If you think you have rodents in your Marlborough home, you need to read this guide. In it, you’ll learn how to identify common rodents, the diseases and property damage rodents can cause, how and why they come into our homes, and the most effective way to get rid of rodents for good. But we won’t keep you in suspense on that last one: The most effective means of getting rid of rodents is to call the Marlborough pest control experts Bug Bully Pest Control.
How To Identify Common Types Of Rodents
There are over 1,500 different types of rodents in the world. In Massachusetts, the most common rodents you’ll find in your home are deer mice, house mice, meadow jumping mice, Norway rats, and occasionally squirrels.
All rodents have one major thing in common: They have to constantly gnaw to keep their front teeth sharp and prevent overgrowth. Mice’s teeth can grow up to four inches per year. Rats’ teeth grow up to nine inches, and squirrels’ teeth grow about six inches in that same time frame.
You can narrow down what type of rodent you have in your house by looking at their droppings. Mouse droppings are ? to ¼ inch long, rod-shaped, and tapered at the ends. Rat droppings are ¾ inch long and rod-shaped with blunt ends. Squirrel droppings are the same size as rat droppings, but they’re rounded on the ends, making them slightly resemble coffee beans.
Rodents Can Spread Disease And Damage Property
These Marlborough pests carry a variety of diseases and can cause immense property damage. Some of the diseases rodents can carry include:
- Hantavirus
- Leptospirosis
- Tularemia
- Salmonella
- Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM)
- Rat-bite fever
- Ringworm
You don’t have to be bitten by a rodent to get sick with one of these diseases. Breathing in dust from their nests, droppings, or urine can make you seriously ill very quickly. That’s why you need to be extra cautious when you clean up after rodents. Wear disposable gloves and use paper towels with an antibacterial cleaning product. After you throw everything away and thoroughly wash your hands.
The majority of the property damage rodents cause comes from their need to gnaw. They can chew through floor joists, wall studs, pipes, cables, and even electrical wires, leading to structural instability, water damage, natural gas leaks, and major fire hazards.
How And Why Rodents Find Their Way Into Our Homes
Rodents in Marlborough want to make their way into your home for the same reasons you live there: shelter, food, and water. If they’re attracted to your yard for harborage, places to build their nests, food from your garden or dropped fruit from trees, or water from leaky faucets and improperly draining downspouts, it’s only a matter of time before they sneak into your house to see what bounties they can find inside.
To know how to get rid of rodents, you first need to understand how they’re getting into your house in the first place. Mice can sneak in through holes the size of a dime and cracks no thicker than the average pencil. Rats and squirrels only need a little more space: Holes the size of a nickel will get them inside. It’s important to check your exterior walls and foundation for cracks, gaps around windows and doors, and areas where utilities enter the building.
The Most Effective Rodent Control For Marlborough Homes
The most effective rodent control is calling in the pros to help you get rodents out of your Marlborough home. Bug Bully Pest Control has more than 12 years of experience eradicating rodent infestations from area homes. We use products that won’t harm your children and pets when we treat rodents. We take great pride in being safe, local, and effective, so give us a call today to get your free estimate and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Marlborough.
