Rodent Extermination Services
Get rid of mice and rats in your home.
Professional Pest Control for Rodents
Mice and rats are excellent at hiding, and you may not realize you have them in your home until you discover rodent droppings and gnaw marks. Droppings and gnaw marks are often found in the same place.
Finding signs of a rodent infestation can be alarming, but there are many effective ways to get rid of these infestations. Lincoln County Exterminating knows what to do to get rid of rodents in your home. From traps to pet-safe bait, we have the solutions you need to keep rats and mice out of your home.
Rodents Can Spread Diseases
You don’t have to be bitten by a mouse or rat to pick up a rodent-borne illness. Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes can spread disease, as can eating food that has been contaminated by the presence of rodents.
The Centers for Disease Control lists several diseases that can be spread from rodents to humans. They include but aren’t limited to:
- Hantavirus (a respiratory virus)
- Hemorrhagic fever
- Lassa Fever (a flu-like illness that can become hemorrhagic)
- Leptospirosis (a bacterial disease that can cause kidney damage)
- Monkeypox
- Rat-Bite Fever
- Salmonellosis (which causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and stomach cramps)
- Arenaviruses (viruses that cause neurological disease)
- Tularemia (a bacterial disease)
Many other diseases, including typhus, Lyme disease, and tick fever, can be spread indirectly by rodents. In these cases, ticks, mites, or mosquitoes that have fed on infected rodents are the path for transmission of the diseases.
Steps for Keeping Rodents Out of Your Home
SEAL OFF ACCESS POINTS
Holes in your home’s exterior can allow rodents in. Plug these holes with patches or even balls of steel wool to keep rodents from gaining entry.
GET RID OF LEAF & MULCH PILES
Undisturbed leaf and mulch piles provide nesting sites for rodents. If you aren’t going to use leaves or mulch, get them off your property.
DON'T ACCIDENTALLY FEED THEM
Use kitchen garbage bins with lids that fit tightly. Regularly turn outdoor compost piles, especially when you add food scraps to the pile.
FAQs About Rodents
Q. How can I tell whether I have mice or rats?
A. Rats are not just big mice. They are entirely different species. However, size is the best way to tell the two apart. Mice are usually 3 to 4 inches long with a tail of approximately equal length. Rats can be up to 11 inches long, with a similarly long tail. Additionally, the droppings give clues as to whether invading rodents are rats or mice. Mouse droppings are typically no bigger than a grain of rice and have pointy ends. Rat droppings are bigger and rounder.
Q. How do I get rid of them?
A. Usually, traps are better than poison. That’s because a rodent may consume the poison and then die inside a wall or in some other out-of-the-way place. In these cases, you can smell the decomposition but cannot get to the body to get it out of your home. At the same time, however, you have to be careful to set traps in places where they won’t be triggered by pets or young children.
Q. I can’t deal with rodents. Can I get a professional to take care of this for me?
A. Absolutely! Pest control technicians have been trained in the placement of bait stations and traps and in the use of bait stations that are covered to be safe for children and pets. They can also identify places where rodents enter the home and seal these places off. Additionally, they may apply a rodenticide on the exterior of a home to prevent a re-infestation.
Rodent infestations can be alarming, but they are quite common. Nearly 15 million homes per year report rodent problems! Not only can the presence of these pests frighten homeowners, but they can also result in the spread of disease and make kitchens unsanitary. If you are not comfortable setting traps, call a professional pest control company. They know how to get rodents out and keep them out.