Austin, Texas, is known for a lot of things. It is known for its outstanding food, amazing live music venues, and friendly residents and business owners. One thing Austin is lesser-known for is rodent infestations. Anywhere homes and businesses are built close together, rodents are likely to be. The question is, are these pests a year-round problem, or is there a time of the year when they go away? We are here to answer this question today and provide some helpful tips to keep these furry pests off your Austin property.
Problems Rodents Cause
You can break up the problems that rodents cause into three categories – annoyance, destruction, and danger. Here is a basic description of how rodents accomplish each of these things around Austin homes.
- Annoyance: Rodents do their best to stay out of sight but will occasionally come out into the open and startle a homeowner. This encounter can be horrifying, especially if you have a fear of mice or rats. On top of scaring homeowners, rodents also make noise at all hours during the night scampering through wall and ceiling voids. If you are a light sleeper, this could be enough to drive you mad.
- Destruction: Rodents have incredibly sharp teeth, which they use to chew their way through homes. If a rodent isn’t chewing through drywall, siding, roof shingles, etc., then they are gnawing on furniture or other valuable items throughout a house. As a general rule, if something is in a rodent’s way, they will use their sharp teeth to chew through it.
- Danger: Rodents are not the cleanest of pests and are often loaded with dangerous disease-causing organisms that they spread through their fecal matter and urine. Inside homes, rodents spread these organisms in the backs of cabinets, around pantries, and over food. Some common diseases rodents spread include hantavirus and salmonellosis. In addition to spreading diseases, rodents also carry fleas and ticks into homes. These parasitic pests are dangerous in their own way with the diseases they transmit, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and murine typhus.
Signs Of A Rodent Infestation
Although rodents are good at staying out of sight, they are not always the best at hiding their tracks. If your home has a rodent infestation, here are some signs you might find:
- Grease marks along baseboards
- Pellets of fecal matter in the backs of cabinets and around pantries
- Small urine stains
- Holes chewed through walls
- Gnaw marks on furniture
- Electrical outlets mysteriously stopping working
- A musty, ammonia-like smell in the air
- Live rats or mice crawling around inside your home
Five Simple Rodent Prevention Tips
- Seal your home’s exterior by filling in entry points with caulk and some steel wool, repairing damaged window or door screens, and installing metal screens over exterior vents.
- Address moisture issues around your home by fixing leaky pipes, repairing broken gutters, and eliminating sources of water buildup.
- Keep clutter to a minimum and eliminate debris in and around your home.
- Clean your house regularly and thoroughly.
- Invest in proper storage for leftovers and food stored in cardboard boxes and or plastic bags.
To make your rodent control journey easier, get the experts at Accurate Termite And Pest Control involved. Our team has the tools and equipment needed to remove these pests from your home and the experience to keep them out. The only question you have to ask yourself is, are you looking for the best? If so, we are your choice.
Call us today to find an affordable and effective solution to your rodent invasion or for other pest problems. Learn about our rodent control solutions, and more pest control services in Austin, TX.