.
However, we also offer a comprehensive rodent exclusion service.
Years of training and experience make it possible for our technicians to quickly and efficiently identify the vulnerabilities in your home or business that make it more susceptible to a rodent infestation.
Rodent exclusion involves addressing and correcting these susceptibilities to ensure the structure is all but entirely rodent proof. If you are concerned that rodents might be able to make their way into your home or office, contact Newtown Termite & Pest Control today to learn more about our rodent exclusion services.
HOW DOES RODENT PROOFING WORK?
Most people do not worry about rodent problems until it is too late. This means that the rodents have already come indoors, and that they are probably wreaking havoc.
Rats and mice are incredibly good at finding ways to come inside. Even surprisingly small cracks and holes in the exterior of a building can serve as excellent access points. In the event that an existing crack or hole is slightly too small, the rodent will simply use its sharp, powerful teeth to expand the opening. Before long, rodents and many other types of pests are using that hole as an entry point to get inside.
Rodents can use almost any opening to gain entrance to a building. It may be a crack in a foundation or a gap where a utility line enters the structure, or a space around a garage door. People often mistakenly assume a hole or gap is too small for an animal to use. Unfortunately, this is an expensive and dangerous gamble. Remember, rodents are small and industrious, they can make any hole work for them.
Rodent exclusion involves the identification of all of entry points. Once eliminated, rodents are little able to make their way indoors. The result is that your home or office is now safer, cleaner, and more hygienic.
STEPS FOR RODENT EXCLUSION
This multi-step process was formulated through years of experience with identifying and treating rodent infestations. Because this process works, our clients can rest assured that their home genuinely is rodent proof.
• PROPERTY INSPECTION
The first step for rodent exclusion is a thorough inspection of the property. Technicians look for obvious signs of rodent activity during the inspection. These signs may include gnaw marks, droppings, nests, grease marks or indications that food meant for humans has been tampered with. Additionally, the technician will examine the interior and exterior of the home for cracks, gaps or holes that may be serving as rodent access points.
A thorough inspection includes examining attics, crawlspaces, basements and other relatively inaccessible areas of the structure. It is only through physical examination of all of these locations that the true nature and extent of pest problems can be discovered.
Throughout the inspection, the technician will be identifying the vulnerabilities in the protective barrier of the building. Basically, this means looking for any holes that can be used to get inside. To the untrained eye, these access points can be extremely difficult to identify. This is why it makes sense to have a professional inspection performed.
• RODENT ERADICATION
In the event that a live rodent infestation exists, professional rodent control procedures will be performed to ensure that the existing rodent population is eradicated.
• RODENT PREVENTION PROCESS
After conducting a full interior and exterior inspection, and completing any necessary rodent control, the technician moves on to sealing up the weaknesses. Sealing off entry points is critical to ending rodent problems for good. Weak barriers are reinforced, and holes are covered up. If rodents have been using drywall and insulation to conceal their access points and activity, then further repairs may be needed to ensure that the structure is fortified.
• CLEAN-UP AND SANITIZATION
If the technician discovers that a rodent infestation is present or occurred at some time in the past, then a serious cleanup of all areas that were utilized by the rodents may be required. A professional cleaning ensures the removal of all rodent waste products and nesting materials. As these items may be infested with all sorts of filth, germs, bacteria and toxins, their removal is crucial to fully treating rodent issues.
Cleanup may not be required if no signs of a current or prior rodent infestation are discovered. The technician will advise if this step in the process is recommended for your situation.
IS RODENT PROOFING DIFFICULT?
Rodent exclusion can be extremely complicated for an inexperienced home or business owner. Holes and gaps in the building's exterior may not be obvious, or thought to be too small to be a problem.
This is where the training and experience of the pest control professional come in. The technician can assess gaps or cracks and determine the potential for exploitation by a rodent. Exclusion techniques are aimed at ensuring that even the smallest crack does not become an invitation to a rat or a mouse.
It is important to realize that mice can squeeze through openings that are no larger than one-quarter inch while rats are able to fit through an opening that is only one-half inch wide. Those are both very small openings, but have the potential to put a building's occupants at risk.
Our rodent exclusion service professional will examine the entire home or business to identify and eliminate any entry points that rodents could exploit.
Areas that are dark, quiet and secluded provide ideal nesting habitat. Rodents prefer their nests to be hidden from predators, including people. When living in nature, rodents may use an abandoned animal burrow, the hollow in a tree or a fallen log as a nest. A depression in the soil beneath a large stone or a tree trunk also provides excellent habitat.
Many species of rodents will nest inside human habitations when this is available. Crawl spaces, wall voids, basements and attics provide the most likely nesting habitat. However, rodent nests have been discovered beneath major appliances, in the back of drawers and cupboards and within upholstered furniture. Even a room that is filled with clutter and rarely visited by people may be used.
PROFESSIONAL RODENT EXCLUSION
Rodent exclusion generally is not considered a do it yourself project. This is because specialized knowledge is required to locate, assess, and repair entry points to ensure that a structure is protected from rodents. If a home or office is to be truly protected from rodents, then it is essential that a professional rodent exclusion service is used.
HOW RODENT PROOF IS YOUR HOME?
Sometimes, rodent infestations are obvious. Signs rodents have gained entry to a pantry may be noticed, or rodent droppings are discovered. It is even possible a mouse in the kitchen was encountered in the middle of the night.
Nonetheless, it is important to realize that rodents are extremely adept at hiding. Most of their activity takes place at night, and they can behave in a highly surreptitious manner. This means that rodent problems can often be extremely well hidden.
