How many times a year do rodents invade your home? Once? Twice? More? Maybe you are here today because you have heard of how annoying, dangerous, and destructive rodents are and you want to make sure they never get into your Massachusetts home. Either way, we have some things you should know. Here is how to identify mice, rats, and squirrels on your Western Massachusetts property and why professional rodent control is the way to control these pests.
How To Identify Rodents
There are dozens of species of rodents that call Western Massachusetts home. We have small rodents. We have big rodents. We even have rodents that dig tunnels underground. Thankfully, only a few wild rodents in our area have a habit of breaking into homes. The three that are most common are squirrels, mice, and rats. Identify these pests inside your Western Massachusetts home by the signs they leave behind. Here are a few you should know about.
- Holes chewed through walls
- Holes chewed through boxes of food
- Torn up insulation
- Ripped and chewed fabrics
- Shredded paper
- Pellets of fecal matter in the backs of pantries, cupboards, and in other secluded areas
- Gnaw marks on furniture
- Random electrical outages due to chewed wires
- Leaks inside your walls due to holes gnawed in utility piping
- Scampering sounds late at night coming from your wall and ceiling voids
- Urine stains and odor
- Grease marks on baseboards
One thing you should know is that squirrels tend to stick to attic spaces and only use homes as a place of shelter. Mice and rats regularly roam throughout homes, mostly at night, to scavenge for food and moisture.
The Downfalls Of DIY Rodent Control
There are many reasons you should not try to handle a rodent infestation on your own. The first is that DIY doesn’t always work. If you use snap traps, rodents may learn how to disarm them and eat the bait without getting harmed. Sticky traps are just as ineffective and are a much less humane way to handle rodents. If you invest in larger traps, you may run into the issue that they do not catch rodents as fast as these furry pests can reproduce. What we are trying to help you avoid is money getting out of your bank account faster than rodents getting out of your home.
Another way people try to handle rodents is with rodenticides. This is one method that we strongly discourage. If used improperly or in the wrong amounts, rodenticides are a threat to human health and are strong enough to seriously injure or kill pets. Unless you yourself are a rodent control specialist, do not use this method.
Some Reasons To Choose Professional Rodent Control
One common misconception about professional rodent control is that it is expensive. The truth is, getting rodents out of your home has never been more affordable. At American Pest Solutions, we offer our clientele advanced rodent control at prices that will not break the bank. If you are in need, let one of our trained pest technicians come out and inspect your home and property. We will evaluate for signs of an infestation, inform you of our findings, and talk you through how we plan on solving your problem (if you have one). We will also recommend some long-term options to prevent rodents from invading, year-round.
Contact our team today to discuss your options with one of our friendly service representatives. We will help find what you are looking for and schedule an appointment for your Western Massachusetts home.