Rodent Control - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
Rodents Facts
- Rodents, primarily rats and mice, are a public health threat. They are known to carry diseases - most notably hantavirus.
- Rodents can transmit these diseases by contaminating our food supply. They can also damage structures through their gnawing or chewing. Rats can chew through wood, aluminum, cement and sheet rock.
- Rodents can gnaw through plumbing pipes to gain access to water - rats must drink water on a daily basis or obtain water through their food source.
- Rats usually have a preference for certain foods, but are provided with numerous food sources by humans
- Rats are most active shortly after sunset and before dawn. Rats and mice have vision that is adapted for nighttime. They are color blind, but can differentiate between various shades.
- They have hairs on their body that are attached to sensory nerves that help them to sense their environment. Hearing is well-developed enabling rodents to hear in sonic and ultrasonic ranges.
House Mouse
Size
Small, its body rarely exceeding two inches long and one ounce in weight.
Color
Usually gray in color, but some may appear darker. Mice are more numerous than rats and are more widespread throughout urban and suburban communities. A mouse can be distinguished from a young rat since the rat's head and feet will be overly large in relation to its body.
Behavior
Few people really like rats or mice, and no one wants them in their house. Rodents live everywhere outside and could enter at any time, but fortunately, this does not occur often. Usually, most home invasions occur in the fall, not because of cooler weather, but because the seeds and plants on which rodents feed outside are gone. Rats and mice must then seek new food sources. Unfortunately, one of these sources may be your home. Mice are excellent climbers and are capable of gaining entry through holes around soffit vents and around cables entering the building, through holes in gable vent screens, and through turbine and box vents on roofs. Most garage doors on homes allow enough space for mice to fit underneath, as well.
Habitat
Mice are found in almost every part of the country from urban to rural areas, and are especially prevalent in urban and suburban communities. Mice are found in buildings more often than rats because they are smaller and are able to find more available entryways into a building. Mice can fit through a crack or hole 1/4 of an inch or larger - or about the width of a pencil. Mice will make their nests in many areas in and around the home, especially in stacked firewood, stones and bricks, and piles of leaves or other debris. Tips for Control – The best way to avoid invasions of mice is to (1) provide as little harborage as possible that might attract rodents, and (2) seal as many holes and cracks in the outside of the home through which mice might enter. Follow these recommendations to help prevent rodents from seeking the shelter provided by your home:
- Keep firewood stored as far from the home as possible and store it off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next to the house to burn every couple of days.
- If possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks, etc. If these are near the foundation of the home they serve as harborages to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step for rodents to enter the building itself.
- Do not allow piles of leaves to accumulate next to the home's foundation. This also serves as attractive harborage for rodents - mice in particular.
- Seal any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. A good rule of thumb is that if a pencil can fit into it, a mouse could too. Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could chew through to enter.
- Install good, thick weatherstrip on the bottom of all doors to prevent rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult to seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must be sealed tightly.
- Remember, your service includes coverage of communal rats and mice, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures.
Norway Rat
- The Norway rat is also called the brown rat, gray rat, sewer rat, water rat, wharf rat and barn rat. This rat will grow up to 16 inches from nose to tail. The tail is shorter in length than the body.
- These rats are typically a grayish-brown color, but can be a blackish or reddish-brown.
- Norway rats will nest in burrows in the ground. Burrows that have a smooth appearance at entrances are usually active burrows.
- These rats often feed on grains, seeds and vegetation, but will feed on anything provided in urban settings. These rats will also separate undigested food particles from animal fecal material.
Roof Rat / Black Rat
- This rat also takes the names of ship rat and house rat.
- They are an arboreal, or tree-dwelling, species.
- Roof rats are medium sized and around 16 inches from nose to tail.
- Their tail is longer than its body.
- These rats are black or brown with a whitish or gray belly.
- Roof rats tend to nest in trees and vegetation, but will also nest in attics or wall voids. Roof rats also nest in the ground, if Norway rats are not in the same area.
- Roof rats will feed on snails, nuts or fruit.
