Towards the end of the hot summer months is the perfect time to prepare your home for the drop in temperatures that accompany the early fall. As the temperatures cool, insects and rodents search for a warm place to hunker down for the cold winter. Unfortunately, our homes are the perfect spot where food and water sources are abundant. Mice and rats spread disease and can cause significant damage inside the home’s walls and your electrical and duct system. A-Tex Pest Management delves further into why rodents are such a problem in the fall season below.
How Do Rats & Mice in Your Home Impact Your Health?
Mice are common nuisance pests found in Austin, Texas, and once the fall weather arrives, they will start looking for ways to enter your property. Once inside, they are capable of causing a lot of damage in a surprisingly short period. Rodents spread disease and are hazardous to humans. Exposure to rat droppings and urine can expose you and your family to toxoplasmosis, which can be dangerous to immunocompromised family members, or leptospirosis, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Mice can carry diseases like meningitis and hantavirus. They can also bring fleas and Lyme disease carrying ticks into your home.
Damage Caused By Rodents
Along with their ability to transmit diseases, rodents are also capable of causing damage in your home that could result in thousands of dollars of repairs and replacements. Mice like to chew on objects, including electrical wires, which could result in a fire. They will not hesitate to chew on unopened food, leaving a trail of disease-carrying droppings and urine in their wake. Mice reproduce quickly and can give birth to 5-12 mice each year. When you think about the math, you can understand how quickly a small rodent problem can become a full-blown infestation, requiring the experts at A-Tex Pest Management to eradicate it.
How Do I Know if I Have Mice or Rats in My House?
Fortunately, mice are not very good at concealing their presence; some of the most obvious signs include urine odor and the presence of droppings. Mice are capable of excreting up to 50 droppings per day. Mice droppings look similar to small grains of black rice and are tapered at one end. Mice urine has a strong odor that smells musty. The more mice in your home, the more pungent the smell. Mice will shred paper and other soft materials they come across to build nests inside the walls. Mice will use interior walls, pipes, and ducts to travel around your home. Mice are primarily nocturnal and are most active around dusk and dawn; you rarely see them during daylight hours. If you hear noises in the walls at night, there is an excellent chance it’s mice traveling searching for food.
What Will Keep Mice Away?
Along with your A-Tex Pest Management professional pest control services, check the exterior of your home for any openings and voids and secure them with caulking. Install weather stripping around exterior windows and doors and repair leaking faucets. Keep the kitchens clean and immediately pick up spills and crumbs. Keep food stored in airtight containers. Keep grass mowed, shrubs and bushes trimmed, and block your dryer vents and overhang of your roof with screening to keep mice out of your home.
Mice & Rat Rodent Pest Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
To learn more about rodent control for your Austin, Texas, home and to schedule an appointment, contact the experts at A-Tex Pest Control today.
