subject: You Might Not Hear Rodents Gnawing Away At Your Home [print this page] When it's cold outside everybody wants to be in the warmth. This feeling is shared by rodents as well as humans however. A lack of food and falling temperatures force rodents to seek shelter elsewhere, 21 million American homes are invaded each winter. Usually eating seeds and plant life rodents food supply begins to dwindle during the winter months, because of this they seek food elsewhere and usually end up inside somebody's house.
Finding their way into a home through small openings in the walls. All they need is a 1/2-inch opening to get inside, and some tiny mice can even get in through as little as a 1/4-inch gap. Being skilled climbers rodents can climb trees or pipes to find a way into your home through vents or high up utility access. They may seem harmless, but it can be very dangerous to live with rodents. Rodents are seen as a fire hazard the world over, this is down to their continual gnawing of electrical wiring, they are also bad for your health thanks to the many diseases they carry and spread through excrement and bites.
Carrying over 200 human pathogens it is no surprise these pests can be dangerous. Some pathogens, including the plague and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), post a certain risk of fatality in those who are subjected to them. HPS which is spread though the saliva, feces, and urine of infected deer mice, has been identified in 30 states in 14 years, these figures were published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been 465 reported cases in this time period and 35 percent are fatal.
While the plague is a rare disease now, there are still around twelve reports of the fatal infection in the United States alone. Rodents can be associated with the health of humans for many many years. As far back as the 14th century rodents can be blamed for the quick spread of the plague that ravaged much of Europe, although no longer a great concern these days, rodents still carry harmful diseases. It is important to remember that very few of the diseases carried by rodents are deadly, however you should still be concerned by an infestation.
A rodent invasion is not an indication of unclean conditions, though many people believe this. While it's true that easier access to food supply and places to hide will be even more inviting to rodents, they will also infest any home that essentially leaves the front door open for them. If you believe rodents have made their way into your home, look for these tell-tale indicators. You will likely find droppings around the place and in cupboards near food supplies, boxes of food themselves will be gnawed along with furniture legs and door frames, you may even hear the rats running through the walls or ceilings and may notice oily marks along their often traveled routes.
The minute you think you have an infestation you should phone a pest control operator. They will likely eradicate the problem with a mix of traps and poison. You could do this yourself but a trained professional will implement these methods with a greater degree of efficiency and success. Here are some tips to help you prevent rodents from invading your home in the first place this winter season: Keep firewood as far from the house as possible and raise it from the ground. If you have any debris around the outside of your home, such as bricks or stones then clear this away. Such things will shelter rodents and could even hide cracks or holes in the walls of your home that allow access inside.
Cover up any fissures or cracks in the house that are wider than 1/4". Bigger openings need to be filled with wire mesh or steel wool prior to applying any sealant. Cover all foundation and attic vents with tightly fitting 1/4 inch hardware cloth to prevent entry. Normal insect screening does not get rid of rodents, so set up a tight fitting weather strip along the base of every door. Routinely trim tree branches to keep them from hanging out and above the house, and clip bushes back and away from the structure's borders.
