Everything You Should Know About Rodent Control In Denver

We have several types of rodent pests in Denver. Perhaps you've noticed. It is common to see squirrels climbing trees and chasing each other in our yards. It is also common to see bats fluttering in the darkening sky at dusk. Less common is the appearance of dirt piles, damage to tree bark, or runways cut through lawns. The worst of all rodent problems is an indoor infestation. When rodents enter your Denver home, they can cause problems! Join us today as we look at common rodents, rodent problems, the challenges of getting rid of certain rodents, and what works to keep rodents out of your home. If you currently have a rodent problem and need advice, we're happy to assist you. Beeline Pest Control provides wildlife management and rodent pest control in Denver. We can guide you in finding an appropriate solution for all types of rodents in our area.

Identifying a Rodent Problem In Your Home

We have two kinds of rodent pests in Denver. They are yard rodents and home-invading rodents. Yard rodents, like pocket gophers or voles, will damage your lawn but won't cause trouble inside your home. The reason they don't invade homes is that they can't find adequate food sources indoors.

Squirrels and chipmunks are occasional indoor pests. Neither prefers to stay inside your home and they are easily deterred by exclusion work and removal of food options around your home.

There are only two types of rodents that get into Denver homes and explore each level. They are rats and mice. But not all types of rats or types of mice are created equal. Some are worse than others.

• Rats: Among rats, roof rats are the worst. For this reason, they are also referred to as house rats. Why are they so bad? Because house rats enter attic spaces and often create permanent indoor nests. The other rats we commonly deal with are Norway rats. You can have trouble with these rats in your home, but they may also establish themselves in the ground outside your home. When they do this, exclusion work may keep them out.
• Mice: Among mice, house mice are the worst. The name says it all. They love living inside homes and they're really good at it. A house mouse is a tiny rodent. It doesn't require much food for survival. If you see a tawny-colored mouse in your home, that little critter is a deer mouse. A deer mouse would much rather live in a shed, barn, or garage. It prefers dirty and undisturbed habitats.

If rodents have entered your home and are causing problems, how do you know? You may have an answer for this. You may already know that rats and mice can thump around in your attic spaces or bump and scrape in your wall voids. When they do this, you'll know you have a problem. But you may not know if it is a rat or mouse problem. Bats can also get into your attic or wall voids and make these sounds. If you're curious whether or not you have a bat problem, you may find out by inspecting the exterior of your home for guano, which is the waste material of bats. 

If rats, mice, or squirrels are making noises in your home, you can look for their droppings as well. Inspect your attic. Rat droppings are slightly larger than a grain of white rice. Mouse droppings are slightly smaller. Squirrel droppings are larger than rat droppings. 

Often, domestic rodents get into homes and make no noise at all. They may also infest your home without leaving signs in your attic. When this happens, you'll have to roll your sleeves up to find the evidence in other places. 

• Inspect your pantry for holes the size of a nickel or quarter. 
• Look for tiny footprints on dusty surfaces.
• Look for grease marks on baseboards or the tops of pipes.
• Pull your oven out and look for droppings on the floor behind or a small hole in the wall.
• Watch your dog or cat to see if they act funny when in the kitchen.

When you detect a rodent problem, the next step is to consider the implications of having rodents in your home. Rodents aren't harmless woodland critters. They create serious problems inside Denver homes.        

Rodents Can Cause Problems In Your Home

It isn't good to have rodents in your home because all rodents have teeth that continually grow and need filing. You can expect a rodent to gnaw on many things. That is the first way they cause problems.

• Rodents gnaw on wires and may sever a live wire. The result can be a structure fire.
• Rodents gnaw on wood and other materials to enter a home. These holes can allow rainwater to leak in and mold problems to begin.
• The holes created by rodents allow other pests to get in and move about inside your home.
• Rodents collect materials for their nests and damage your home and belongings. 
• In your attic space, rodents can live inside mattresses, couch cushions, desk drawers, boxes, and other hiding places within your stored belongings.
• As rodents explore your home, they continue to chew holes.
• Rodents contaminate the areas they explore. They leave droppings, urine, and invisible microorganisms collected in their fur.
• Rodents bring ticks and fleas into attic spaces, and rats and mice spread these pests around inside homes.

We could go on, but you see the point. Rats and mice are cute animals. They're also relatively small when compared with other wildlife. But they can create big problems in your home. How big? We can't say. It depends on many factors. You may have hardly any trouble with rats and mice, or you could have a rodent army growing inside your walls.  

Why It Is So Hard To Get Rid Of Rodents On Your Own

Rodent control is a challenge, and Denver residents often find themselves frustrated, tired, and overwhelmed when dealing with rodents. Backyard rodents are mysterious pests that live in the ground. They're hard to track and hard to stop. The worst rodent pests are rats and mice. They hide in wall and floor voids and it can feel impossible to trap and control them. Here are a few reasons why:

• Mice are the most common indoor rodent pests: Many people try to capture them with traps, but if you grew up on cartoons, you may think the best food source to use is cheese. If so, mice will disappoint you. They don't prefer cheese. You need to use nuts or rice to capture mice effectively.
• Rats and mice are clever animals: Even if you use the right bait, you may deploy your traps wrong. Doing so can lead to trap-shy rodents in your home, making them harder to control when you eventually contact a licensed pest professional. When rodents are harder to control, the cost of professional rodent control is likely to increase.
• Rats and mice breed quickly: Rats can produce six litters a year, with about five to ten pups in each litter. Mice can produce five to ten litters a year, with an average of eight pups in each litter. It doesn't take long for rodents to grow a significant population inside your home. Even if you have some success capturing them with traps, they can grow a population faster than you can remove them. 
• Rodent control requires a multi-pronged strategy: Traps are not a complete solution. You can capture rats and mice continually and not arrest an indoor infestation. You must address the reasons for your infestation so that rats and mice stop getting into your home as you work to remove the rodents that have already gotten inside.  

Another way rodent control fails is when people use control methods that don't work at all. We're not going to go into those. Our only advise is to no believe suggestions given on the internet by unlicensed individuals. Their suggestions are often based on speculation and circumstantial evidence, which is often misleading. Your results aren't likely to match their results. Each rodent infestation is somewhat unique. 

The Best Way To Get Rodents Out Of Your House For Good

When rats and mice invade your Denver home, contact Beeline Pest Control. Our technicians use a combination of inspections, monitoring devices, traps, follow-up visits, exclusions, and evaluations to control rodents. Our technicians are trained in modern Integrated Pest Management which uses smart, eco-friendly solutions to outsmart and control pests naturally. It pays to hire someone with this level of expertise and training. If you'd like to learn more about how we do rodent control or you would like to schedule an appointment to have one of our technicians take a look at your rodent control problem, give us a call or contact us through our contact form. We'll help you find the right solution to meet your needs. You don't have to live with rodents! Help is available. Connect with us today.