Easy Steps to Prevent Rodents From Invading Your Home

There’s a rat in the kitchen, what are you going to do? Well, it would have been better to have exercised some pest control, preventing that pesky rat from entering your home in the first place. Rodents can be more than just a nuisance. They cause real damage to electrical wiring and other fixtures in your home.

Rats and other rodents come into our homes seeking refuge from the cold, particularly during fall and winter. They build their nests in crawl spaces, lofts, basically anywhere that they feel safe. It doesn’t take long for them to multiply, and you have a pest infestation on your hands.

There really is no need to despair as these pest control tips that I’ll be providing are excellent in helping you deal with a rodent problem.

1. Store Your Food Safely

Rats will be attracted to any type of food and can be quite tenacious about accessing it. Make sure your trash cans have secure lids. Keep your open food in sealed containers and don’t leave fruit and vegetables in the open. Store them in the refrigerator.

Cutting off their food supply is the first line of defense against invading rodents.

2. Remove All Sources of Water

Although difficult to achieve, you should ensure that there is no water that rodents can access. Dripping faucets and pools of stagnant water provide rats with drinking water. Obviously, they would not be able to survive if there was no water about.

3. Close Off Entry Points

Rodents can gain entry into your home through very small spaces. Do an inspection of doors, windows, and walls. Cracks and openings allow vermin to find a way into your home. Hence, it is best to try completely seal your home to prevent rodents from entering.

Using a mesh (¼” X ¼”) to seal off entry points will help ensure that your home remains rodent-free.

4. Gardening for Pest Control

Ivy and similar plants growing on walls provide rodents with a place to hide, making it easier for them to sneak into your home. They are also able to run along branches and vines to access windows. Compost piles should be kept far from the home, as this is another place where rats love to hide. Ensure that grills and outdoor entertainment areas are kept clean.

5. Encourage Natural Predators

We all know the cat and mouse game. Yes, a cat is one of your best forms of pest control. Owls, hawks, and snakes are natural rodent predators. Of course, few of us will encourage snakes into our yards, but providing nesting places for owls helps protect the species and rids your home of rodents in the process. It’s a win-win symbiotic relationship.

6. Natural or Electronic Deterrents

Ethically, using poisons and mechanical rat traps is not desirable. However, there are several natural products that rodents hate, like peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, and cloves. Most stores sell commercially manufactured natural rat repellents that work quite effectively.

An electronic rodent repellent is a device that plugs into a regular wall socket and creates a magnetic field in the wiring of your home. This can reduce the chance of rodents and other types of pests nesting in your home.