Find Out How Mice & Rats Are Getting In Your House This Fall

How mice and rats get inside homes

Mice and rats are notorious for finding their way into homes and buildings by squeezing through small openings and are highly motivated to seek shelter, warmth, and food sources. Here are some common ways mice and rats can get inside homes:

• Gaps, cracks, and openings
  Rodents can fit through some incredibly small openings, as small as a quarter inch for mice and half-inch for rats. They often enter through gaps, cracks, and holes in foundations and walls as well as openings around doors and windows. Gaps around utility lines, pipes, and conduits are also prime entry points.
• Attics and rooflines
  Even openings along the roofline or attic are not exempt from being used as a way indoors, especially if there are tree branches touching the house.
• Vents and chimneys
  Uncapped chimneys, open vents, or damaged vent screens can provide rodents with easy access to the interior.
• Open entry doors, garage doors and windows
  If doors or windows are left open or have damaged screens, it’s all the invitation mice and rats need to come inside.

In addition to the potential entry points noted above, we’d be remiss if we did not mention that rodents also hitch rides into homes inside boxes stored in sheds or outbuildings.

Preventing rodent infestations this fall and all year long

 Now that we understand why rodents are drawn to homes during the fall, let's discuss some practical steps you can take to prevent infestations.

• Rodent proof your home
  The most effective way to prevent mouse or rat problems is to keep rodents out of your home. This can be accomplished by sealing entry points, repairing small holes, and covering openings.
• Remove access to food indoors and out
  Another key component in preventing rodent takeovers is to take away their access to food sources. Open garbage cans, dirty grills, food left out on counters, crumbs and spills on the floor, bird seed in the garage, pet waste in the yard, rotting fruit, and unharvested vegetables will attract rodents.
• Maintain your yard
  Trim overhanging branches and keep shrubs and bushes away from your home. Eliminate weeds and dense vegetation around your yard. Store firewood well away from the house and up off the ground. Clear away tires, old equipment, boards, pipes, and other clutter.

When to seek professional rodent control

If you suspect a rat or mouse problem in your home, don't hesitate to contact Getem Services. Our locally owned and family-operated pest control company offers rodent control in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News as well as in communities throughout Hampton Roads and the Tidewater region.

When you reach out for help getting rid of mice and/or rats, we’ll start with a thorough rodent inspection. Much more than a cursory glance inside your home and out, we’ll inspect both inside and outdoors, including the attic and crawl space. Our goal is to identify the culprit, determine the location and severity of the infestation, determine how they’re getting inside, and pinpoint conducive conditions.

Upon completion of our rodent inspection, your pest control specialist will review findings, recommend a plan of action, and provide you with a rodent extermination quote.

How Getem Services eliminates rodents

At Getem Services, we use a combination of rodent control methods to rid homes of existing rodent populations and to prevent new rodent activity. While are services are customized to the specific situation, our initial service usually includes:

• Setting rodent traps inside the home including the attic or crawl space
• Installing exterior rodent bait stations
• Providing rodent exclusion services

To ensure the entire all rodents have been eradicated, we’ll stop by every seven days for a total of three follow-up visits. And if you see or smell rodents in traps in between our visits, just give us a shout!