Why Are Rodents In Spring, TX So Hard To Get Rid Of?
Rodents such as rats and mice are easily some of the most frustrating home invaders in America.
Homeowners, business managers, and property managers agree that rodents should stay out of the house at all costs. Not only are these creatures able to spread a copious amount of disease, but their presence near children, older adults, and pets could lead to some deleterious effects.
Rodents are classified as mammals within the scientific order Rodentia. All rodents have varying characteristics and physiologies, although many of them can be easily distinguished by their large upper and lower teeth. A rodent’s teeth never actually stop growing, which allows them to create large and impressive dents in the wood or walls they infest. According to modern scientists, 40% of all mammal species can be classified as rodents.
Four common rodents found around Spring, TX, homes, and businesses. They include mice, rats, squirrels, and gophers. Let’s take a close look at each one and dive into the specific features that help humans tell them apart.
Rats are some of the largest houses invading rodents on this list. Up to 12 inches long in size, rats can appear in grey, black, white, and brown color patterns. These rodents have scaly tails, small ears, and very blunt noses, all of which give them a menacing appearance. Rats are also some of the most aggressive household rodents, often attacking people and pets when backed into a corner.
Mice are much smaller rodents that are usually harder to spot around homes and businesses. These rodents are around three to four inches long at most and carry small, fuzzy tails behind their bodies. Mice have large ears, long whiskers, and white underbellies. Like rats, mice live in large colonies and raise to 300 young during their lifetimes.
Squirrels are wildlife creatures that normally prefer to live in the trees and surrounding wilderness of your home. However, if they make their way into your attic or chimney, or home space, they can do quite a lot of damage. It’s easy to identify squirrels even from afar; their long bushy tails and tree climbing make them stand out in the yard.
Gophers are garden-loving rodents that love eating the leaves, roots, and flowers of your lawn. They are huge, sometimes up to a foot and a half long. The most important thing to know about gophers is that they are extremely destructive in any capacity and are large, brown, beaver-like creatures that are seen commonly on roadsides and in suburban environments.
As you might imagine, keeping any rodent around our Texas homes and businesses can be a huge mistake. Let’s take a closer look at the many dangers of rodent activity and what they can mean for human habitation.
Why And How Rodents Infest Homes
Rodents such as rats and mice have a long and belabored history with humans. In fact, the vast majority of these mammals are closely tied to human activity! If you ever wondered why there were so many rodent species present around cities and towns, it’s because of the rodent’s inability to live on their own. These pests love breaking into key food and water storage around the building. They also love overwintering in warm, dry, safe places away from the hustle and bustle. As Texas begins to enter the fall season, more and more rodent infestations will occur.
Rats and mice must infest human buildings to live, breed, and thrive in an urban environment. Rodents are certainly not picky, but they love living in areas with lots of accessible food and water. Large kitchens, humid bathrooms, and cluttered spaces all provide a significant draw. Some of the rodents’ favorite living spaces include commercial restaurants, fast food eateries, grocery stores, warehouses, distribution centers, and multi-family housing buildings.
Rodents have the ability to enter human buildings in several ways. Not only are they clever at finding methods of breaking in without being spotted, but they often use human infrastructure to get what they want.
Rats have the innate ability to slip through holes the size of a quarter. This makes it extremely easy for them to get into the house through even unexpected gaps. If you happen to have a garage door with a piece missing, or a window without some of the sealant, you could be facing a serious rodent infestation in the future.
Some rodent species, such as squirrels, can break into homes through the roof or chimney. Failure to consistently monitor these areas could lead to serious problems down the road.
Gophers get into homes by looking for tasty plants, trees, or bushes. Little or no fencing is also a plus to these hungry animals.
Not only do rodents find ways to get into almost any building or environment, but they are hazardous creatures that should be monitored at all costs.
The Dangers Of Rodent Infestations
Rats, mice, squirrels, and gophers are only a few of Texas's most dangerous rodent species. Truthfully, there are dozens if not hundreds of species that could make an appearance in your backyard, lawn, or garden.
Although many of the listed rodents' species may appear harmless or even cute at first glance, they are particularly dangerous in and around Texas homes. In fact, many homeowners fail to understand the true menace of rodent species.
First and foremost, rodents are wild creatures. Although they rely on humans and human habitation to survive, they cannot interact safely with people, pets, or their properties. Rodents are known to attack when cornered, using their strong teeth and sharp claws to rip into exposed skin. While it is unlikely that rodents have the power to maim or kill a human, their ability to cause secondary infections and disease spread should not be overlooked.
