Rodents Invade Homes As Winter Chill Lingers

With frigid temperatures blanketing the country, homeowners aren’t the only ones seeking shelter indoors this winter. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) warns that rodents are also looking for access to warm homes this season. In fact, the NPMA reports that rodents enter an estimated 21 million homes in the U.S. each winter.

While rodents are unwelcome house-guests for any homeowner, the real concern is that these pests can cause property damage and spread disease. Rodents such as mice serve as vectors of many common diseases, including salmonella and Hantavirus, which they spread by contaminating food and food preparation surfaces. Rodents also chew through wires, in some cases sparking house fires.

Here are a few tips to keep homes rodent-free this winter:

• Seal cracks and holes on the outside of your home to help prevent rodents from finding easy entryways. Pay special attention to areas where utilities and pipes enter the home. Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
• Don't build rodent attractions near your home. Store firewood at least 20 feet from the home and five inches off the ground. Keep shrubberies cut back from the house.
• Rodents can hide in clutter, so keep areas clear and store boxes off of the floor. Keep food in rodent-proof containers.
• If you find rodent feces, hear sounds of scurrying in the walls or observe other signs of an infestation, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009 and arrange for him to inspect and treat the pest problem.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

How To Get Rid of Mice - Part Two

A mouse is capable of getting through an opening only one quarter of an inch wide. It is important to check for openings where mice can gain entry, such as openings around doors, windows, foundations, and vents. If you live in a mobile home or have a crawl space, check around plumbing pipes inside cabinets for spaces mice can get in. Using steel wool to fill in cracks and openings to temporarily keep mice out is  a good remedy.

There are various types of traps that can be used to capture or kill mice. Traps are advantageous since poisons can be dangerous, and with traps the dead mice can easily be located and disposed of. When poisons are used, the mice often die and are not found until there is an odor. Also, poisoned mice can pose a danger to pets that may eat them. A good bait to attract mice is peanut butter. It is not easily removed without setting off the trap.

Live traps can trap more than one mouse at a time, and the mice can be released without harm in another location. Glue traps will hold mice with a special glue, but they can be ineffective with high temperatures or in dusty locations. It is advised to use caution when placing any traps where pets and children can access them.

Of course, the best course of action is to have a professional take care of your rodent problem. So give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Rodent Infestation

A female house mouse can give birth to up to a dozen babies every three weeks.
Imagine having as many as 150 babies a year!

Mice and other rodents can enter a building through almost any opening or crack. It is important to inspect for rodent droppings, especially in undisturbed areas such as pantries, under baseboards and along walls.

Rodent droppings most often cause allergic reactions in human beings but can also cause disease, including the potentially deadly Hantavirus. More frequently, though, rodents serve as vectors, carrying bacteria, such as salmonella, on their bodies and contaminating food sources, kitchen surfaces and equipment.

Dave's Pest Control can offer the expertise and knowledge of rodent biology to best protect your health and rid your home of a rodent infestation.

If you're concerned that you have mice or other rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Rodent Control

Each year in the winter, rodents invade an estimated 21 million homes in the U.S. And 35% of people living in western states mentioned having problems with rodents such as rats and mice in the past year.

Wild and domestic rodents have been reported to harbor and spread as many as 200 human pathogens.

A mouse produces between 40 to 100 droppings per day, while a rat produces between 20 to 50 droppings a day.

Pest Triva:

• Did you know mice can jump a foot high?
• Rats can squeeze through a space as small as a half dollar.

If you're concerned that you have rodents in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
A Central Massachusetts Pest Control Company
www.davespestcontrol.net

A "Mischief"

Did you know that a group of rats is called a "mischief?" And did you know that there is an Indian temple, overrun with rats, where people go to pray with the rats who they believe to be deceased loved ones reincarnated as these rodents?

Whether it is the man on "Hoarders" living with 2500 rats, or NPMA expert Greg Baumann discussing the love-hate relationship with rats on The History Channel's Modern Marvels, those creatures do hold a fascination for us. (Well, some of us!)

However, it is important to remember that rats do pose health threats. Rats are vectors of disease, often contaminating food, and can cause many serious illnesses and diseases in human beings.

If you're concerned that you have rats in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Keep Mice Out This Winter

It's cold outside and mice are looking for a warm place to go this winter. Now, mice do not migrate to Florida (unless they hitch a ride with a human snow bird, that is). So watch this video for a few tips on keeping mice out of your home this winter. Of course, you can always give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

If you're concerned that you have mice "wintering" in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

Pest Health Threats - Part 7

Rodents can enter a building through almost any opening or crack. It is important to inspect for rodent droppings, especially in undisturbed areas such as pantries, under baseboards and along walls.

Rodent droppings most often cause allergic reactions in human beings but can also cause disease, including the potentially deadly Hantavirus. More frequently, though, rodents serve as vectors, carrying bacteria, such as salmonella, on their bodies and contaminating food sources, kitchen surfaces and equipment.

Dave's Pest Control can offer the expertise and knowledge of rodent biology to best protect your health and rid your home or business of a rodent infestation.

Call Dave at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

Keep Pests Out of Your Home This Winter

This is the time of year raccoons, possums, skunks, squirrels, etc. are wanting a nice dry, warm location to bed down. They bring with them ticks, fleas, mites, and more.

Our cultural and holiday activities contribute to pest infestations in our homes during the winter months. The winter clothes we bring out of storage in the attics, boxes, backs of closets, etc. may bring out clothes moths, silverfish, roaches, etc. Holiday materials bought at the store or brought out of storage may have been waiting for a year to be used.

Christmas trees may have bark beetles, aphids, mites, etc. Also, other decorations you adorn the home with may have infestations. The plants, you bring in from outside to protect from harsh weather often bring hitchhikers that are not wanted. The wood for your fireplace may carry beetles, termites, ants, roaches, centipedes, scorpions, earwigs, as unwanted guests

If you're concerned about unwanted winter pests in your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

More Autumn Pests

The cool weather initiates rodent activity around the home and announces the pre-cursor for the over-wintering insects to begin looking for that winter resting location.

The falling leaves and decaying vegetation materials accumulate around and provide food and harborage for pill bugs, millipedes, earwigs, etc. These nuisance pests then become invasive and show up inside your home in significant numbers.

If you're concerned that you have rodentsin your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

Meadow Voles

The Meadow Vole, sometimes called the Field Mouse or Meadow Mouse, is a small North American vole found across Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. Its range extends further south along the Atlantic coast. One subspecies, the Florida Salt Marsh Vole is found only in Florida, and is classified as endangered. It is also found in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Meadow Vole is active year-round, usually at night. It also digs underground burrows where it stores food for the winter and females give birth to their young. Although these animals tend to live close together, they are aggressive towards one other. This is particularly evident in males during the breeding season. It can cause damage to fruit trees, garden plants and commercial grain crops.

If you're concerned that you have voles around your home or place of business, give Dave a call at 1-800-400-6009.

Dave's Pest Control
Serving Central Massachusetts
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia