Rodent Control is a Serious Issue for Valley Residents
June 4th, 2012
Rodents are arguably the most adaptable mammals on earth. Approximately 1,300 species make up the Family Muridae, which are considered commensal rodents. These pest rodents are able to live and populate in most corners of the earth largely by way of synanthropy, meaning “to live with man.” We have inadvertently provided pest rodents with everything the rodent needs to thrive by building shelter and providing multiple food sources. Rodents will feed on everything from pet food to agricultural product and what they do not eat they destroy by contaminating food supplies with their urine and feces. Building infrastructure is also at risk when rodents attack wiring that can shut down systems and potentially start fires.
Aside from the house mouse, pack rats and black rats (roof rats) are of great concern to homeowners in the valley. Rats are capable of causing damage to the home and creating amazingly unsanitary conditions. Both of these rats are adept at exploiting breaches in the home’s envelope merely the width of your thumb. Once inside, the insulation within the wall and attic provide perfect nesting material. Pack rats notably drag miscellaneous debris from the exterior into the home and hoard it around the nest generally for protective purposes. An example of this is a pack rat nest in the desert packed tight with cholla cactus. Beyond unwanted debris within the walls and ceilings of the home, allergens contained within rodent feces can incite asthma and other detrimental effects. Once a rodent establishes residence, the animal defecates right where it lives and when we provide Phoenix rodent control, the next is often where we discover in the highest concentrations.
Rodents spend much of their time gnawing. In fact, the term rodent is an evolution of the French verb meaning “to gnaw.” It is true that rodent incisors continually grow. In order to keep the teeth manageable, rodents use two methods. They grind the top and bottom incisors, and they find materials to gnaw. Rat teeth are incredibly strong and a stubborn rat will have no problem taking on anything from asphalt to lead. As a result, if the home harbors a rat, it is at risk of severe wire, conduit, and plumbing damage. Many of us are also familiar with the damage a rodent can do when it seeks shelter within the engine of our vehicles.
Outside of the home, two of the most popular areas for rodents to build nests are at the pool equipment and the HVAC unit. Both areas generally provide substantial shelter and protection. The HVAC unit is attacked on two fronts. The first, often we’ll find a burrow under the concrete pad the unit sits on. Second, the most damaging occurs when the rodent finds its way directly into the unit. Once inside the unit, the rodent fills it with debris and undoubtedly seeks wires to gnaw.
Naturally, residents experience heavy rodent pressure in the valley. There are some things the homeowner can do to properly control rodent activity:
1. Make sure the yard is free from debris that can be used as nesting material (i.e. sticks, dog droppings, leaves, etc.)
2. Remove any fruit from the ground and actively remove fruit ripe to pick
3. Correct any potential harborage sites such as stored stone and tile
4. Correct any excessive moisture and standing water
5. Seal food and pet food appropriately
6. Properly store garbage
7. Implement a professional control method using rodent bait in secure bait stations
8. Inspect your home regularly for any signs of activity or access points in the home
9. Hire a Scottsdale rodent control professional to inspect (especially the areas that are difficult to get to, i.e. attic)
Rodents are arguably the most adaptable mammals on earth. Approximately 1,300 species make up the Family Muridae, which are considered commensal rodents. These pest rodents are able to live and populate in most corners of the earth largely by way of synanthropy, meaning “to live with man.” We have inadvertently provided pest rodents with everything the rodent needs to thrive by building shelter and providing multiple food sources. Rodents will feed on everything from pet food to agricultural product and what they do not eat they destroy by contaminating food supplies with their urine and feces. Building infrastructure is also at risk when rodents attack wiring that can shut down systems and potentially start fires.
Aside from the house mouse, pack rats and black rats (roof rats) are of great concern to homeowners in the valley. Rats are capable of causing damage to the home and creating amazingly unsanitary conditions. Both of these rats are adept at exploiting breaches in the home’s envelope merely the width of your thumb. Once inside, the insulation within the wall and attic provide perfect nesting material. Pack rats notably drag miscellaneous debris from the exterior into the home and hoard it around the nest generally for protective purposes. An example of this is a pack rat nest in the desert packed tight with cholla cactus. Beyond unwanted debris within the walls and ceilings of the home, allergens contained within rodent feces can incite asthma and other detrimental effects. Once a rodent establishes residence, the animal defecates right where it lives and when we provide Phoenix rodent control, the next is often where we discover in the highest concentrations.
