Rodents cause damage to our buildings by their burrowing and gnawing activity. They are able to squeeze through very small openings; 1/4 inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats and will gnaw through many types of materials in order to reach a location including lead sheathing, cinder block, aluminum siding and some concrete.
Rats and mice can invade homes and businesses without notice. Rodents have been implicated throughout history for their spread of disease to humans. They cause damage and spread disease as they leave urine and fecal material wherever they go. Mice will eat almost anything. They are nibblers eating small amounts of food from multiple sources as the forage daily. Mice prefer cereal grains, seeds, or sweet material and require very little water since they obtain most of their water needs from their food.
Mice are small rodents, which reproduce at a higher rate than rats. They become sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one year life time. Each litter has 4-7 pups. The droppings average 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length, they are shaped like rice with pinched ends.
As an adult; the Norway rat can weigh between 12-16 oz with a body length of 6-8 inches long. Young rats reach sexual maturity in 2-3 months; females average 4-7 litters a year, with 8-12 pups per litter. The droppings are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length, capsule shaped, with blunt ends. They prefer foods with a high protein or carbohydrate content, but areopportunistic feeders and will eat almost any type of food. Unlike mice, rats need water to survive and will drink readily when a source is available
A successful rodent control program includes a combination of exclusion, baiting and trapping for the highest rate of success. A general cleanup helps remove their hiding places and puts stress on the colony. If the population is large, we will begin with an intense trapping program and use a high quality rodent bait to quickly knock down a population
1. Inspection & Consulting
2. Exclusion
3. Sealing cracks and crevices
4. Trapping
5. High population cleanout
6. Baiting
7. Residual treatments
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