Rodent Deterrents: Useful information on common ways to prevent rodents in your home

Believe it or not, it’s estimated that 21 million homes are invaded by rodents every winter. While you may do your best to keep a neat and tidy home, rat and mouse infestations are still a possibility! This is due to this pest’s ability to squeeze through cracks and crevices to gain entry into a home and its sneaky and elusive behavior.

When temperatures drop, rodents will try to make their way indoors for shelter, food and water. Fortunately, there are a number of preventative measures that homeowners can take to deter mice and rats from making your home their own.

As the popular saying goes, “if there’s a will, there’s a way”, and rodents certainly follow the same mantra as they seek warmth indoors during the colder months of the year. In fact, mice are capable of squeezing their bodies through openings the size of a dime while rats can squeeze through openings the size of a quarter.

Once they get inside, rodents can cause more than just an unpleasant infestation. Rats and mice can cause costly property damage by chewing through drywall and insulation, as well as the electrical wiring in your walls or vehicles. In addition to breaking the bank, this damage can pose a serious fire hazard to your property. Rodents can also pass on a number of diseases that can cause serious illness in humans and pets.

Effective rodent deterrents include sealing cracks and holes along the exterior of the home, keeping branches and shrubbery trimmed away from the home and storing firewood at least 20 feet from the home and five feet off the ground. Indoors, homeowners can avoid unwanted rodent run-ins by storing boxes off the floor and inspecting wires, insulation and walls for gnaw marks, which may indicate an infestation.

Like many other pests, rodent infestations can get out of hand quickly when left untreated. If you suspect an infestation in your home, it’s best to avoid natural mouse deterrents and instead contact a pest control professional in your area.

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Insert or link to 2-3 images to include in the article. Sources for images include Shutterstock, freeimages.com, unsplash.com, CDC (Centers for Disease Control) Public Health Library, insectimages.org or the NPMA (National Pest Management Association) website.