One of the most embarrassing moments while having family and friends over is spotting a rodent during your Independence Day party. Food, drinks and dessert platters are out on a beautifully decorated table. Your guests are mingling with each other having a good time. All of the sudden your family friend spots a rodent running across your living room. This is the last thing you want! You panic, your guests are a bit disgusted from the thought of consuming food from a home with rodents. If only it was a nightmare and not reality.
How to avoid an embarrassing situation? Get prepared early. Keeping rodents away requires you to practice excellent habits around your home.
5 Effective Methods
- Habitat Modification consists of skirting shrubs and bushes at least 18” off the ground. Additionally, remove clean up all the leaf litter so that hiding spots are minimized. If your planters have ground cover, either remove the cover and replace with mulch or at a minimum thin out the ground cover so that the rodent is exposed in some areas. Ground cover next to a home may be pretty but is not helpful in keeping rodents away. This allows the rats to hide under the plant material and reach the home without being seen by any predators. If there happens to be a ¼” opening anywhere along the base of the home that is hidden by the plants, the rodents will easily slip into the structure undetected.
Ground cover next to a home may be pretty but is not helpful in keeping rodents away. This allows the rats to hide under the plant material and reach the home without being seen by any predators. If there happens to be a ¼” opening anywhere along the base of the home that is hidden by the plants, the rodents will easily slip into the structure undetected.
- Some sanitation methods to help in how to keep rodents away starts with thinking about what can you do to help keep your property clean. Homeowners can keep their property free of fruit that has fallen from a tree. Pick ripe fruit off the tree as well, as quickly as it ripens. A day should not go by without you tending to your fruit on your tree or picking up those that have fallen to the ground. This pertains to your garden areas too! Rats love snails so be sure you keep your snail population in your landscaping and gardens under control as well. The goal is to provide food for your family but not for rats and mice.
Rats love snails so be sure you keep your snail population in your landscaping and gardens under control as well. The goal is to provide food for your family but not for rats and mice.
- Garbage, garbage, garbage rodents also love garbage. How to keep rodents away? Be sure your trash cans are rodent proof and closed always! They should have tight fitting lids, be water tight and rust free. Rat teeth do not stop growing so they have the need to gnaw on hard surfaces to keep their teeth chiseled down so the thicker the plastic or metal containers would be best. The lids must be closed each time they are used!
- Another effortless way to help minimize the attraction of rats to your property during your Independence Day party is to feed your pets during the day. Feed your pets only what they can eat, and then remove the bowl. Secure it in a metal or thick plastic container that is able to be tightly and securely closed. Leaving a pet food bowl with dog food out overnight is just an open invitation for nocturnal rodents. Also, this will attract larger animals like raccoons or opossums.
- Pay close attention to any bird or squirrel feeders you may have on your property. Rats and mice love seeds and sugary substances. If seeds fall to the ground, they will easily find them and visit that spot nightly since it is an easy food source. Why work for food when it is so readily provided to you! Remember that rats and mice can run on wires and climb up trees and stucco so don’t be fooled.
Should I Contact a Professional?
If all else fails, even after exhausting all of your options then it is time to contact an AIPM professional.
For more information visit our website at myaipm.com or at AIPM’s Facebook page. If you would like a free evaluation as to the likeliness of rodents invading your home, please call or email AIPM at 888-344-6567 or HappytoHelp@myaipm.com.