Protecting Your Home from Wildlife, Part 1

There's nothing like giving your home a good "spring cleaning." However, as the months get colder and rodents like mice and rats look for a place to call home for the winter, you might want to consider giving your home the same thorough treatment in the fall. In their quest to find a place to nest for the winter, these rodents will do anything it takes to enter a home, including damaging wood, plastic and siding.

Hopefully, this two-part blog series on fall wildlife will provide some useful and educational information as well as tips on how to prevent them from entering your home.

Look for mice, rats and roof rats to nest in attics, exterior walls and even spaces between floors. If you hear scratching noises in these areas, you might have an infestation. All are extremely dangerous, causing additional damage to homes by chewing through electrical wires and leaving behind their waste which can spread diseases. They also rarely travel alone, bringing in other unwanted visitors into your home, including fleas, ticks, lice and mites.

Here are some tips from our experts on how to give your home a little "fall cleaning" and prevent these pests from entering your home:

• Use plastic boxes and containers and store off the floor. Organize items often to prevent rodents from residing in undisturbed areas;
• Seal all internal and external cracks and crevices;
• Check screen doors and windows for tears or holes;
• Screen vents and openings to chimneys; and
• Remove sources of standing water.

Now that you know what to be on the look for, we hope that you will put the above tips to good use. And, remember, if one of these fury intruders manages to find their way into your home, be sure to contact a pest professional immediately.

Don't forget to check out part two of our fall wildlife series!