Rodent Control Done Right For Anaheim Properties

Characteristics Of Common Rodents

The common rodents in Anaheim have many similar behavior patterns. Let's start by talking about these similarities and discuss how they relate to rodent control done right.

• Rats and mice are continually looking for food. They are scavengers and opportunity feeders. If you leave food out, they may decide to live in your yard. Providing a food source will also encourage them to explore your exterior, which may lead them to enter your home.
• Rodents eat human food that is planted in your yard. It is essential to keep rodents out of your garden. You can do this by installing a fence. Make sure to insert the fencing material at least a foot into the ground to prevent rodents from tunneling under the material. 
• Rats and mice aren't picky eaters. They'll eat decaying food. The scent of decaying food attracts them. Make sure all trash is in covered containers and make sure not to overfill your containers. Overfilling will prop the lids up and allow entry for a small animal, like a rat or mouse.
• Rats and mice have poor eyesight and must rely on their other senses to navigate. If you have clutter in your yard, it will promote rodent activity. Rats and mice use their whiskers and fur to feel their way around your yard. Clearing ground objects deters them.
• Rats and mice are thigmotactic. That's a big word that simply means: they like to touch stuff. They don't just use their sense of touch for navigation. They love to squeeze into tight spaces. If you have gaps in your exterior, you can expect rats and mice to explore them. We'll discuss how to exclude rodents in a moment.

Different species of rats and mice behave in slightly different ways. It is helpful to understand the differences as well. Here are a few characteristics worth mentioning.

• Norway rats have a preference for digging their burrows under piles of junk. Avoid inviting an infestation by clearing junk from your yard.
• Roof rats climb trees, work their way up pipes, and climb rough exterior surfaces. If you hope to keep roof rats out, you'll need to consider all potential entry points, low and high.
• House mice are tiny rodents. If you have a hole the size of a pencil, it can chew on it and make it large enough to squeeze through. 
• Rats are large rodents, but they can fit through gaps that would surprise you. A rat only needs a gap the width of a quarter.

Now that you're armed with some basic facts about the rodents in Anaheim, let's look at what rodents do on your property and inside your home. The more you understand the behavior patterns of rats and mice, the better your chances of controlling them will be.

Rodents Spread Disease And Damage Property

There are many ways rodents can harm you by accident. We'll quickly run down through a few important facts you should know and explain how they relate to effective rodent control. 

• Rodents crawl in sewer lines. When they do, they can pick up harmful microorganisms associated with disease transmission. In urban areas, they can come up within broken pipes underneath structures. When they do, they don't just present a mysterious infestation, they are a serious disease risk.
• Rodents sometimes eat the waste of domesticated canines, which can cause them to have diseases. Animal waste is not a preferred food source, but rodents eat what they can find. Picking up pet waste in your yard will deter desperate rodents and reduce this health concern.
• Rodents get into walls and chew on wiring. A cut wire can spark a flame. At the first sign of trouble, contact someone who knows how to get rodents out of your walls. Don't take any chances.
• Rodents chew on building materials. The repairs can cost you money, but other issues may arise as well, such as water damage, mold, and mildew. Routine inspections can help you stay on top of tracking damage done by rats and mice. Catching damage early may allow you to bolster your defenses before rodents enter your home.

One of the most practical ways you can keep rats and mice out of your home is to block their access. We've touched on exclusion here in this section. Now, let's expound on how exclusion work can provide exceptional protection.

Five Effective Rodent Exclusion Tips

There are many ways to exclude rodents from your home. We're going to cover the five most important exclusions you can apply. Let's start with the one a rodent control expert can help you with.

1. Rodent-Proofing

Are you handy? If so, you can use a caulking gun, some wire mesh, a couple of cans of expanding foam, metal flashing, and hardware cloth to patch potential entry points. The best place to start is around utilities. Rats and mice commonly squeeze through gaps around water mains and PVC conduits.

2. Home Repair

There are many ways you can use home improvement to keep rodents out. Patch damaged screens. Repair rotted wood. Replace weatherstripping around exterior doors. Realign doors that don't seal properly. Unscrew the strike plate and move it back to allow your door to create a tighter seal when it closes. Replace door sweeps that are worn out, or install them where they're missing. Install vent covers. 

3. Block Routes

When rodents get into your home, they aren't done chewing. You can make their job a lot harder if you seal indoor holes and gaps. For example, the gaps around the pipes that enter in under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. You can frustrate rats and mice and make them go back outside where it is easier for them to access food.

4. Guard Your Gutters And Pipes

Your downspouts don't just allow rainwater to run out and away from your exterior. Those downspouts are a potential route for rodents to get to your roof. Put wire mesh into the openings to deter them. Your pipes are another way rodents might get to your roof if you have pipes that run up the sides of your home. Install guards to deter them. Many of these guards look like upside down ice cream cones.

5. Trim Branches

Tree branches can provide access to your home if they hang near your roofline or touch wires that connect to your home. Trim these branches to deter rodents. If you can't get up there, you can try one other trick. Install metal flashing around the trunk of the tree. A patch of metal flashing that is a little over a foot high will prevent rats and mice from climbing. They can't grip the surface or leap past the material.  

Many of these exclusions are best accomplished by you or a private contractor. When you contact a professional, like A1 Bonded Termite, you'll be given two options: rodent proofing and population control. Rodent proofing, also referred to as exclusion work, will patch the holes rodents are using to enter your home and access indoor spaces. Population control is mostly a bait solution, but we'll make suggestions based on what we find during your inspection.

The Key To Total Rodent Control For Anaheim Properties

If you want no-hassle rodent control you can trust, it pays to get professional rodent control in Anaheim. A trained and experienced technician uses a multi-pronged strategy to counteract the natural behavior patterns of the rats or mice causing trouble, trap and remove rodents as needed, exclude rodents from continuing to access your home, and address rodent populations around your home. For rodent pest control in Anaheim, A1 Bonded Termite can help. We do much more than provide industry-leading termite control. Our technicians address all of the common pests in our area, including rats and mice. Give us a call to schedule a service visit or drop us a line on our contact page. We offer all the services you need to get rodent control done right.