Rodents and Storms
Storm damage, particularly roof damage, has caused a plethora of pest problems for North Texas homeowners. Rodents and insects alike are all swarming to residential properties and taking advantage of roof, window, and crawl space damage. Rain and wind can cause damage to your home’s exterior that provides pests easy access to sheltered areas, such as your basement, attic, crawlspace, and even walls. Thankfully, we have been in the business long enough to have a few tricks up our sleeve to prevent and eliminate rodent threats.
A little rain is enough to lead rats into residential properties. A major storm does two basic things to incite rodent activity. Storms create the need for rodents to find shelter, and storms cause home damage that acts as a shelter for rodents
In short, rodents are excellent at discovering accessways into your home. In fact, a full-grown rat can squeeze into openings as small as a quarter! This means if your home sustains any damage during a storm or flood, rodents will take advantage of the new entryways formed by cracked floors and windows.
And because there is strength in numbers, infestations after a storm or flood are even more difficult to terminate because of the sheer volume of pests.
While many pests will try to invade during storms, rats and mice are some of the most tenacious and dangerous pests you can invite into your home. There are a few ways to determine if you have an infestation versus one or two rodents.
The Smell
While one rat is an unpleasant sight to see, finding a group of rats is horrifying for the nose as well as the eyes. Rodents have no control over their bladders, so their living space quickly becomes saturated with urine and other bodily discharge. An infestation is accompanied by a strong, musty odor. If a rodent dies within your walls or attic, the smell will be much worse.
The Destruction
A rodent infestation is often followed by urine stains and other visible signs of disarray. Mice and rats chew on materials such as books, furniture, wiring, and more.
The Droppings
Rodent droppings are hard to miss. They are shaped like small, dark brown ovals. Rat droppings can be up to ¾ of an inch long, while mice droppings are smaller with pointed ends.
The Sound
With a full-blown infestation, you can often hear signs of scratching, squeaking, and rustling wherever the rodents choose to nest.
The best way to avoid a full blow infestation is to strengthen your defenses in preparation for the upcoming invasion. During and after a storm, pests will look for any possible way to find shelter. The following are ways you can prevent pests from breaking in: conduct an inspection of your home, seal or repair any weak points, eliminate food and other attractants, regularly take out the trash and seal your outdoor garbage, and immediately address water damage and seal any leaks or holes.
