RODENT RUNDOWN: KEEPING THESE DANGEROUS PESTS AWAY FROM YOUR PHOENIX PROPERTY

Do you remember playing a game called "tag"? The goal was to avoid the person who was "it" by dodging and running away from them. You wanted to keep as much distance between them and you as possible. While we may not avoid our co-workers by playing tag, we try to keep rodents away.

If you have rodents in your home, you need rodent control near you from Overson Pest Control. We are a locally owned and operated company with over a decade of pest control experience. We care about our customers, and it shows by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, next-day service, and use of top-brand pest control products. If you experience a problem between our scheduled visits, we will return and treat your home for free.

You probably found this article because rodents are inside your home, and you want them out now. Please keep reading to learn what to do to stop your rodent infestation.

Common Rodent Species: Identify Rats, Mice, And Other Intruders

Rodents are furry, warm-blooded mammals with an upper and lower pair of ever-growing incisor teeth. Although some rodents (e.g., beavers, porcupines, etc.) avoid humans, gophers, rats, and mice do not mind living near people. Two types of rats invade many Phoenix homes: Norway and roof rats. These rats have brown fur interspersed with black hairs covering their 14 to 16-inch bodies. While both have the same colors and similar lengths, Norway rats have a blunt muzzle, small ears and eyes, and a round body, while roof rats have a long, thin body and large ears and eyes. Norway rats live on the lower floors of homes, but roof rats live in the attic and upper areas.

House mice are the common species in our area. These furry creatures have a dusty grey 2 1/2 to 3 3/4-inch body (not including the tail) with a cream-colored belly. These curious animals live in dark, secluded areas in nests constructed from fabrics, paper, insulation, and other materials. Gophers live outside the home underground; they are 5 to 14 inches long, have clawed front feet, and have small ears and eyes.

Our pest management professionals from Overson Pest Control know about the types of rodents that infest Phoenix properties and will identify which rodent species is causing the problem.

Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage

Rats, mice, and gophers can cause these problems at your Phoenix home:

• Landscape destruction
• Tripping or fall hazards
• Harm to irrigation or buried lines
• Contamination
• Spread disease
• Allergic reactions or asthma attacks
• Interior property damage

Rodent problems depend upon the types of rodents infesting your property, so let's discuss each item to help you determine what kind of rodents live at your location. Gophers are responsible for the first three items. They construct underground trails using their front paws and ever-grown, long incisor teeth to chew through roots and create tunnels. Not only do they eat through tubers, but they can also destroy buried internet cabling and irrigation lines.

On the surface, gophers cause plants to die because they eat the roots, which prevents the plant from gathering nutrients from the soil. Also, as a gopher digs its tunnel, it uses its hind feet to push the dirt through an opening. As a result, gophers create multiple horseshoe-shaped mounds throughout a yard, which can be a tripping or fall hazard.

Rats and mice present a different set of problems. Like gophers, fur covers their bodies, but unlike gophers, they don't live and feed underground but forage in moist, warm locations. The environment in these areas (e.g., sewers, drains, trash piles, etc.) is conducive to decay and disease-causing pathogens. As they move through these large-scale Petri dishes, bacteria and viruses stick to their oil fur. When they enter homes, the combination of poor eyesight and their nocturnal activities cause them to bump into objects, which they smear with disease-ridden materials. Furthermore, they contaminate cooking and eating surfaces and kitchen and bathroom cabinet items through their urine, feces, and saliva.

Rats and mice can spread leptospirosis, tularemia, and salmonellosis to people inside homes they infest. While these are common diseases they transmit, rats and mice have additional specific maladies they transfer (e.g., lymphocytic choriomeningitis (mice), rat-bite fever, and cowpox virus (rats)). Furthermore, ticks and fleas often hitchhike on rodents, and these parasitic arachnids and insects bring additional disease possibilities into a home.

