Rodent Identification & Prevention

Rodents are part of the order Rodentia, and make up about 40% of all mammals on the earth! These pests are extremely adaptable and can live in just about any indoor or outdoor environment. Rodents are all characterized by a single pair of continuously-growing front incisors that are found in their upper and lower jaws. To prevent their teeth from overgrowing, rodents will gnaw on just about anything they can find. The most common rodents that invade homes and businesses here in Ellsworth are mice and rats.

Some of the biggest differences between these two common rodent species found in our area are as follows:

• Adult rats are much larger than adult mice
• Rats have blunt, stocky heads while mice have heads that are small and more triangular in shape
• Mice have pointed snouts while rats have snouts that are shorter and blunt

When rodents invade, they can pose a danger to both people and their property and have the potential to transmit a wide variety of diseases and bacteria to humans. In fact, rodents are responsible for spreading Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), salmonellosis, dysentery, Hantavirus, and leptospirosis. When they find their way into homes and businesses, mice and rats can contaminate the food items and the surfaces inside with trails of urine and feces.

Another danger rodents pose when they invade properties is structural damage. Due to their constant chewing habits, rodents damage pipes, wires, insulation, flooring, and drywall throughout homes. In addition, they may also destroy personal items such as books, clothing, shoes, pictures, furniture, and other items.

Rodents live on properties that offer them food, water, and shelter. A few things around your home and property that may be attractive to rodents include: garden areas, compost piles, pet food, open containers of garbage, outdoor eating areas, bird seed or wild animal feed, bird baths, clogged gutters, wood piles, areas of dense vegetation, or piles of debris. Mice and rats are a year-round problem, but they can become particularly problematic in the late fall as they seek a warm place to overwinter.

Outdoors, rats are found nesting outside in trees, woodpiles, under decks and foundations, along the banks of rivers and ponds, and in areas of dense vegetation or debris while mice are more commonly found nesting in tree stumps, woodpiles, in dense vegetation, or in the abandoned nests of birds or other small animals. When invading homes, these rodents often nest behind walls, in attics or basements, in crawl spaces, behind appliances, or underneath sinks.

To eliminate the rodents found on your property or inside your home, the best thing to do is to partner with a pest control professional like Aroostook Pest Control. Our dedicated experts will provide the quality services needed to locate and completely eliminate the rodents causing problems on your property. Here at Aroostook Pest Control, we are committed to using the best products on the market to remove rodents and prevent their return through our residential and commercial rodent control services.

To learn more about eliminating rodents from your Ellsworth home, contact us at Aroostook Pest Control today!

Preventing problems with rodents can be difficult, but there are some things you can do to deter them:

• Remove wood piles and piles of leaves in your yard
• Dispose of garbage or debris around your property where rodents may hide
• Make sure that outdoor trash cans have tight-fitting lids on them
• Place gardens, compost piles, and wood piles away from the exterior of your home
• Eliminate as many entry points as possible by sealing cracks in your foundation and exterior walls
• Fill in spaces around utility entrances on the exterior of your home
• Repair or replace loose or missing roof shingles
• Ensure that all your chimneys have tight-fitting caps
• Fix holes along your roofline and at roof intersections
• To eliminate water sources, repair leaky outdoor pipes, fixtures, or clogged gutters

For more information on our quality pest control services and how they can protect your Ellsworth home or business, reach out to us!