If you’re hearing scurrying above your head or scratching and squeaking in your walls, you may have a rodent problem. In this guide, you’ll learn about the different types of rodents that invade Staten Island homes, whether they can make you sick, how to prevent future rodent problems, and the trick to stress-free rodent control. Spoiler alert: it’s calling a professional Staten Island pest control company, like All State Pest Control, to wage war on your behalf.
Types Of Rodents That Commonly Invade Staten Island Homes
There are more than 1,500 different types of rodents in the world. In Staten Island, we primarily deal with mice and rats. The common rodents we see include Norway rats, roof rats, house mice, and an occasional squirrel in our customers’ homes.
Can Rodents In Your House Make You Sick?
Rodents in Staten Island can indeed make you sick, sometimes very sick, with the diseases they carry, including:
- Tularemia
- Hantavirus
- Rat-bite fever
- Salmonellosis
- Leptospirosis
- Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM)
- Ringworm
- Plague
The diseases rodents carry can be spread by breathing in dust that contains particles of rodent feces and urine or eating contaminated food. Coming into contact with recently-gnawed furniture can expose you to rodents’ saliva, which can also spread the diseases they spread.
Some of these diseases can hit children and the elderly especially hard and may prove fatal without prompt medical treatment. If you have any unusual symptoms and think you may have rodents in your house, see your doctor as soon as possible – and make sure you mention your rodent problem.
Easy Rodent Exclusion Tips To Prevent Future Rodent Infestations
The best kind of rodent control in Staten Island is never getting rodents in your house in the first place. Here are several tips to keep rodents outside and exclude them from your home altogether:
- Seal cracks and crevices. Rats can squeeze through holes as small as a nickel, and mice can get in through holes the size of a dime or cracks as wide as a pencil. Use silicone caulk or ¼ inch 26-gauge hardware cloth to block access.
- Cover your vents, chimney, and weep holes with hardware cloth as well.
- Clean up yard debris. Rodents like to nest in piles of brush or fallen leaves and in firewood. Get rid of excess vegetation in your yard, and move your firewood at least 20 feet away from your home. Stack it on racks 12 inches off the ground to further discourage rodents from nesting there.
- Trim your trees and shrubs. Tree branches should be no closer than six feet from your roof. Shrubs must be no closer than two feet away from your exterior walls. Branches too close to your walls and roof provide rodents with easier access to your home.
- Protect your garden. Construct a cage with hardware cloth to keep rodents away from the fruits of your labor.
- Clear out dropped fruit and nuts from trees in your yard. The less food you have in your yard, the less likely rodents will frequent it.
- Remove water sources. Fix leaky faucets and sprinkler systems. Remove bird baths. Make sure your downspout empties away from your house using downspout extenders or splash stones.
As you can see, there’s a lot of outdoor rodent control you can do to prevent rodents from moving into your Staten Island home.
The Trick To Stress-Free And Effective Rodent Control
The trick to a stress-free and effective way to get rid of rodents is that there is no trick. All you have to do is call your friendly neighborhood pest control company. All State Pest Control has more than 30 years of pest control experience, and we recently relocated to New York to serve as your pest control company. Contact us today to schedule your free inspection and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Staten Island.