Rodent Proofing 101

Mice and rats are good at getting into our homes. To prevent a rodent infestation, consider these steps to help rodent-proof your home. 

Removing Entry Points

The best way to prevent rodents from invading your home is to remove available entry points. Mice can fit through holes as small as a dime, and rats can fit through holes as small as a quarter. Not to mention, both mice and rats have sharp teeth they can use to widen gaps around your home.

The three most common places rodents enter are attics, basements, and garages. 

•  Attics – The best way to spot entry points in your attic is to check at night. With the lights off, go into your attic and see if any outside streetlight or moonlight is creeping in. Any illuminated cracks, gaps, and holes are potential entry points for pests.
• Basements – In basements, rodents may use the holes around utility penetrations to get inside. These can include around washers and dryers, HVAC units, water pipes, and cable lines. Check for gaps around these devices as well as around basement doors or windows.
• Garages – Common entry points in garages include around garage doors and windows. Check that garage doors and windows seal completely shut when closed. Foundation cracks near garage walls and driveways can also give rodents access to your home.

Once you find an entry point, seal it up. For large structural gaps and foundation cracks, this could involve replacing or renovating large parts of the house. For minor openings, install rodent-control fill fabric, like metal mesh. While caulk, spray foam insulation, and plaster will visually remove entry points, rodents can easily chew through these materials. Metal mesh and netting help seal off entry points and are too sharp for rodents to chew through.

Managing Conducive Conditions

After you’ve addressed the potential entry points around your house, it’s time to look at the conditions conducive to a rodent infestation (aka, the things attracting rats and mice to your home in the first place).

• Food – Rodents are opportunistic scavengers that feed on a wide variety of things. Fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, grains, and insects are all on the menu for mice and rats. To prevent rodents from infesting your home, store all food in sealed containers. This includes non-human food, like dog food and bird seed, as well as garbage. Trash cans with holes in them or that do not seal fully when shut are a five-star buffet to your neighborhood rats.
• Nests – Mice and rats make nests and burrows where they live communally with their young. These nests can be made inside our homes, in wall voids, attics, and basements, or outside of our homes in unused equipment (like grills or wheelbarrows), wood piles, and garden beds. To prevent rodents from building nests near or in your home, keep your yard tidy and free of debris.
• Access – In addition to entry points around the home, rodents can also gain access through overhanging vegetation and tree branches. Roof rats (Rattus rattus) infest homes by crawling across tree branches that touch or hang over gutters and roofs. A simple way to prevent these pests is to trim back the trees around your house, thereby limiting their access inside.

Other conditions conducive to rodents can include moisture problems such as leaks, flooding, standing water, or high levels of condensation. Removing and reducing these rodent attractants will help make your home less attractive and less susceptible to rodent infestations.

Calling in the Pros

The final way to help rodent-proof your home is to call in the professionals at Mosquito Squad Plus. While you can remove entry points and reduce rodent attractants on your own, comprehensive pest management and long-term protection are easier to achieve with Mosquito Squad Plus's rodent control services.

When you schedule a rodent control service, our trained technicians will inspect your property to identify signs of a rodent infestation and potential entry points that may be harder to find. Then, our techs will develop a customized, comprehensive plan to address the current rodent problem and prevent a future one. This can include leaving traps, placing bait, or providing exclusion services to help keep rats and mice out.

Rodent Control Made Easy

Our rodent control services help protect your home, your family, and your peace of mind from mice and rats. Call your local Mosquito Squad Plus to learn about available rodent treatments and receive a free quote. Services vary by location.