As the season changes and the weather gets colder, a great number of rodents start seeing your warm and well-stocked house as a place to spend the winter.
Once inside your home, rodents can be a major nuisance, contaminating your food, spreading multiple dangerous diseases, and gnawing on everything around them. Every year more than 20 billion dollars in damages are caused by invasive rodents in the United States, and hundreds of Waco homeowners need to seek professional help to evict them from their homes.
Let's take a look at the most common types of rodents you might spot attempting to break into your house, how to keep rodents away, and where to find quality pest control in Waco if they don't get the hint and set up camp inside your house.
What Kind Of Rodents Typically Invade Waco Homes?
There are hundreds of species of rodents in Texas, but thankfully, only a few show any interest in our homes. Watch for the following usual suspects:
- House mice are the most common rodents to infest our homes. They are 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches long, not counting the tail, which is often as long as the body itself. They have grey fur with cream-colored undersides, and their claim to fame is their ability to multiply at speeds unmatched by any other invasive rodent.
- Deer mice are a bit smaller than house mice, averaging around 2. 1/2 inches long. they have brown fur and cream-colored feet and undersides, similar to deer. Deer mice are not likely to infiltrate your home, preferring to stay outside and overwinter in the outbuildings during cold snaps.
- Norway rats are between 8 and 9 1/2 inches long with long muscular bodies and short blunt muzzles. They have brown fur with white or grey undersides. Norway rats burrow into the ground to build nests and will often use that burrowing ability to invade lower levels of homes.
- Roof rats can grow to 8 inches long, not including the tail, and have long skinny bodies with large eyes and ears. They are also brown, but their undersides are usually grey, not white. You can easily identify them by their long scaley tails. Roof rats are excellent climbers, and it's common to see them infesting attics and roofs.
Regardless of the species, rodents breed fast, and a single rat or a mouse can start a major infestation.
All The Factors That Attract Rodents To Your Property
Rodents are attracted to your property because it offers them two things they spend their lifetimes searching for; abundant food and a place to build a nest. Removing these rodent magnets and making sure they have no way of getting into your house will convince rodents to move on.
Tips To Keep Rodents Away From Your Home
The best way to avoid dealing with a rodent infestation in your home is to:
- Seals cracks in the walls of your home larger than a nickel.
- Keep food stored in sealed containers.
- Dispose of trash regularly,
- Cut down vegetation around the house.
- Dispose of garbage regularly and store it in rodent-proof containers.
A regular inspection by a well-trained Waco rodent control professional will help ensure your home stays rodent-free.
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Rodents And Keep Them Out
A well-trained service professional will start with inspecting the outside of your home and sealing the passageways rodents used to get it. Afterward, they will develop a situation-specific treatment plan to get rid of rodents in your home without endangering you or your pets.
If you're struggling to get rid of rodents in your Waco home, give EnviroGuard a call today!