Are you familiar with these top rodent entry points? Small rodents can fit through openings no bigger than a dime in most homes. They use this skill to gain unimpeded access to houses and apartments in their quest for sustenance, shelter, and roosting areas.
Finding and sealing these openings is a crucial part of effective rodent control. It is the concern that we will discuss and address in this article.
Common Rodent Entry Points to Look For
It would be best if you inspected any crevice bigger than a dime to find mouse entry points. Small rodents may be able to use these to gain entry to your house.
You need to search the area around you, including above, below, and outside your house, to locate them.
Walls and Foundations
Check for damages and holes where the siding on your walls meets your home’s walls and foundation. These cracks are frequently used as entryways.
Pipes
Plastic pipes can be easily compromised by rodents, allowing them access to your home. Another possible entry point is around the pipes that run to appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters if the cast-iron plumbing has corroded. You must call a plumber to fix these possible entry points for rodents.
Doors and Windows
Make sure there is no more than a quarter-inch of space between the bottom of doors and windows and the floor. Make sure you look around the base of any outside doors. Ensure all windows and doors in your home have screens or screen doors if you often leave them open for ventilation. Window ledges are to be avoided if at all possible.
Vents and Air Conditioning
Look into the heating and cooling system’s vents and ducts. You must seal these gaps off with a screen or other exclusion device, or they will attract rodents. The screen should be in good repair, and any nearby bushes or trees should not present a passageway for pests. Another common point of entry is the condensing unit line, a black tube that leads from the outdoor air conditioning unit inside the house.
Roof and Garage Door Seals
If trees or plants are near your home, you should inspect the eaves, gables, soffit vents, and roof intersections for openings.
In addition, the majority of garage door seals are made out of rubber.
Rats and mice have been known to chew through it on occasion. The presence of nibbled rubber around your garage door is a telltale sign that rodents may be using it as a point of entry.
Signs of Rodent Entry Points
The Points of Entry having one or more of these typical symptoms may indicate that mice actively use this part of your house as an entry point.
Even if you don’t notice any of these things near a particular crack, hole, or gap, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a potential entry point. Mice and other rodents can access your home through any openings they find, including those that are yet to become one.
Footprints
Sprinkle talcum powder or flour along the floor in areas where you think mice may be active to help locate their footsteps and traces. This way, you can see their footprints and traces on the floor’s surface.
Droppings
If you suspect you have a mouse problem, look for signs of nesting or droppings. If feces are more dried out, it means they’re older. The severity of an infestation can be gauged by the number of droppings you find.
Bite Marks
Mice frequently damage or destroy wooden items by gnawing or chewing, including door frames, baseboards, joists, and wall studs. They do this to locate suitable areas for making nests or burrows. The markings left behind by mice are typically more precise than those left by rats.
Protect your Home from Rodent Infestation
Rats and mice populate areas that provide shelter, food, and water.
Close off all water faucets and store food in airtight containers.
- As soon as food falls to the floor, please pick it up. Cleaning cutlery and dishware as soon as possible after use is recommended.
- Do not forget to stow away any uneaten pet food. The bowls of food and water should not be left out overnight.
- It would be best to store your garbage in heavy plastic or metal bins with secure lids inside the house. It would be best to wash the containers with soap and water regularly. Take out the trash and waste frequently.
It would be best to eliminate potential breeding and feeding grounds outside your house.
- Collect the trash around your outdoor area. Find a sturdy trash can without any holes and a good, solid lid.
- A clean outdoor grilling area is essential.
- Your compost bins should be no more than 100 feet from your home.
- To prevent squirrels and other rodents from raiding your bird feeder, position it far from your home and install a squirrel guard.
- Maintain cereals and livestock feed in sturdy containers with secure lids made of metal or plastic.
- Please remove abandoned vehicles further than 100 feet from your residence or have them removed.
- Keep wood piles at least 100 feet from your house and up at least one foot above the ground.
- Get rid of the overgrown vegetation surrounding your house. It’s important to have neatly clipped grass and bushes within a hundred feet of your house.
Call A Pest Control Specialist
Put a stop to rodent infestation by plugging any openings you may uncover. Use steel wool to patch up any holes you find. You can use spray foam or caulk to secure the steel wool. For larger holes, try using a lath screen or lath metal, cement, hardware cloth, or metal sheeting. Adjust the material size so you can slip it over the pipes. To prevent water damage to your home’s foundation, use flashing to seal off any openings in the trailer’s skirting. It would be best to shut off any outdoor spaces or garages to keep rodents out.
If you suspect a rodent infestation or require advice tailored to your home or situation, you should contact your state or local health department. If mice or rats have found a way into a space that you can’t access, you may want to call Universal Pest Control for assistance.
Do not put up with rodents in your Virginia Beach home any longer—get in touch with a professional agency -Universal Pest Control. In addition to rats and termites, we also get rid of bedbugs. Authorized by the BBB.