Rodents spend much of their time gnawing. In fact, the term rodent is an evolution of the French verb meaning “to gnaw.” It is true that rodent incisors continually grow. In order to keep the teeth manageable, rodents use two methods. They grind the top and bottom incisors, and they find materials to gnaw. Rat teeth are incredibly strong and a stubborn rat will have no problem taking on anything from asphalt to lead. As a result, if the home harbors a rat, it is at risk of severe wire, conduit, and plumbing damage. Many of us are also familiar with the damage a rodent can do when it seeks shelter within the engine of our vehicles.
Outside of the home, two of the most popular areas for rodents to build nests are at the pool equipment and the HVAC unit. Both areas generally provide substantial shelter and protection. The HVAC unit is attacked on two fronts. The first, often we’ll find a burrow under the concrete pad the unit sits on. Second, the most damaging occurs when the rodent finds its way directly into the unit. Once inside the unit, the rodent fills it with debris and undoubtedly seeks wires to gnaw.
Naturally, residents experience heavy rodent pressure in the valley. There are some things the homeowner can do to properly control rodent activity:
1. Make sure the yard is free from debris that can be used as nesting material (i.e. sticks, dog droppings, leaves, etc.)
2. Remove any fruit from the ground and actively remove fruit ripe to pick
3. Correct any potential harborage sites such as stored stone and tile
4. Correct any excessive moisture and standing water
5. Seal food and pet food appropriately
6. Properly store garbage
7. Implement a professional control method using rodent bait in secure bait stations
8. Inspect your home regularly for any signs of activity or access points in the home
9. Hire a Scottsdale rodent control professional to inspect (especially the areas that are difficult to get to, i.e. attic)
New Avenues
August 10th, 2010
In an effort to reach out in a more personal fashion to our customers, I have decided a regular posting written by myself would be a good way to go. It gives me an opportunity to address pest issues in a more casual tone and hopefully becomes an exciting forum for you to visit from time to time. Well, “exciting” might be a stretch, let’s go with “enjoyable.” You can expect to read facts that will no doubt prove facinating, though you may never actually find an opportunity to fluidly include them in everyday conversation. However, that shouldn’t stop you from trying. For example, one in every four species of animal on this planet is a beetle, given there are an estimated 400,000 species of beetles. Okay, now run and throw that into your next conversation at dinner. And if you’re extremely bold, try tossing it into conversation on a first date.
You can expect to see a new post on a monthly basis here at Pest Talk. This post is just the first of many that I invite you to allocate a bit of your time to reading. I’ll update this post at the beginning of each month. The post you are reading now is merely an introduction and, quite frankly, me learning my way around the infrastructure of the blog. A test run, if you will. I’d imagine the following posts will likely include pictures, tables, graphs, and so on as I become more comfortable with this social networking technology. Thank you for swinging in and I look forward to writing for you again soon. Let’s plan on September 1st for a new posting.
Yours in Small Business,
Nathan
In an effort to reach out in a more personal fashion to our customers, I have decided a regular posting written by myself would be a good way to go. It gives me an opportunity to address pest issues in a more casual tone and hopefully becomes an exciting forum for you to visit from time to time. Well, “exciting” might be a stretch, let’s go with “enjoyable.” You can expect to read facts that will no doubt prove facinating, though you may never actually find an opportunity to fluidly include them in everyday conversation. However, that shouldn’t stop you from trying. For example, one in every four species of animal on this planet is a beetle, given there are an estimated 400,000 species of beetles. Okay, now run and throw that into your next conversation at dinner. And if you’re extremely bold, try tossing it into conversation on a first date.
You can expect to see a new post on a monthly basis here at Pest Talk. This post is just the first of many that I invite you to allocate a bit of your time to reading. I’ll update this post at the beginning of each month. The post you are reading now is merely an introduction and, quite frankly, me learning my way around the infrastructure of the blog. A test run, if you will. I’d imagine the following posts will likely include pictures, tables, graphs, and so on as I become more comfortable with this social networking technology. Thank you for swinging in and I look forward to writing for you again soon. Let’s plan on September 1st for a new posting.
Yours in Small Business,
Nathan
