Orange County Pest Control

Aug. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Rats & Mice Extermination & Orange County Pest Control
Wheelers Orange County Pest Control follows the Center for Disease Control Guideline for Rat Cleanup

Rats and mice are some of the most troublesome and damaging rodents in the United States. They consume food and contaminate food with their urine and droppings; they damage structures and property, and transmit parasites like fleas, lice and mites. They also transmit a number of diseases to other animals and humans. Rats chewing through wires are known to cause over 50,000 building fires per year with another 100,000 plus fires that are probably caused by rodents chewing through home wiring.

Rodents invade your home or building in search of shelter, food, water and warmth. Without intervention, their numbers can increase 10, 20, 30 fold or more in a few months. So you will need to make a choice when you suspect rats have colonized your attic, subarea, walls voids, under patios , porches and other hard to reach places.

Because their instincts make them wary of new things in their area, rodent control, like trapping and baiting may be a time consuming task and may be a failure for those that don't know how to control these animals. Calling in a professional exterminator with the experience of getting rid of rodents and getting rid of rats as soon as possible can save you time, money and headaches.

Call Wheeler's Orange County Pest Control  Exterminators to solve your rodent control problems.
The following will help educate you and what should be done if you have rodent problems. It will take you through the types of rats we have in Orange County and Los Angeles County, how to spot a potential rodent infestation, rodent proofing, habitat modification measures to take, baiting, animal trapping and general biology of these animals.

Norway Rats
This animal is sometimes called brown or sewer rat. It is a stocky burrowing rat that is larger than a roof rat. This rat burrows along building foundations, beneath rubbish or woodpiles, and in the and around gardens and fields. This rat will line their nests with shredded paper, cloth, or other fibrous material. When a Norway rat invades buildings, they usually remain in the basement or ground floor.

Roof Rat
This rat is sometimes called a black rat. They are slightly smaller than the Norway rat. A roof rat's tails is longer than their heads and bodies combined.

Roof rats usually live and nest above ground in shrubs, trees, and dense vegetation such as ivy. In buildings, this rat is most often found in enclosed or elevated spaces in attics, walls, false ceilings, and cabinets while rats are much larger than mice, young rats can be confused with mice. While both rats and mice gnaw on wood, rats leave much larger tooth marks than those of a mouse.

Spotting a Rat Infestation
Rats invade your landscaping, unless your house is truly rodent proof, it is only a matter of time before you find evidence like droppings indoors. Experience has shown it is less time consuming to control rodents before their numbers get too high.

Check your yard and home thoroughly. If you can answer yes to any of the following question you may have a brewing rodent problem:

Do you find any rodent droppings on the concrete around your home or business?
Do you hear noises coming from the attic or walls just after dusk?
Have you found remnants of nests behind appliances, draws or behind boxes?
Does your dog or cat bring home dead rats?
Do you a flea or mite problem but have no pets?
Is your dog or cat losing its hair in large patches?
Is there evidence of rats or some rodent feeding on the fruit on your trees?
Do you see rat burrows among plants or near garbage cans?
Do you see rats traveling along utility lines, fence tops or in trees after dusk?
Are there grease smudge marks caused by the rats rubbing their fur against beams, rafters, pipes, and walls?
Have you removed dead rats or mice from your swimming pool or hot tub?
Do you see droppings on the insulation in your attic?
Is the door sweeps on the garage door damaged or looked chewed on?
Sanitation
Sanitation is basic to control and must be continuous. If sanitation measures are not maintained, the benefits of other measures will be lost, and rats will quickly return. Good housekeeping in and around buildings will reduce available shelter and food sources for Norway and, to some extent, roof rats. Garbage, trash, and garden debris should be placed in garbage cans with tight-fitting covers. Pet food should not be left outside. Always store pet food in rodent-proof containers.

For Roof rats, thinning dense vegetation will make the habitat less desirable. Climbing hedges such as ivy, star jasmine, and honeysuckle on fences or buildings are very conducive to infestations and should be either thinned or removed if possible, overhanging tree limbs within 3 feet of the roof should be trimmed back.

Rodent Proofing
"Building rats out" is the most successful and long lasting form of control in buildings. Seal cracks and openings in building foundations, and any openings for water pipes, electric wires, sewer pipes, drain spouts, and vents. Use sheet metal, stainless steel mesh to cover possible entry points. No hole larger than 1/4 inch should be left unsealed to exclude both rats and house mice. Make sure door sweeps, windows, and screens fit tightly. Because rats and house mice are excellent climbers, openings above ground level must be plugged. Rat proofing against roof rats usually requires more time to find entry points than for Norway rats because of their climbing ability. Roof rats often enter buildings at the roof line area so be sure that all access points in the roof are sealed. If roof rats are travelling on overhead utility wires, Contact the utility company for information and assistance with measures that can be taken to prevent this.

Rat Proofing Check List:
Repair or replace damaged ventilation screen around the foundation and under eaves.
Provide a tight fitting cover for the crawl space.
Seal all openings around pipes, cables, and wires that enter through walls or the foundation.
Be sure all windows that can be opened are screened and that the screens are in good condition.
Cover all chimneys with a spark arrester.
Make sure internal screens on roof and attic air vents are in good repair.
Cover rooftop plumbing vent pipes in excess of 2 inches in diameter with screens over their tops.
Make sure all exterior doors are tight fitting and weatherproofed at the bottom.
Seal gaps beneath garage doors with a gasket or weather-stripping.
Install self-closing exits or screening to clothes dryer vents to the outside.
Keep side doors to the garage closed, especially at night.
Rat & Mouse trapping and baiting
To control rats & mice in a building is the safest and most effective method for rodent control in homes and businesses. Baiting inside homes to control rats is not recommended because the dead rats or mice may end up in the wall, attic or other hard to reach place. While trapping is generally recommended for rodent pest control indoors, when the number of rats and mice around a building is high, you will need to use either baits to exterminate large number and gain adequate control, especially if there is a continuous re-infestation from surrounding areas. Enclosed bait stations, are place around the building. They are checked and refilled every two months to maintain a steady supply of bait for the rodents.