Rodent Rundown: Keeping These Dangerous Pests Away From Your Del Rio Property

There are many critters that can come into your yard and explore your exterior walls. The worst animal pests are the ones that get inside and explore your home from top to bottom. Today, we're going to give you a rodent rundown. We'll tell you the common rodents in Del Rio, what these pests do on your property, and what you can do to keep them out of your home. We'll end by telling you how to address a rodent infestation in your home. If you'd like advice about a current rodent infestation or you want to know how to reduce rodent activity around your home, speak with one of our agents. Your Gold Star Exterminators are here to help. We provide smart, results-based pest control in Del Rio. With that said, let's get started with our quick rundown of common Del Rio rodents and what you can do to keep these critters out.

The pest rodents in Del Rio are grouped into three basic categories. We have field mice, roof rats, and Norway rats. Let's look at each and discuss how different kinds of rodents have different behavior patterns.  

Field Mice: There are several kinds of mice that are considered field mice. They're given the name because they live in ground holes and concealed hiding places in fields. When they come onto your property, they will look for similar hiding places in your yard. They'll hide under leaves and dead branches. They'll tuck themselves into a hole underneath a pile of firewood. They'll enter your home and live inside wall voids. The worst of all field mice is the house mouse because these mice love living inside our homes with us. You can expect a few things from a house mouse:

• They live on crumbs.
• They have strong teeth that help them go from wall voids to pantries.
• They are expert climbers and are able to go up and down through wall voids
• They can get the moisture they need from many of the foods they eat.
• They eat 15 to 20 times a day and prefer to live close to food if possible.

Roof Rats: These are black, mid-sized rats that love living inside man-made structures. They have poor eyesight and prefer nighttime activity. If you could see in the dark, you would find roof rats doing many of the same things squirrels do, only they can do these things in utter darkness. Have you ever seen a squirrel run along a wire? Roof rats do this. Have you seen a squirrel scramble up a tree? Roof rats do this too. Sometimes, squirrels get inside homes by exploiting vulnerabilities on roofs and along rooflines. Roof rats don't only do this, they'll also climb inside walls and gain access to food on the first floor of your home, which squirrels don't do. Here are a few more facts about these rats:

• They require robust food sources, such as meats, cheeses, cereal, and dry dog food.
• They prefer to live in attics and are often found nesting in rafters.
• They can live in your attic and feed only on outdoor food sources if needed.
• They typically go up and down through wall voids to access pantries and kitchens.

Norway Rats: These ground rats are quite different from roof rats. They tunnel in the ground and create burrows. In nature, Norway rats live in their holes and are opportunistic eaters. They'll dine on dead animals, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and more. In your yard, they'll do the same thing if they can. Here are a few more quick facts about Norway rats.

• Norway rats are typically brown.
• They like to make burrows under objects that are piled on the ground.
• They typically enter through gaps around pipes and other ground-level entry points.
• They can go in and out of structures or nest within wall voids.
• They're looking for meats, cheeses, cereal, dry dog food, and other robust food options in your home.

Now that you know a bit about the common rodents in Del Rio, let's discuss some of their behavior patterns. Knowing the problems rodents can create on your property can motivate you to deter these potential pests from entering your home.

The Problems Rodents On Your Property Can Create

Mice and rats present similar problems. Problems increase with large population sizes, so in this respect, house mice are the worst of the three common rodent pests in our area. They reproduce quickly and live on scraps. Problems can also increase with the size of rodents, as a bigger rodent can chew through things that would surprise you. The worst rats are often Norway rats because they gnaw on the concrete around foundation penetrations to enter homes. Here are a few more facts to consider:

• Rodents are attracted to decaying wood and can turn tiny gaps into ugly holes.
• Rodents have sharp claws and can tear up window and door screens.
• Rodents can pull on soffits and damage roof penetration seals, which can create openings that lead to moisture damage or mold.
• Rodents rip up insulation in attics and damage stored items in attic spaces. An attic that is rarely visited is ideal for rodent habitation.
• Rodents get into food storage areas and are attracted to the scent of food. You can deter rats and mice by keeping your food in sealed plastic or glass containers.
• Rats that explore your yard can present a small risk to your dog or cat. They may bite your pet if cornered or startled.

These facts can help you with your rodent pest control, but there are other ways rodents are a problem. They spread harmful bacteria, ticks, fleas, and worms. They chew on wires inside walls, thus presenting a fire hazard. They contaminate areas with their feces and urine. It is best to keep these critters out of your home!

Simple Rodent Exclusion Tips That Work

Now that you know everything you need to know about common rodent control in Del Rio, what can you do about rodents? What is the best way to keep them out of your home? Here are three ways you can exclude rodents from your home. These steps work together to provide you with the best DIY rodent exclusion. 

Remove Ground Clutter: Rodents have poor eyesight and use objects on the ground to get from one place to another. An open yard is hard for a rat or mouse to traverse. They can't explore your yard easily, like a squirrel does.

Remove Hiding Places: Rodents hide in protected places to guard themselves against predators such as birds of prey. They hide under your back deck or shed. They hide inside brush piles. You can remove hiding places by applying fencing material to protect voids and by removing wood debris.

Apply Pest-Proofing: Rodents make small holes larger but don't typically make new holes from scratch. While mice are little rodents that can make tiny holes in weatherstripping, they aren't likely to do so unless they first see a little starter gap. Make sure your exterior doors have complete seals. Patch cracks in your foundation. Fill in gaps around your water main and wire conduits. Fix damaged screens. 

Block Routes: When rodents run along wires, they can't overcome obstacles as easily as a squirrel. If you apply a guard on a wire, a roof rat may turn around and go back the way it came. When they climb pipes on the sides of your home, the same is true. A guard can stop them in their tracks. When they explore your downspouts, a clump of wire mesh is enough to keep them from climbing up your downspouts. Trimming tree branches away from your roofline can stop roof rats and prevent them from having easy access to your roof.

Reduce Food Options: Rats and mice eat many food sources found in Del Rio yards. They nibble on bird seed, grass seed, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and food inside trash receptacles. Clean up food sources, protect gardens with fencing, gird fruit trees with metal flashing, and manage trash to reduce rodent-attracting scents.

Sanitation: A clean home is resistant to rodent activity. When rats or mice get inside, you want them to have trouble finding crumbs and morsels.

Protect Food: Rats and mice can smell the food inside cardboard or paper packages. Storing food in sealed containers traps the scent of the food inside and helps to prevent rodents from gnawing on your packages and getting into your food.

Diligent management of attractants, application of pest-proofing, and constant sanitation are your tools to keep rodents from living in your home with you. If you don't have the time or energy to stay on top of these things, rodent control products are needed. These products are best applied by a certified technician because there are many ways rodent control can fall short and achieve undesirable results.

The Pros To Know For The Best Rodent Control For Your Home

Are you in Del Rio? Gold Star Exterminators can help you with all of your rodent control needs. Our licensed technicians create comprehensive control strategies and leverage many products and methods to get rodents out of your home. We also help with pest proofing to create physical barriers to stop rodent entry. If you don't have a rodent infestation yet, getting started right now with ongoing pest control can prevent one. It pays to have routine service visits to guard your exterior and keep pests out. We can also install and maintain tamper-resistant bait boxes on your property for the highest level of protection. Contact us today to learn more or to get answers to your rodent control questions. We're here to serve you.

Gold Star has been spraying our house for a few years now and I can't express how much it has helped.  I was spraying Demon WD myself and barely made an impact on the scorpions and spiders.  after they started doing it, we have very few sightings now.  Great company.