There are two types of surprises; fun ones that can bring joy and smiles and upsetting ones that may cause anxiety and fear. Of course, we all enjoy a surprise birthday party or an unexpected refund check, but no one wants the be surprised by rodents darting out from behind a cabinet in the kitchen.
You probably found this article because you saw a rodent inside your home and want it out. You may also wonder if more rodents are behind the cabinets, in the closet, or underneath the house. We will give you the information you need to end your rodent problem, but the first step is to secure pest control in San Diego from Green Flash Pest Control. The licensed pest professionals in our locally-owned, family-based company have over 25 years of combined experience in the pest control industry. When you partner with us, you have a company dedicated to quality customer care and child and pet-friendly pest control methods.
Signs Of Infestation: How To Identify Rodent Activity
Rodents in San Diego are warm-blooded mammals with a pair of upper and lower constantly growing incisor teeth. The types of rodents that infest many San Diego properties are Norway rats, roof rats, field mice, house mice, gophers, and ground squirrels. Since these rodents operate at night or under the soil, you may think it is impossible to detect an infestation, but that is not correct.
These are signs of a rodent infestation on your San Diego property:
- Holes in walls or floors
- Droppings
- Odor
- Pathways
- Grease marks
- Tracks
- Damage
- Rodents
House rodents (rats and mice) leave droppings the size of olive pits to cylindrical 1/8 to 1/4-inch pointed or blunt-ended pellets. They deposit fecal matter along the pathways they create from their nests to food sources. Walls and other objects along the runways often have grease marks from the animal's dirty fur and are usually damaged by the rodent's need to gnaw to maintain their incisor teeth. If the area is dusty, tracks from their four and five-toed feet may be visible. Because rodents urinate as they travel, infested areas have a musty odor from the pheromones in the urine.
Ground squirrels occasionally invade homes by chewing holes in the aluminum siding, wood, or vinyl to gain entry. Destroyed attic insulation, ductwork, odor, and droppings are indicators of their presence. Gophers do not invade homes, but they create havoc in the yard. Dying plants, mounds, and holes in the yard are signs of gophers.
Green Flash Pest Control licensed service professionals have the tools, experience, and knowledge to remove any rodent species infesting your San Diego property.
Rodent Dangers: Health Risks And Property Damage
Because rats and mice do not mind sharing the same living space, they are particularly dangerous to humans. Disease-causing organisms stick to their oily fur as they forage in sewers, drains, trash piles, etc. Also, when they consume decaying, pathogen-infested foods in these unsanitary areas. While in these areas, fleas, ticks, mites, and lice jump or crawl onto the rodents.
When they enter San Diego homes, they taint eating and cooking surfaces, utensils, towels, and other items as they rub against them, urinate, defecate, or gnaw on food storage containers. Furthermore, the parasitic hitchhiking insects move from the rodent to the carpet and bedding inside the home, waiting for a host.
Leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), tularemia, salmonellosis, and rat-bite fever are examples of the diseases rodents carry. Fleas and ticks spread tapeworms and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and other sicknesses to humans and pets.
Due to their need to gnaw, all rodents cause property damage ranging from holes to electrical fires. Outdoor rodents destroy plants and the landscape; they also cause tripping hazards.
Green Flash Pest Control protects your family and property by providing effective rodent control in San Diego.
Rodent Exclusion Tips: Safeguard Your Property from Infestations
Once Green Flash Pest Control ends the current infestation, you don't want to invite rodents back onto your San Diego property. Avoid a future rodent invasion by implementing these rodent prevention tips:
- Keep indoor and outdoor garbage containers closed
- Remove debris and standing water from the property
- Install wire mesh screens of the attic and crawl space vents
- Prune tree branches and shrubs away from the house
- Install door sweeps
- Seal holes in the foundation and roofline
- Place underground fencing around shrubs, trees, and flower beds (gutter protection)
When a Green Flash Pest Control licensed San Diego home pest control service professional inspects your property, we can provide additional exclusion tips specifically for your location.
Professional Rodent Control: The Safe Way To Remove An Infestation
After we learn about the rodent infestation on your property, we dispatch a service professional to inspect the location. During our investigation, we search for entry points, attractants, hot spots, and rodent infestation signs. We will use strategically placed traps and monitoring devices to end the infestation.
We incorporate Integrated Pest Management solutions to eradicate the current problem and prevent future rodent invasions. We seal entry points, repair insulation destruction, and sanitize infested areas. Contact Green Flash Pest Control to schedule a free inspection and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in San Diego.