Rodents live everywhere that humans live, from cities to rural areas, but when rats or mice move into your home, it gets personal. Although they’ve adapted to almost every type of habitat, rodents often prefer warmer climates, so Orlando homeowners are likely to encounter these pests in and around their homes. If you’ve seen even one, there are probably many more in hiding, so it’s important to call in rodent control professionals as soon as possible.

Rodent facts.

Most of us have a natural aversion to rats and mice, but they’re more than an unpleasant nuisance. They can, in fact, be a serious threat to our health, safety and property. Here’s what you need to know:

• Rodents need to gnaw. Their teeth grow very quickly and gnawing is how they keep them from growing too long.
• When rodents gnaw on electrical wiring, they can start a fire. They also chew on telephone and cable wires, and the wiring in cars.
• Rats and mice come into our homes for food, shelter and water. They will gnaw and burrow their way through various structures, damaging them along the way.
• Rodents will eat anything that humans and pets eat, so your first sighting may have been in or near the kitchen.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control, rodents have been linked to the direct and indirect spread of many diseases and conditions, including typhus, salmonellosis, pulmonary fever, hantavirus, trichinosis, bubonic plague, and much more. Disease is often spread by the ticks, mites, lice, and fleas that rodents carry.

Watch for an increase in rodent activity in cooler weather.

Although Orlando doesn’t get the type of hard winters that cities in northern climates do, our temperatures still get cool enough to send rats and mice indoors looking for warmth and shelter. Fall is the perfect time to inspect your home and property for signs of rodent activity, such as droppings and gnawed materials, and ensure you put up a good defense:

• Rodents need only a tiny space to enter your home, so check openings around pipes, cables, doors, windows, and wiring.
• Keep vegetation trimmed away from your foundation and outside walls to eliminate shelter.
• Store lumber and firewood on racks above the ground.
• If your garage door doesn’t tightly close (and most don’t), don’t store garbage and recycling bins in the garage, or at least make sure they have tight-fitting lids.
• Repair leaks and keep gutters clean so that you don’t offer rodents a source of water.

Rodent control measures.

While there are several options for homeowners who try to take care of a rodent infestation on their own, the most effective approach is professional rodent control from the Orlando pest control experts. The friendly, experienced technicians at Turner Pest Control will provide a free estimate for creating a treatment plan customized to your Orlando home. Call us today at 407-675-5000.