Rodent control in Kittitas County can be a major headache if you don't have the right pest control team on your side. The good news is that keeping rodents out of your house doesn't have to be a hassle with help from the experts at Prosite.
Common Rodent Species: Identifying Different Types Of Rodents
Here in Washington, we've got our fair share of rodents. Some of the species that live in our area don't prefer to infest homes and will stay outside where they belong. However, you will run into a few key rodent varieties that will either invade your yard and do outdoor damage or invade your home, which is much worse. Some of the rodents you may encounter are:
- Rats
- Mice
- Squirrels
- Voles
- Chipmunks
- Gophers
The damage different types of rodents can inflict varies widely. For instance, voles and gophers can damage the roots of plants in your yard and dig holes, but they're usually not going to do much worse than that. Rats and mice, on the other hand, are much more dangerous.
Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage
Common rodents in the Pacific Northwest, such as rats and mice, pose a dual threat. First off, the property damage that they can do is significant. Indoor rodents, like all rodents, have teeth that never stop growing. This means they have to file them down by chewing on hard items all the time.
Whereas outdoor rodents might chew on wood or tree bark, indoor rodents will chew on plumbing fixtures and even live electrical wiring. This can lead to water damage and even spark house fires when live wires contact insulation. Speaking of insulation, this is another item rodents love to destroy because they shred it to build their nests in it. An untreated infestation of rodents can damage all the expensive insulation in your house.
And all this is to say nothing of the diseases that rodents spread. This is the second part of the dual-sided rodent threat. Rodents have no compunction about leaving feces and urine inside your food stores and on your food prep surfaces, and they shed contaminated hairs and skin cells virtually everywhere they go. This can infect you with a variety of often serious illnesses.
Proactive Rodent Control: Preventing Infestations Before They Begin
It is a lot easier to prevent than to get rid of rodents. Once you have an established rodent infestation, it is almost impossible for you to eliminate it without professional help. However, there are ways to keep rodents from entering your home.
The main thing you will want to do is make your home less attractive to rodents. Eliminate easy food access by storing your pantry foods in hard-shell, airtight containers. Tightly cover all garbage cans on your property. And never leave pet food or dirty pet bowls sitting out.
You will also need to exclude rodents by covering construction gaps with metal mesh and ensuring all exterior damage that rodents could use to enter your home is repaired. Following these best practices can make invading your home inconvenient enough that it encourages rodents to move on.
Professional Rodent Control: The Best Way To Keep Mice And Rats Away
Unfortunately, if you wind up with rodents, eliminating them won't be easy. Most store-bought rodent control products are ineffective against breeding populations. They may temporarily reduce your home's rodent population, but they will not eliminate the entire infestation. The only way to do that is by contacting professional rodent exterminators. The experts at Prosite are just a click or call away!