Rats and mice destroy stored grain, contaminate food, and spread diseases when they invade your Salado house. They are smart and can be hard to keep out. They can even set your house on fire.
Two Rats And A Mouse
None of the most common rodents that enter homes, barns, sheds, and other buildings people use are native to North America. They actually came from Asia. They spread around the world with human explorers and have difficulty living without humans. These rodents are:
- Norway Rats (Rattus norvegicus) burrow under foundations, floors, stacks of goods, and rubbish. They are usually found on ground floors or in basements. They do not like to climb. They also do not like to share; they will kill and eat roof rats and mice. Norway rats are gray above and pale on the underside. Their tales are shorter than their bodies and are dark on top and pale on the underside. They have robust bodies and are 11-19 inches long, including the tail.
- Roof Or Black Rat (Rattus rattus) are climbers. They nest in trees and attics. Roof rats are grayish-black with a pale-yellow underside. They have sleek bodies, small ears, and their tails are longer than their body. The tails are furless.
- House Mouse (Mus musculus) is grayish-brown with a furless tail. They are 5-8 inches long, including the tail. They build nests in paper and other clutter.
Damage Rodents Cause
Rodents can cause a lot of damage. They like to chew on wires and may spark a fire in the building. In warehouses, they destroy labels on products and destroy the sacks and other containers which store the contents. They can chew through water hoses, mortar, cement, gnaw pipes, and damage wood doors, floors, walls, clothing, and furniture.
Diseases Rodents Spread
These rodents don’t just destroy things. They carry serious diseases such as leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), tularemia, salmonellosis, and rat-bite fever. They spread these diseases by crawling over food, food preparation surfaces, and utensils. They contaminate everything they touch with urine and feces, and they also bite.
Rodent Life Cycle
Rodents reproduce rapidly. Two quickly become many. Norway rats have an average of 7-8 pups, and they have 4-6 litters a year. Pups are sexually mature at 3 months and live 1-2 years. Roof rats have 5-8 pups and have three or more litters a year. Pups are sexually mature at 3 months and live 1-2 years. The house mouse has 5-6 pups per litter and has 13 litters a year. They are sexually mature at 6-10 weeks and live a year.
Get Rid Of The Rodents
As you can see, unless you get every last rat or mouse in your house, you will quickly have an infestation. White Knight Pest Control can make sure every last one of the rodents in your house leaves, and none of them return. When you contact us, one of our technicians will inspect the inside and outside of your home. This will tell us what rodents are causing your problems and where and how they are getting inside. We will develop a rodent control treatment plan just for you and review it with you. Upon agreement, we will proceed with treatment.
We will do one or more of the following: place bait boxes outside, traps in the attic and other locations, and place glue boards in the garage or other locations. We will also do minor work to plug the places where the rodents are getting into your house. Call White Knight Pest Control today for a safe and effective way to be rodent-free.