Rodents defecate and urinate constantly as they move through a Phoenix home. When fecal matter dries, particles flake away, become airborne, and circulate through the house. Children, older adults, and those with allergy sensitivities often experience coughing, runny nose, wheezing, and chest tightness from floating fecal matter circulating through the home.

Because rodents must chew constantly to keep their incisor teeth trim and sharp, they gnaw on plastic, glass, thin metals, wood, and even concrete. Rats chew two to three-inch diameter holes in walls and floors to create easier access from their nests to food and water sources.

Rats and mice create nests in wall voids, underneath insulation, and appliances where electrical and internet wiring is present. Due to their need to chew, they eat away the protective coating and expose wires to each other and moisture, which may cause loss of internet or phone service, short circuits, or house fires.

Overson Pest Control protects your family and property from the ravages of a rodent infestation by quickly removing the offending creatures from your residence.

Rodent-Proof Your Home: Essential Steps To Keep Unwanted Guests Away

Although this is disturbing, while you sleep, a rodent may be traveling through your property as it searches for food, water, or shelter. Rats and mice reside in a home because they find these items on the property. When the weather changes drastically, or they sense food is available inside your home, they will try to enter.

To keep rodents from invading your home, you need to deter them from staying on the property, and if they should remain, barr them from entering your home by implementing the following:

• Remove debris and junk from the property.
• Clear away vegetation overgrowth.
• Provide proper drainage to low-lying areas, ditches, and puddles.
• Keep outdoor garbage and compost containers closed.
• Install wire screens on the attic and crawl space vents.
• Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the structure.
• Elevate firewood piles and move 20 feet from the house.
• Seal cracks in the foundation, around frames, and along the roofline.
• Close gaps between incoming pipes and wires.
• Place door sweeps on exterior doors.

There is no reason for rodents to stay on your property when they pass through when you implement these tips.

When a rodent travels through your property, it may sense an enticing odor from the house that attracts it. Therefore, you must vacuum the house regularly and suction out corners and cracks to remove crumbs. Clean cook and eating surfaces after meals, store food in airtight containers and put up pet food at night before bed. Also, keep the garage door closed as much as possible to prevent easy access to the interior.

Overson Pest Control will remove Arizona rodents from your house, but once they are gone, you do not want to repeat the infestation in the future.

Professional Pest Control: The Most Effective Rodent Control Solution

When some people see rodents in the house, they immediately purchase a couple of traps and hope to resolve the problem. While catching a few rats, mice, or gophers is gratifying, removing them from the traps exposes you to health risks from bits, scratches, or unprotected contact with their disease-ridden fur. Rodents, particularly house mice, rapidly reproduce, so while you may capture one or two, there are many more hidden in wall voids, discarded boxes, underneath insulation, or in other areas.

The best way to stop a rodent infestation is to secure the Pheonix pest control services from Overson Pest Control. We will dispatch one of our pest management professionals to inspect your Phoenix home for entry points, attractants, and nesting locations and to identify the rodent species infesting your house.

Once we collect the necessary data, we will create a strategic plan that targets the offending animal. For example, if we determine roof rats are the issue, we will place bait stations in the attic and upper levels of the house and install them; if Norway rats are causing the problem, we will focus our efforts on the lower floors, basement, and crawl space of the home. For gophers, we use Burrow RX to end the problem. We work to keep you safe from rodents. In addition to removing rats, mice, and gophers so you don't have to expose yourself to them, we lock and secure our bait stations to ensure they do not create potential harm to children or pets.

Removing rodents from your Phoenix home is more than strategically using bait stations because eradication also involves preventing rodents from entering your house in the future. While some homeowners will tackle the challenge of sealing entry points around their homes, we offer exclusion services for those who physically cannot or don't have the time. Whether it requires climbing onto the roof to cover vent pipes and other openings or installing wire mesh screens, we will do whatever it takes to stop a future rodent problem.

Contact us today to learn more about our rodent control program and receive a free quote. Remember, Overson Pest Control: a name you can trust.