The most dangerous and destructive of rodents includes the humble rat. This creature can spread a massive amount of disease from place to place, even just by walking across a flat surface. Rats are sometimes referred to as a disease 'vector,' meaning they can carry illnesses and pathogens everywhere they go without becoming sick. Diseases are spread by rodents eating or drinking food, leaving behind waste, crawling through garbage or sewage, and otherwise biting or scratching people. Even rodent carrion leaves behind some element of illness and should not be interacted with.
Below is just a shortlist of rodent diseases spread by mice, rats, squirrels, and gophers.
Hantavirus
Leptospirosis
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV)
Tularemia
Salmonella
Typhus
Plague (sometimes called the Black Plague)
Ringworm
Rabies
It goes without saying that rodents are perhaps some of the most dangerous rodent species to have around our Texas homes and businesses. Knowing what to do to keep them out will be an important part of your prevention strategy from now on.
Prevention Techniques For Springtime Rodents In Texas
If you aren’t sure how to prevent rodent species from attacking your Texas home, you aren’t alone.
Many home and business owners in the area are unsure of how to approach early-onset prevention. If you can keep rodents away just by following all the best pest prevention processes, you will be well on your way to maintaining a pest-free home. Below are just some of the best ways to prevent rodent infestations from occurring:
Do what you can to lock up food and water supplies around the home. Strong plastic containers and glass jars are the best methods of rodent control in residential environments. Be sure to wash and dry all dishes to prevent further scouting carefully. Dishes should be removed promptly from the dishwasher, and all excess food scraped away and disposed of.
Consider ways to store garbage more effectively. All trashcans should be airtight and well-sealed, lined by a large plastic bag. Once bags are filled, collect them from around the house and store them in a large outdoor bin. These bins should be removed from the property at least once per week. Certain bags, including food, grease, or food waste, should be removed from the home much more frequently. It is important to pay close attention to trash buildup all year round.
Because rodents are such sneaky animals, it’s a good idea to find ways to caulk, seal, and close up any unnecessary entry points around the house. This includes spaces around doors and windows, cracks near fireplaces, fissures around the concrete foundations of the house, and any other mysterious holes or openings in the wall. If you feel that you cannot manage large jobs on your own, consider hiring a local repairer for additional help.
Recurring professional guidance is a strategy that often goes underutilized by local homeowners and their families. Although some do-it-yourself (DIY) strategies and home remedies can help alleviate certain rodent pressures, they are rarely enough to handle deep or reoccurring problems. Professional tools, programs, and abatements are a wonderful way to control serious infestations before they occur.
Truthfully, managing a rodent infestation around the home can be extremely difficult, even for seasoned property owners. Rodents reproduce extremely quickly, and if homeowners cannot destroy the entire infestation in one sitting, these pests will continue to breed their numbers back to their former state. Rodents are also extremely dangerous both physically and virally. Handling any species of rodent, even a long passed vector, has the potential to spread serious illnesses and diseases.
This is why the safest, fastest, and most effective way to get rid of rodents is to contact the professionals at Modern Pest Control.
Modern Pest Control Is Your First Defense Against Rodent Activity
Modern Pest Control is your local Texas provider of rodent protection, inspection, and mitigation. We have spent over 70 years in the business of eliminating pests, and we don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. From large business franchises to the smallest family home, Modern Pest Control has your best interests in mind.
From rats and mice to squirrels and gophers, the rodent protection plans built by our company are second to none. See just how our award-winning efforts make a difference around your property by checking out the Modern Pest Control rodent management process:
We start each client relationship with a thorough inspection of the property. We want to make sure that every one of the homes we treat eventually becomes pest-free. Our technicians will investigate all aspects of your home, including certain rodent hotspots. We check your bathrooms, kitchens, garages, basements, crawlspaces, greenhouses, and more for any sign of rodent activity. If an infestation is spotted or signs of their presence are clear, we will immediately execute a formal pest management plan.
At Modern Pest Control, we have many unique methods of finding and eliminating rodent concerns. Once we have identified a rodent problem and its hiding places, we can implement a targeted plan to eliminate pests via humane methods. Modern Pest Control leverages strategically-placed trapping devices that quickly exterminate even large rodent problems.
Even after our last rodent treatment, Modern Pest Control is committed to making a difference in the lives of those we treat. To help vulnerable home and business owners stay rodent-free, we offer a complementary pest-free guarantee after each treatment. If you notice rodents still appearing near your home or business, our representatives will return to treat your home for free.
Partnering with the award-winning team at Modern Pest Control is your best chance to enjoy a rodent-free life. For more information about our rodent control methods or to speak with an on-call technician about estimates and visitations, please call your nearest Texas office right away. We can’t wait to be a part of your rodent control solutions!