In winter, insects do not disappear, but they remain lethargic. Although we do not see them, they are always there. The biorhythm of cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes decreases with low temperatures, that’s why they look less, but it does not mean that they are eliminated. Those that do arise with more strength are rats and mice. Unlike insects, rodents seek heat. That is why they live in the dumps of streets and vacant lots during the summer, and they get into the nearest houses where they find protection from the cold and food in the winter. And they like the house they find, they make their nest there and it is very difficult to get rid of them.
Rats and mice are all years round, but in the winter, they look for heat and food in the nearby houses where they are most protected. Rodents go up the pipes from the first floor to the top floor. They also arrive in the boxes of the parcels.
So that there are no mice in the houses, we must start by cleaning and pulverizing the vacant lots and eliminating all the garbage dumps. This can be done by the owner but when the time passes and the owner do not do it, the municipality can intimate him.
The Most Common Places Where Rats & Mice Hide At Home
The rats and mice are rodents that can live in our homes, almost without detecting them. Therefore, if we want to solve the problem of the plague of rats and mice, the first thing we must do is locate their presence and especially their main hiding places. This is not always easy since these rodents are usually nocturnal animals that take advantage of the hours when everything is dark to look for food. There is a high number of diseases transmitted by rodents, and one of the most common ways of this transmission is the contamination of our food that these rodents contact. Therefore, it is important to be very attentive and take extreme precautions so as not to consume anything that may have been in contact in one way or another with a rat or a mouse.
One of the most effective ways to detect if we have rats or mice at home is to inspect our food pantries. You may find the package of some food with small bites (flour, oats, pasta, etc.). This is a clear sign of the presence of rodents in your home. As are the presence of excrement and hair.
Of course, we should not leave any food in the air in our kitchen. We must always keep it tightly closed in a container and even in the fridge, to prevent any rodent or insect from touching it and contaminating it, with the risk that this entails for our health.
Rodents prefer places with a warm temperature and with some humidity. In these conditions, they find the best place to live. Therefore, places with a lot of holes, areas related to sanitation, behind the refrigerator or the washing machine, are perfect places for them. Also, in a house, we can find lots of small holes where they can be tucked. You just must sharpen the ingenuity to locate them.
If you suspect the presence of rats or mice at home, consult professional experts in the control of rats and mice. For the effective control of a plague of rats or mice, the first thing to do is to locate their hiding places, in order to identify the pest and know what to do.
The presence of rodents in our home or business has many negative effects. They can be annoying, cause fear in some people, can destroy our foods, but above all, can transmit many diseases. In fact, they have been the cause of many pests around the world, causing thousands and thousands of deaths. As if this were not enough, the rodents can carry many parasites (fleas, ticks, lice, mites, etc.). Therefore, exterminating rats and other rodents on time is essential.
The ways that rodents must transmit diseases are very numerous. Among the most common are: by inhalation or direct contact with droppings of rodents, scratches, bites, eating food contaminated by feces or hairs, by contact with an ectoparasite such as fleas, ticks or lice, which may have been in contact with a rodent carrier of the disease, or even through our pet if it has been in contact with the rodent. That is why extreme precautions must be taken.
Among the main diseases that rodents can transmit include:
- Salmonellosis: Rodents can carry the Salmonella bacteria. The infection is spread through contaminated food. Among its main symptoms are diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
- Leptospirosis: It is an infection caused by bacteria of the leptospira type. It is transmitted through the urine of infected animals, such as other rodents, pigs or dogs. Among its main symptoms are headache, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and rashes.
- Plague: One of the great diseases of history. It is related to the presence of rats in environments where rats are found. It can be transmitted through flea bites, infected animals or infectious particles. The symptoms can be very different depending on the exact type of disease.
- Hantavirus: It is carried by many rodents. Its effect can vary, although the most common is fever. It can be transmitted on contact with the droppings of rodents, either through direct contact or through contaminated food.
Learn more about our New Jersey rodent control solutions.