Simply stated, the best way to get rid of mice, rats, and any other kind of rodent from your Tennessee home is to hire a competent pest control company to get the job done. There are certainly a few things you can do yourself to minimize the problem. However, do-it-yourself methods will rarely eliminate your rodent problem completely.
Rats, for example, are extremely cautious about anything new that suddenly appears in their environment. This means any kind of mouse trap, poison, or repellent you set around the home will likely be avoided altogether. You might entice a victim or two with cheese and assume you’re winning the war. But, in reality, you may have only scratched the surface.
Mice and Rat Reproduction
Unless you manage to eliminate every rodent in your home, they will always be able to reproduce. Rats and mice are prolific breeders. The females sexually mature after just a couple months and are capable of producing 6 to 12 pups per litter, which requires only about three weeks of gestation.
Within 48 hours of producing a new litter most females again come into estrus and are ready to repeat the cycle. It has been estimated that a female may produce as many as 15,000 descendants in one year, including the offspring of her offspring.
Does Mice and Rat Prevention Work?
Once rats are in the home, it will be nearly impossible to stop their reproduction. Not to mention the subsequent contamination of foods and other household items. Prevention might be the single best thing a homeowner can do to protect a house from a rodent infestation. In other words, you have to keep them from gaining entry to the home in the first place.
To do this, seal all cracks and openings around the home where a rodent could easily gain entry. This can be difficult as rodents’ body types make it easy for them to squeeze through openings that seem too small for them.
Another prevention method is keeping foods securely enclosed in glass or metal containers. Grains, cereals, fruits, and vegetables are incredibly enticing if left exposed for mice and rats. Keeping cardboard out of the house is also advisable – rats love chewing on it. Garbage cans outside and inside the home are like magnets for rats and act as powerful lures.
How to Deal with Your Mice or Rat Problem
Best case scenario, you can prevent mice and rats in your home with these methods. But, once they have gained entry to the home, it can be a real problem trying to control them no matter what strategy is adopted.
The only sure way to solve the problem of an infestation after it has already occurred is to hire a skilled pest control professional, like U.S. Pest. Our knowledgeable pest technicians will visit your home and determine how these rodents are entering the home and discuss the approach that will permanently rid the home of all rodents.
If you need pest control services in Middle Tennessee, contact U.S. Pest and receive a free inspection today. Our certified pest control professionals will work with you to eliminate pest problems in a timely and effective manner.