How To Protect Yourself Against Rats & Mice With Our Rodent Control Experts In Fort Myers

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Mice and rats can be a huge problem for homeowners, businesses, and anyone living in an area prone to these pests. They can contaminate food, spread diseases, and cause property damage. If you are looking for tips on protecting yourself from rats and mice, you have come to the right place! Keep reading for advice on keeping these critters out of your home or business. Our rodent control experts in Fort Myers are here to share their knowledge with you.

Understanding Rats & Mice – Rodent Infestation Signs

Understanding where rats and mice are likely to be found allows homeowners and property owners to protect their investments. Mice are particularly opportunistic as they’ll readily enter buildings through holes that seem tiny – even the size of a pencil eraser.

They’re also commonly found in areas with abundant food sources, such as near bird feeders, pantries, overstocked pet food bowls, compost piles, and other places where food items may have been discarded.

We’ve outlined below the most common types of rodent infestations and the best ways to prepare for them.

Norway Rats

Norway rats are a species of rodent that can be found all over the world. Most commonly found in urban areas, these small animals are larger than house mice and have distinctive features such as a heavy body with a blunt nose, small ears, and a long tail.

Although originating from Southern Asia, Norway rats can now be found on every continent except Antarctica. They typically like to live in dark places, such as underground burrows or sewers, and are often associated with near-constant scavenging for food in wastebaskets and garbage cans.

Armed with sharp claws, tough teeth, and nimble paws perfect for manipulating objects, these creatures continue to spread successfully across the globe despite being hunted or poisoned by humans.

Most pest control services have a strategy for tackling Norway rats including trapping, baiting, or rodenticides.

Roof Rats

Roof rats are common in cities, particularly in warmer climates, and they may move into attics and other enclosed spaces around your home. Typically measuring 3 to 4 inches long, these rodents have adapted to living indoors and outside, so you should check for their entry points in roofs or walls.

Roof rats are notoriously nimble climbers, making it especially important for homeowners to seal off any potential access points to protect the interior of their house.

With sharp teeth and powerful claws, these rodents can cause considerable damage to food sources, furniture, and electrical wires.

House Mice

House mice are small rodents living among humans since ancient times. Perhaps the most interesting thing about these unwanted pests is their ability to reproduce and adapt to new environments quickly; a single female can give birth to up to 12 babies in each litter, multiple times per year!

House mice have adapted over time, making them tougher and better equipped for city life than their wild counterparts. These omnivorous scavengers can eat just about anything in the homes of humans, including human food and non-food items like fabric.

Although they may be small, house mice often cause big problems by gnawing and nesting inside buildings and carrying parasites and diseases into living spaces.

Voles

Voles are often mistaken for mice due to their similar size, habits, and appearance. However, voles have thicker fur than mice and typically measure 3-6 inches long. They’re also more active during the day than at night, unlike other rodents.

These creatures can be found on lawns, fields, gardens, and even roadsides. They prefer to eat grass, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and insects but may also feed on other animals or carrion if food is scarce.

Voles create extensive tunnel systems near the foundations of buildings and near garden beds and tree roots in search of food. Since voles can burrow through the soil and eat underground plant roots, they tend to cause major damage to lawns, gardens, and other vegetation.

Prevention Measures You Can Take In Your Home Or Business

Aside from quality pest control services, there are also measures that you can take to prevent rodent infestations.

• Sanitation and hygiene practices to reduce attraction: Keeping your home or business clean can discourage rodents from setting up camp. This means regularly cleaning surfaces and disposing of trash in sealed containers so the smell won’t attract critters.
• Seal off entry points to prevent access: Check for any holes, gaps, or cracks around windows, doors, pipes, wires, and vents that could be used as entry points. Seal these off with steel wool, rubber, or caulk to prevent rodents from getting inside.
• Use natural deterrents such as peppermint oil or ultrasonic devices: While not consistently effective, these devices can repel rodents from specific areas. Peppermint oil is a natural deterrent that you can place near common entry points, and ultrasonic devices emit high-frequency sound waves that are too loud for rodents but not audible to humans.
• Maintain an outdoor buffer zone: Keep your garden free of debris or standing water. Make sure to regularly clean and trim any vegetation, as this can attract rodents looking for shelter or food.

If you’ve done all of the above and you’re still dealing with a rodent infestation, then call in a Fort Myers pest control service that can help you eradicate the problem.

How Professional Rodent Control Services Can Help You?

For pest control needs, a legitimate exterminator or pest control service is the best way to effectively handle an infestation. Professional exterminators have the expertise and experience to accurately identify problems, propose effective solutions, and then securely implement them in your home or business.

These professionals use safe pest control products specially designed to target pests without putting you or your family at risk. They can help with rodent and termite control and other pest infestations, such as fire ants, bed bugs, spiders, and more.

A pest control company also offers maintenance services to help you keep your home or business free of pests. They will inspect, monitor, and treat any existing infestations and advise on how to prevent a future outbreak.

These services are worth the investment if you want to ensure that your property is safe from rodent and termite damage.

Methods Of Rodent Control Services

An exterminator may use several pest control methods, depending on the severity and type of infestation.

• Trapping: Trapping involves setting traps where rodents or other pests have been spotted, then removing the trapped animals from your property.
• Baiting: The best pest control services use baiting to attract and kill pests. Baits come in the form of poison pellets, gels, or traps that are placed near rodent entry points.
• Fumigation: This type of termite control service involves releasing toxic gasses into an area to kill any present pests. Fumigation is often used to deal with large infestations or when other methods have proven ineffective.
• Integrated pest management: This is a more comprehensive approach involving different strategies to control pests and prevent future infestations.

Final Thoughts

Your Florida home or business deserves to be free of pests and rodents. By following the steps outlined above, you can be proactive in preventing infestations and protecting your space from damage caused by these critters.

If you are dealing with a pest infestation, the wisest decision is to contact an experienced pest control service. Investing in timely and effective treatment ensures the safety of your home or business. Don’t wait until it’s too late; act now before things spiral out of control!

For Your Rodent Control Problems, Contact Skymark Pest

Skymark Pest is your trusted source for pest control services in Fort Myers, Naples, and the surrounding Southwest Florida area. With hundreds of satisfied customers, our team can handle any pest problem you may have.

As an industry leader in pest control, we have the knowledge and experience to accurately identify a problem, propose effective solutions, and then securely implement them in your home or business.

Our great customer service and satisfaction guarantee means you’ll never have to worry about pests again. Give us a call today, and let us help you get rid of your pest problem for good!