The initial call to the property was for a customer who believed there were squirrels, rats, or mice in her home and on the outside. There was a severe smell in the basement of dead animals and activity was heard constantly in the walls and the attic. This situation can be frightening when it turns out your property has multiple infestations and wild animal occupations at once. Mice generally only occupy houses starting at the ground floor, they then breed and move their way up. The rat starts on the outside looking for a source of water. They then try to enter the house looking for food but do not stay long as they return outside to their burrows every night. This is why mice are treated with poison inside and rats are treated with poison outside. A dead mouse in the wall is no issue when you have Rodenticide bait and a dead rat outside, underground in its burrow is no issue when you have rodenticide on the exterior. Squirrels are also rodents, they can enter through similar holes as mice and rats but not only on the ground floor. They can climb and enter through the roof. Plastic roof vents are a common entryway as well as wall vents. Removing a squirrel is a human process as they are protected wildlife.
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Exterior Inspection
The exterior inspection found that previous work from another company had been done on-site. There was exclusion and a one-way door still up on the house. However, the issue had not abated yet and we were called in to resolve it permanently. The squirrel had entered through a wall vent which would need to be excluded with a one-way door that allows the animal to safely and humanely vacate while preventing it from getting back in. Rats were also present on the exterior in quantity and needed to be treated. The prices involve several large weighted tamper-proof bait stations containing single-use commercial-grade rodenticide that is also an anti-coagulant poison but take effect in one consumption as rats are not as careful with what they eat. Mice will test food to see if it makes them sick.
Interior inspection
The initial inspection of the interior found active inside the home of both rats and mice. He caught one and found a dead rat on a glue trap. The activity was high and treatment was necessary. The technician laid down multiple tamper-proof bait stations containing an anti-coagulant poison called commercial grade rodenticide that causes the mice who eat it to desiccate entirely, making it safe for them to die in the walls. The rats are too large to enter these bate stations and will be treated with snap traps on the interior. The attic inspection proved to find no signs of a squirrel.
Initial Measures
The initial measures taken by the technician included laying down snap traps in the area of high activity as well as tamper-proof bait stations containing multi-use commercial-grade rodenticide to desiccate the mice and stop the rats from dying inside the walls. Single-use commercial-grade rodenticide was placed on the exterior in large weighted tamper-proof bait stations to deal with the rat infestation on the exterior. A one-way door was attached to the main entryway the rats were using to get inside and disinfection was recommended for when it would be taken down. The squirrel was not found but the wall vent in question was excluded with black rubber coated galvanized waterproof steel vent. A second and third opening was later found under the deck. One of the holes had insulation pulled out of it which is a clear sign of an entryway as the animal has to make room for itself to get inside. An old water drain was found as well to be an entryway for rats and was sealed off to prevent further entry.
Proposed exclusion
The proposed exclusion involved attaching a one-way door to the main entryway the rats were using to get into and out of the house. This device acts as a thorough fair out of the house but then blocks through a door held up only by the exiting rat, any possible entrance by closing the door and creating a ramp the rats cannot penetrate easily. This is made from black rubber-coated galvanized steel mesh that is waterproof as well and can force the rat population out of your house. The opening under the deck had a one-way door attached to it and the other one-way door was removed and sealed off. The drain that was found open was sealed off with galvanized waterproof steel mesh and the rat activity subsided.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the extensive exclusion found is a reminder of the easy ways a rodent could use to access your home from the outside. Every home has an opening that needs to be sealed all over the house. The customers were finally free of rodents and were pleased with the results of the treatment.
