How To Get Rid Of Rodent Pests

Find out all you need to know about getting rid of rodents.

In all of history, rodents and humans have lived side by side. These rodents have thrived and flourished exceedingly. However, their existence and feeding attitude, especially omnivorous, make a living around us their best bet.

This has come at a cost to us. Many diseases result from scratch, bites, droppings, and urine, among others.

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So how do you stop rodent infestation?

These guides discuss the best rodent control measures you can adopt to keep your space free.

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What are the Root Causes of Rodent Infestation?

This is an important question to ask when trying to rid your home of rodents. Applying treatment measures without diligent inspection will only solve the effects by leaving out the causes.

Results obtained from such treatments do not last. The rodents soon return in full force.

Rodent infestation may be caused by one or multiple factors.

Your neighborhood may be infested, or you may have encouraged this infestation by keeping food in the open and in poor sanitary conditions (such as a dirty environment).

Also, there may be water leakages in addition to similar causes. This is an open invitation for rodents to storm your home.

Major Stages In Dealing With Rodent 

Rodent extermination falls under different stages.

These consist mainly of prevention, identification, and treatment. To have greater control over rodents, let’s discuss each of these points;

  • Rodent Prevention

Rodent invasion is expected in rodent-infested neighborhoods. The threat of an attack is significantly increased if there are open entry points they can use to migrate into your home.

Apart from transmitting diseases to humans, rodents are known to cause significant damage to property if not urgently checked.

Several factors contribute to attracting these pests into your home. Some of these include lousy sanitation practices.

This includes keeping food in the open, vegetables and fruits in the empty, trash cans without covers, and leaky pipes. These are ready sources of food for rodents.

Preventive measures include keeping food in sealed containers. Those which are perishable can be stored in the refrigerator. Food crumbs must be swept off immediately after eating or cooking.

This discourages breeding as there will be little or no source of food.

  • Blocking Access Points

To check rodent infestation, it is necessary to seal all possible entry points into your home immediately. This includes cracks and holes on the walls that could act as breeding nests.

Others are doors with gaps underneath and at the sides. If there are leaky pipes around your property, you should fix that as quickly as you can.

In addition to these, other likely channels of entry should be investigated and immediately sealed off or repaired. Wherever an opening is, it will likely serve as a passageway to your house.

Holes around appliance pipes and sinks can efficiently serve as access points.

  • Identification of Rodent Species

It is not hard to detect if there is a rodent infestation on your property. Some earliest signs include rat droppings, scratches, or gnawing marks on wooden furniture.

Rodent droppings are primarily found in food. The kitchen is the main area to find these. Sinks and cabinets also provide hiding places.

These rodent species are highly nocturnal. You may accidentally discover by finding them busy or deliberately choose to monitor their activities at night by putting on the lights.

If you notice any of these signs, you have an infestation on your hand requiring urgent removal measures.

  • Rodent Pest Treatment

There are several types of treatment you can adopt. You can either choose to use a combination of these methods, or you may restrict yourself to a particular rodent elimination measure.

Some of the most common include the introduction of natural predators, the use of traps, and the use of rodenticides. These are also classified into DIY (Do-it-Yourself) and non-DIY methods.

Let’s consider each of these;

DIY Option To Get Rid Of Rodents

Using DIY methods, you should understand that rodents are very adaptable. You may find out that a particular strategy such as using traps is ineffective.

This can be frustrating to anyone needing to rid their homes of these pests. DIY methods are best when the infestation level is not full-blown.

However, this method can still be used depending on the choice. They include the following;

  • Encouraging Natural Predators

This is mainly a preventive treatment you can use. It involves buying a cat used for generations and attracting hawks and owls within your neighborhood.

These are great rodent hunters that will significantly depopulate rodents around within your surroundings. This will automatically result in fewer cases of rodent infestation.

How can you encourage natural predators, then? You can do this by building nesting boxes and locating these in strategic breeding and migration routes.

  • Using Peanut Butter with Boric Acid (Rat Poison)

This is a toxic remedy for rat infestation you can use. All you need to do is to mix a cup of peanut butter with half a cup of boric acid. This should be made into small balls and placed in the most infested areas.

This is an effective remedy that poisons and drives them out. However, this method should only be used where there are no kids/children. It is highly poisonous and could cause harm to kids.

  • Empty your Garbage Everyday

This may seem harmless, especially if it doesn’t smell.

However, this is a major attraction for rodents. You should ensure that your garbage is emptied daily to avoid a build-up of dirt that attracts rodents and may cause illnesses.

  • Use of Electronic Gadgets

High-frequency gadgets are rodent control inventions that have proven to be quite effective. These sound devices are loud and create discomfort for rodents.

Never mind if you are thinking about how these loud-sounding gadgets will be with you while you and your family are around. High-frequency sound devices emit sounds not audible to the human ear.

This means you can go about your business while these pests are in disarray. This option is also safe as batteries power it.

  • Use of Traps

Using mousetraps as a rodent control measure is one of the most popular methods.

These consist of 2 major types; mechanical devices that use bait to lure rodents and glue traps that trap rodents once they step on them.

There are also electric traps that shock once stepped on. Batteries also power these.

Depending on the severity of the infestation, you may choose to use multiple DIY methods or just one to rid your home of these unwanted pests.

  • Use of Rodenticides

While using rodenticides is very effective, there are many other factors to consider. Rodenticides can be dangerous if you have children around.

Rodents may die in hard-to-reach areas. This results in a lot of smell that may persist for a long. This is not the best option to use if you keep pets.

Your pets may eat dead rodents, which may also lead to death.

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Using DIY Options

Using this strategy to eliminate rodents is cheaper than non-DIY methods.

However, you will need to do the entire job by figuring out the root causes of infestation and the best treatment method(s) to adopt for your home.

The disadvantage of this method is that it may not be effective. Many people often end up hiring rodent exterminators’ services after trying many times to rid their homes of rodents.

There is also the danger of poisoning your kids and pets who may get in contact with dead rodents or with these poisons.

  • Safety Precautions

After killing rodents, you need to clean up carefully.

This is because rodents harbor contagious diseases. You should ensure that you put on gloves when disposing of dead animals, traps, and droppings.

It would help if you kept the disinfectant handy. This should be sprayed with dead rodents to reduce the chances of contracting contagious diseases.

Before disposal, the rodents should be put in a plastic bag.

The disinfectant should also be sprayed on the area surrounding the dead rat and cleaned thoroughly. Washing your hands properly with soap and water is highly recommended.

Non-DIY Measures Of Rodent Removal

Professionals provide this control method with years of experience delivering cutting-edge solutions to pest problems. Several reputable rat control companies offer you comprehensive treatments.

The level of rodent infestation is first assessed. This is done to determine the best treatment methods to adopt.

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Non-DIY 

The advantages are apparent. Rodent control companies send experts to assess the problem. Here, rodent removal starts from the root cause, which may be around your environment.

A comprehensive treatment is provided for lasting solutions. The common disadvantage is the cost implications. Although this is a more costly option, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Getting rid of rodents involves the adoption of several strategies. Your choice of a particular control method primarily depends on your specific needs.

When there is a full-blown rodent infestation, most people prefer the services of rodent extermination companies. These offer both residential and commercial rodent control services.

The choice is entirely up to you with several other rodent removal options.

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