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Walla Walla Rodent Control

The Dangers of Rodents

As rodents wander through your home, they contaminate just about anything they touch. Rats and mice alike can spread diseases, such as salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, and E. coli. Certain mice also carry and transmit the hantavirus, which is a respiratory disease that is fatal for humans. It is not necessary to be bitten by a rodent to contract one of these diseases that they so commonly carry. In fact, mice can contaminate approximately ten times as much food as they eat. Contamination can occur through a rodent’s body fluids, droppings, and by parasites, indirectly.

Unfortunately, while rodents do carry and transmit diseases, they can also do much more harm than that. Mice can chew through indigestible and inorganic materials, meaning they can damage wiring within the home, insulation, siding, drywall, and wallboards. Rats need to constantly chew because their teeth never stop growing and so, they will destroy walls, personal belongings, and can even undermine the foundations of buildings. Rats can also leave unsightly holes in the lawn, which are not only unpleasant to look at, but can also cause an injury.

Preventing Rodent Infestations

Of course, the best way of dealing with a rodent infestation is to ensure that they cannot get into your home in the first place. Some of the best prevention methods that will help keep rodents out are as follows:

• Keep them out: Mice can fit through a space the size of a pen when they are adolescents, and spaces the size of a dime when they are adults. Rats can fit through spaces no larger than a quarter. As such, you must seal any holes that can serve as a point of entry, including ceilings, floors, walls, and around pipes and wires. All entry points, inside and outside, should be sealed to keep rodents out.
• Store food properly: Rodents will come inside looking for shelter, food, and water, particularly as the weather starts to turn colder. Eliminate the possibility of rodents getting into your food supply by keeping food in airtight storage containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Clean up: Rats and mice can easily hide in cluttered spaces, so it is important to keep your home clean. Additionally, food scraps that are not cleaned up right away can also attract rodents, so always make sure to keep countertops clean and do not leave dirty dishes in the sink or anywhere else.
• Repair leaking pipes and faucets: Pipes and faucets that leak inside or outside the home provide a source of water for rodents and will attract them to your home.

Although these measures can help keep rodents out of your home, sometimes these creatures find their way inside anyway. When that happens, it is important to speak to a rodent control company.