Tips

Despite the cold, the winter brings activities designed for comfort: snuggling under the covers during a holiday movie night, making hot cocoa and cookies, and roasting marshmallows over a fire. As much as we enjoy the creature comforts of winter, other creatures do the same. Disease-carrying mice and rats will chew their way through walls and windows or flatten their bodies to crawl through any tiny crack or crevice to get inside in search of warmth, shelter, and food. 

Having rodents in your home (or business) is a serious problem. Not only do common species of mice and rats wreak havoc on a building’s structure, they also carry dangerous bacteria that can put your family, friends, and coworkers at risk for allergies and infection. 

Here are the signs that rodents have come home for the holidays:

• Droppings – Since mice and rats leave droppings where they eat, you’ll often find this proof where you keep most of your food. Look for small, dark pellets in cabinets, pantries, cardboard boxes, and under sinks.
• Nests – If you see shredded paper, cotton, fabrics, or packing material lying around, you could have a pest nesting.
• Gnaw marks – Mice and rats will chew through nearly any type of material to get to food and water quickly, including plastic and lead pipes.
• Grease marks – Rats are dirty pests and their fur leaves dark grease or dirt marks along walls. Shine a flashlight onto areas of suspicion to see if any pests have found their way in.
• Noises – If you’re hearing bumps and scratches in the middle of the night, it’s likely nocturnal rodents scurrying between walls.
• Rodents themselves – Rodents are rapid breeders. Mice can get pregnant between five and 10 times a year, and rats can have up to six litters a year. If you actually lay eyes on just one of these sneaky pests, there are likely dozens of others around.

How to handle a rodent infestation: 

You may think that over-the-counter rodent treatments are a good idea, but they fail to address the source of the infestation, and many contain chemicals that can be harmful to pets, children, and people with respiratory conditions. For safe and fast removal, you need to have a professional inspection performed by a pest control expert to determine the source of your problem, seal off the rodents’ point of entry, and remove the pests from your property.

With Command Pest Control’s advanced treatments and trained technicians on the case, your property is guaranteed to be protected. Our pest control experts create custom solutions that combine effective rodent extermination treatments with long-lasting preventative care. For the best pest control services in Arkansas, contact us today and receive a free estimate.