Rodent Proofing your House – Exclusion
RODENT PROOFING
Rodent populations will continue to increase in conditions that allow easy access to food and shelter. Sanitation efforts in conjunction with rodent proofing provide the best solution to reduce or completely eliminate these conditions.
Below are some simple steps you can take to stop rodents from making your home theirs…
Exclusion
Rodent-Proofing your home whenever possible is a critical step in controlling rodents. Ideally, you can control rodents by making it impossible for them to gain entry to your home. However, it may be difficult to exclude mice completely since they can pass through ¼ inch openings, approximately the size of a dime. Rats can squeeze through ½ inch openings or the size of a nickel. Any of these possible rodent access points must be inspected.
Rodent Access Points
◊ Repair all holes and cracks in foundation, walls, basements and such.
◊ Equip doors and windows with fine-mesh, well-maintained screens.
◊ Chimneys should be capped.
◊ Seals around all exterior lines leading through walls must be tight.
◊ Cover vents with metal grill-work and rust-resistant screening.
◊ Concrete
◊ Caulking
◊ Copper or Aluminum Mesh
◊ Coarse Steel Wool
◊ Hardware Cloth – 19 gauge
◊ Sheet Metal – 26 gauge thickness
Rodent Proofing your Home – Sanitation
Rodent populations will continue to increase in conditions that allow easy access to food and shelter. Sanitation efforts in conjunction with rodent proofing provide the best solution to reduce or completely eliminate these conditions.
Below are some simple steps you can take to stop rodents from making your home theirs…
Sanitation efforts involve maintaining clean areas where food is stored and keeping containers tightly sealed. Inside your home, these are an excellent start to your rodent control efforts.
Lifetime’s hit show “The Balancing Act” is presenting a segment featuring Victor’s new safer and cleaner ways of controlling your pest problems as well as many tips to help keep rodents clear from your home.
Sanitize your home to reduce rodents
Rodents must have adequate food and shelter in order to live and thrive. Removal of these 2 factors is the best way to prevent and control rodent problems. It is important to include both the outside and inside of your home in your sanitation efforts.
Indoor Sanitation
Food
◊ Clean areas under stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers.
◊ Keep counter tops clear of food.
◊ Do not leave glasses of water out overnight.
◊ Store dry food, pet food and birdseed in sealed containers.
◊ Clean pet bowls at night.
Shelter
◊ Keep storage areas free of clutter
◊ Rodent-Proof hard-to-access areas that tend to be neglected
◊ Store supplies or materials off the floor
Outdoor Sanitation
Don’t forget about maintaining the outdoors as well. Properly maintain your yard and store firewood away from your home for effective rodent control.
◊ Properly maintain landscaping – trim any overgrown
vegetation and shrubbery until ground underneath is
visible.
◊ Remove any debris – rock piles, old equipment and such.
◊ Elevate lumber and firewood at least 18 inches.
◊ Store firewood away from the house.
Why Your Homeowners Insurance Isn’t Going to Pay for Rodent Damage
Why Your Homeowners Insurance Isn’t Going to Pay for Rodent Damage by Anthony M. Peck
in Insurance / Home Owners (submitted 2009-11-20)
People have known for years that mice are bad news. They come in, they wreak havoc. They carry germs around with them. They chew through your food and defecate on your counters. Mice have absolutely no redeemable features that would inspire you to take pity on them and let them have free reign in your house this winter.Which, of course, means that’s exactly what they’re going to do.Now, if you were to ask your insurance company why, exactly, mice are coming in off the streets they’re going to commiserate with you. Bats too. Really, they’re quite impossible to keep out once they’ve made up their mind they’re moving in! They put even the most determined mother-in-law to shame! (Chances are, you’ve never found her tunneling a hole behind the bathroom sink!) They’re going to understand your situation completely.The problem is, they’re not going to help you do anything about it.Homeowners insurance rates are designed to accommodate the cost of unforeseeable emergencies. The assumption, of course, is that you’re going to take impeccable care of your home for the duration of its lifespan. Not taking care of your house is kind of like not taking care of your teeth, right? If you don’t do it right you can’t be surprised when things start falling apart.Keeping rodents out of your home falls squarely under the category of home maintenance. If you don’t properly maintain your home, checking regularly for rodent access points and closing them up appropriately when you do find them, you can’t be surprised when the little buggers start letting themselves in.That makes sense until you take a look at the cost of getting rid of them once they’re in. By the time you’ve bought trap after trap, poison, spent hours and hours cleaning and finally broken down and called in an exterminator you could easily be in the hole for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Getting them in is a lot easier than getting them out! And huge expenses associated with your home should be covered by your home insurance policy, right?Wrong.So you find yourself at an impasse. Homeowners insurance companies aren’t going to do anything to help you evict your newest tenants, and they’re probably not going to pay for any repairs associated with the damages they cause either. If your house is being taken over the best thing you can do is call in an exterminator as quickly as possible and get them out.The out of pocket cost to you, especially for repairs that would otherwise be covered by your homeowners insurance policy, just isn’t worth it.
About the Author
Tony Peck is the Director of Business Development at QuoteScout.com, where it’s all insurance, all the time. To find out more about what your homeowners insurance is going to say about your rodent problem, visit them on the web at http://www.QuoteScout.com.
Rate My Rat
There is a new website http://ratfreesubways.com/ratgallery where people can post pictures taken of rats and post them online for ratings. Stop Bugging Me Pest Control will keep your crawlpace or attic from looking like any of these pictures. Call us at 206 749 2847 for rodent removal and crawlspace cleanout.