1127 Reviews
We have all kinds of rodents that make appearances in our yards. Furry-tailed rodents, like squirrels, will scramble up trees and bound across your lawn in search of nuts and seeds. Cute rodents, like chipmunks, will explore stacked wood and brush piles and zip around in your landscaping. Ground rodents, like gophers, will spend almost all of their time underground, but when you see one waddling through your yard, it can be fun. While these rodents can definitely become pests, they don't hold a candle to rats and mice.
Today, we're going to ignore the furry-tailed rodents, cute rodents, and ground rodents and focus on two types of rodents that present the most problems for you when they come onto your Nashville property. Let's take a look at the problem.
Why Rats & Mice Are Such Pests
These two critters don't stay in your yard. They find their way into your Nashville home. When they get inside, they reproduce quickly and create lots of problems. The worst part is that they're difficult to trap and remove. There is no easy fix when it comes to rats and mice.
The Secret To Effective Rodent Control
Rats and mice are motivated by food. They want to be close to food and they want to find locations that have plenty of food. You can naturally manage rodent activity by removing food options outside, and also on the inside, of your home. You might think that rats and mice eat your garbage, and you would be right. But that is far from the only food source you can have on your property.
While it is certainly important to protect your garbage in covered containers, here are a few more food sources you should consider addressing:
-
Rodents eat seeds. If you have bird feeders, you're going to attract more than just the attention of birds. It is best to remove bird feeders or move them to at least 20 feet from your exterior.
-
Rodents eat nuts. The furry-tailed rodents in your yard aren't the only rodents that like acorns and other nuts. If you have nut-producing trees, it is essential to clean the nuts up.
-
Rodents eat fruit. If you have garden fruit or fruit trees, stay on top of the clean-up.
-
A hungry rodent will eat insects and other invertebrates. If you have lots of insects on your property, you can attract rodents. You can reduce invertebrates by replacing white lights with yellow lights and by staying on top of moisture issues by cleaning out your gutters.
Keep in mind that different rodents have different dietary preferences. As an example, mice love fruit, but rats will generally only start getting into garden fruit when available sources of meat have been depleted. Unfortunately, it is not nearly as straightforward as we'd like it to be.
Rodents Hide In Your Yard
When rats and mice explore your property, they prefer to find lots of clutter, stacked wood, brush piles, leaves, and more. If your yard is clean and orderly, it will be resistant to rodent activity. As you consider the places rodents can hide, you should also consider voids underneath structures. These can be protected with fencing materials. Install the fencing at least a foot below the surface to keep rodents from tunneling under.
Exclusions
When rats and mice explore the exterior of structures on your property, you want to make sure they don't find any tiny openings. A mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime and a rat can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. And if they find holes that aren't big enough, they have strong teeth that can make small holes larger. When you use a caulking gun, expanding foam, hardware cloth, and other materials to seal entry points, you create a natural barrier that will deter rodents.
Get Help When You Need It
There are all kinds of rodents in your yard. If you need help identifying what rodents are active on your Nashville property, or you need help getting control of them, reach out to All-American Pest Control. Our service team members perform thorough inspections to locate rodent activity and conducive conditions. They strategically place down tamper-resistant traps to capture and remove rodents. This isn't an overnight process.
Rodent management requires ongoing inspections and trapping until the job is done. Our Nashville pest control team members will proactively follow up to ensure that all the pest rodents have been eliminated and controlled on, and inside, your property. If you have questions or you would like to schedule a service visit, reach out to us. We have the answers you're looking for, and we can often give quotes right over the phone. When it comes to rats and mice control, our service team knows what works. Reach out today to get started, and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Nashville.
We're Ready To Help
Call Our Office or Complete the Form To Get Your Customized Quote
