Pest Control Round Rock TX: Rodent Control

Rodent control and animal removal have been big topics around the office lately. The cool weather brought by the winter months will start to push rodents to look for shelter. It could be rats, squirrels, mice, raccoons, opossums, birds, bats; any of these critters will be looking for food, water, and shelter. Rodents may try to find this shelter in your home or business. Once inside these rodents will cause all kinds of damage. For effective rodent control Austin and Round Rock customers want to start by inspecting the structure. A professional pest control Round Rock TX company will be looking for weaknesses in the structure that would allow rodents to enter. These weaknesses can be small and may not be obvious to the casual observer, but don’t worry, the skills of observation are easily taught and learned. Trust me; if I can do it so can you.

So, what do we look for? We are going to focus on rats and squirrels because those are the rodents most commonly dealt with by pest control Round Rock TX companies this time of year. You want to check the roofline. Look for holes in gable vents. Gable vents will usually have screening behind them that over time will wear out or critters will just chew through. Shine a flashlight into the screen and look for any issues. Pipes and vents on the roof are also common areas of entry; these can be screened with a heavy duty wire mesh from inside the attic or from the roof. Also check roof intersects. These areas generally have weaknesses from the time of construction, which if not addressed and patched will cause problems for rodent control Austin and Round Rock customers. Once inside the attic space rats and squirrels will set up shop and have a nice warm home to spend the winter in.

Once you establish you have entrance points around the house you want to check for signs of activity inside the structure. Signs of activity to look for inside the structure will be rodent droppings, odors of urine, burrow holes, and tracks. Rats love insulation and will burrow through it. Look around the attic for hole in the insulation about the 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Squirrels hate insulation and will travel on the A/C ducts. Shine a flashlight on the A/C ducts to see tracks; they are generally pretty easy to spot. The droppings of rats and squirrels look pretty similar to most people so let the tracks or burrow hole tell you what kind of problem you might be having.

Now that you know you have a problem we need focus on animal removal. This can be a little tricky. Think about it like hunting and fishing. You need the proper tools and an understanding of how these rodents operate paired with some luck. Squirrel trapping is done with a live trap and some bait. Set and check the trap as often as possible. Commercial pest control round rock TX providers will usually check traps every 3 days or more often if the customer hears noises indicating the trap is full. Rat trapping is a little less humane and has the goal of elimination rather than relocation. Sorry. For rats the industry generally agrees that a snap trap is the most humane way to accomplish our goals. They are quick and work well. This is a method that should only be used in areas that are closed off in a way that will ensure children and pets will not be mistakenly harmed by the snap trap.

Some people are a little upset about the methods used to get rid of rats but you have to understand rat populations will drastically increase in a short span of time. These rodents can multiply at an alarming rate. A female rat can have up to 3 litters a year with 5 to 8 young per litter. Also rats can cause damage to a home by chewing through wires in the attic, increasing the chances of a fire. They also carry diseases like typhus and rat bite fever. So don’t feel bad, a snap trap is the best solution for animal removal when dealing with rats.

If any of this information makes you a little squeamish you should contact a pest control Round Rock TX company for information and pricing on rodent control austin and animal removal.