Rodent Proofing Your Home
with Tips from Pest Detective

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

In order to keep rodents from entering your home, various access points must be secured. Pest Detective offers a few tips on handling the most common access points in your home:

• Repair all holes and cracks in foundation, walls and basements.
• Chimneys should be capped, sealed and flashed.
• All exterior lines leading through walls must be tight.
• Cover vents with metal grill-work and rust-resistant screening.

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. There are simple steps you can take in order to stop rodents from making your home their own.

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.

Clearing away unwanted debris and vegetation is another rodent proofing method. Stored firewood and climbing vines are hiding areas for rodents.

Indoor Sanitation

Rodents must have adequate food and shelter in order to live and thrive. Removal of these two 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.