Rodent Control Made Simple For Salt Lake City Homeowners

Attempting to capture rats and mice is often a frustrating experience. These two types of rodents are particularly clever. If you hope to have success, your strategy must have several components. You'll need to remove attractants that bring rodents onto your property, limit where they're allowed to hide, remove potential routes that allow them to get into your home, and keep them from accessing your food. It is a complex process, but we're going to make it simple today. We'll look at the common rodents in Salt Lake City, explain why they're a threat to health and property, show how to implement an effective prevention strategy, and lay out how rodent control works to address these problem pests. If you need advice regarding rodents in Salt Lake City, remember that you can always contact us and speak with a pest professional directly. We can help you get to the bottom of your rodent problem or put a management plan in place that will give you the best chance of never having a rodent problem. Jump to our contact page for assistance.

Types Of Rodents Common To The Area

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Considering all of the rodent species in our region is complicated. The simple approach is to consider the types of rodents we have, and how these unique kinds of rodents dwell in your yard and attempt to get into your home.

Some rodents dig burrows and may live in your yard while entering to search for food. Norway rats fall into this category. These are big rodents that eat robust food sources, such as nuts, meats, fruit, vegetables, bugs, and human food in trash receptacles. Urban rodents can take to eating the waste of domesticated canines—though it isn't a preferred food source. Removing food options, applying fencing, and managing ground objects can deter these rodents.
Some rodents live in tree holes and do well in attic spaces. Squirrels and roof rats are great examples. These rodents use tree branches, utility wires, pipes, and downspouts to get onto roofs. Once on your roof, they will exploit vulnerabilities up there. The trick to dealing with these potential pests is food management, yard work, tree trimming, and application of deterrents. Examples of deterrents are guard cones on pipes or metal flashing installed around tree trunks.
Some rodents are house rodents. They enter homes, explore every level, and can live off the food they find indoors. We'll call these house rodents. Of all house rodents, the house mouse is the worst. It is a tiny animal that lives off crumbs and morsels. An exterior food source that commonly invites a mouse problem is seeds. Mice eat different kinds of seeds, including bird seed and grass seed. These little pests love to hide in wood piles. Removing wood sources near your home and eliminating other favorable hiding places will get you started with mouse control. You'll also want to remove food if possible.
Some rodents occasionally enter homes but go right back out (in most cases). Chipmunks are an example of this type of rodent. General exclusion work, such as the application of expanding foam, will keep these animals out.
Some rodents never get into homes. Voles and gophers fall into this category. They live off food sources found outside. They aren't opportunistic eaters. But, while they won't invade your home and cause indoor trouble, they can create lots of problems if you want to maintain a beautiful lawn and landscaping.

As you can see, each type of rodent is a bit different. If you're looking to deter rodents from living on your property or prevent them from entering your home, you need to use the knowledge given here to counteract their natural behavior patterns. We'll provide some specific tips in the prevention section below. First, let's look at why it is important to do the hard work of rodent prevention.

Rats, Mice, And Other Rodents Can Be Very Dangerous

While rodents are different in their own ways, all rodents present a danger to you and your pets. We won't spend much time on this. We'll just cover the most important facts you need to know regarding rodent-related dangers.

Rodents pick up ticks, fleas, and other parasites. When they move about on your property, they can create conditions for your dog or cat to pick up these organisms. If you have a rat, mouse, or squirrel problem, these animals can bring parasites into your home. So, even if you don't have a pet, you can have trouble with ticks and fleas.
Rodents that enter your home are not domesticated. They will not go outside to do their business. They will leave fecal matter and urine within your home. Their waste can damage insulation, stored furniture, and other items, but the primary concern is contamination. There are diseases associated with rodents. The diseases vary depending on which rodents have infested your home. Always wear protective gloves and a respirator when cleaning rodent waste.
Rodents climb in unsanitary places, such as garbage bins and sewers. When they enter your home, they can spread harmful microorganisms when they touch surfaces or get into stored foods. Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens can spread in this way.
Most rodents are not threatening. They have no interest in attacking you or biting you. But rats can get agitated when threatened and are known to bite. If you have children, you should have this on your radar.

Rodents are wild animals that are best kept out of your home and off your property. Let's use the facts we shared earlier to look at a smart and simple strategy for preventing rodent problems.

Five Effective Rodent Exclusion Tips

We've covered a lot of ground and laid down the foundation for how rodent prevention and exclusion work to keep rodents out. It is time to bring all the pieces together and show you how simple it is to understand effective rodent control in Salt Lake City.

1. Reduce Food Options

Rodents want to live near food. If your yard has limited food options, rodents are less likely to live on your property. You'll also reduce rodent activity. For example, a squirrel will search your yard for nuts. You can't stop that. But putting nuts out for the squirrels can increase squirrel activity and lead to accidental trouble with these generally unobtrusive rodents.

Remove bird feeders.
Pick up fruit and nuts as soon as possible.
Guard fruit and vegetables with fencing material.
Keep exterior trash covered.
Clean trash receptacles to remove smells that can attract rats and mice.
Pick up pet waste.

2. Reduce Hiding Places

There are many common places rodents like to hide. If you know where they hide and how to deter them, you'll have fewer rodents exploring your exterior and looking for entry points.

Move wood piles away from your exterior.
Remove or store dead branches in a container.
Install hardware cloth around the bases of sheds and decks.
Trim landscape vegetation near the base of your plants.
Remove leaves and other organic debris from your landscaping.
Apply appropriate amounts of mulch.

3. Reduce Routes To Your Roof

Many rodents are good climbers. If they find a route to get up onto your roof, they can find a way into your attic. It is best to prevent them from doing this.

Apply pipe guards and metal flashing on trees as described above.
Insert wire mesh material securely inside your downspouts.
Trim tree branches that hang near your roofline.
Apply a spikey material where your utility wires touch your home.

4. Pest-Proofing

Rodents explore holes and gaps. You can deter them from getting into your home simply by removing enticing holes and gaps.

Replace protective materials around exterior doors, such as weatherstripping and door sweeps.
Patch damaged window or door screens.
Use expanding foam to fill in rotted wood holes or gaps between wood members.
Apply screen material over vents, even if you don't think rodents can get to them.
Fill in gaps around water pipes.

5. Reduce Indoor Food Access

When a rodent enters your home and finds food, it will want to stay. While some rodents can use your home only as a home, others select your home based on the availability of food. Here are a few quick tips.

Clean and deep clean.
Protect indoor trash with covers.
Store certain foods in sealed glass or plastic containers.
Establish a meal time for your dog or cat.
Consider only eating in the dining room or kitchen.

All of these tips and tricks take some effort, but with dedication, you can keep rats and mice from entering your home. When rodent pressures are high, and more control is needed, a bait program may be needed. Contact a licensed pest management professional to institute a bait program. If you're in Salt Lake City, contact Uinta Pest Solutions for service options.

The Trick To Stress-Free And Effective Rodent Control

Whether you need an effective bait solution or rodent control inside your home, it pays to contact Uinta Pest Solutions for rodent pest control in Salt Lake City. We offer stress-free and effective solutions. We use field-tested methods and deploy strategies that take into consideration the behavior patterns and food and nesting preferences of common rodent pests. We'll make sure no rats or mice remain inside your home or other structures on your property. Connect with us today to learn more or schedule a visit from one of our knowledgeable and friendly service professionals. We can help!