Rats and mice can carry a variety of diseases, including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis, Salmonella and plague. They also are known to chew on electrical wires, creating a fire hazard. Commercial pest control Sunshine Coast is really helpful in businesses like hotels and offices.
Here are some tips for keeping rats and mice out of your yard:
Fill any holes or gaps in your home’s foundation with caulk or steel wool to prevent rodents from entering.
Clean up clutter in your yard. Rodents like to hide and nest in debris piles.
Do not place trash cans near the side of the house or in the yard. If you must store trash outside, use metal cans with tight fitting lids.
Store firewood away from the foundation of your house and off the ground to keep rodents from nesting there.
Mice and rats are pretty bad, but squirrels and chipmunks can be worse. They’re more active and run around your yard leaving messes and destroying plants. Squirrels are probably the worst. They’re destructive, obnoxious, vicious and often carry rabies.
There are a number of things you can do to keep rodents out of your yard, including some tips you might not have heard before. Let’s take a look at what you can do to keep your landscape rodent-free.
Use Rodent Repellents
There are a number of rodent repellents available on the market that you can use to discourage rodents from entering your yard. Most of these products contain natural ingredients that will send the rodents running without harming them or the environment. You’ll need to reapply these products often, so be sure to follow the instructions carefully.
Conduct Regular Inspections
You should regularly inspect your property in search of signs of rodents. Look for footprints and droppings, gnawed wood or wires, holes in the ground and burrows located around tree trunks and fences. Take note of any areas where you think rodents might be entering your property and seal them immediately with wire mesh and caulk. Keep your grass cut short to reduce hiding places and make it easier for you to spot infestations before they get out of hand.
The most effective way to keep rodents out of your yard is to make it inhospitable.
Keep the grass short and remove brush piles, garbage and other hiding places. Store firewood at least 20 feet from the house and keep it off the ground.
If you have a water source such as a pool or pond, install a fence around the water, at least two feet high with a skirt extending six inches below ground level. Also, use a piece of hardware cloth to cover any drains in the area.
If you have fruit trees and would like to keep that fruit for yourself, install bird netting over the tree or remove fallen fruit daily.
Mice and rats are good climbers — they can get in through holes in eaves and gaps around vents and pipes. Seal holes with steel mesh (not screen mesh) or caulk. Be careful not to block chimney flues or airflow vents that are needed for appliances.
If mice are already living in your house, block all of their exits except one. Set traps near that exit, along any walls where mice run (mice create trails along walls that you can see by dusting talcum powder on the floor). Use peanut butter as bait and reset traps regularly until no more mice are caught.
Rodents such as mice and rats can damage your garden and lawn. They come out at night or in the early morning to scavenge for food, leaving a mess behind. To keep them out of your yard, you must make it difficult for them to nest and feed.
1 – Remove any standing water from your yard. Rodents need water to survive and may be attracted to your yard if you have standing puddles. Drain any ponds, birdbaths or puddles in your yard that could be providing rodents with water.
2 – Keep garbage bins closed tightly and make sure the lids are secured so that rodents cannot get into it for food. Take out your trash on a regular basis so that there is less of an attraction to it.
3 – Check the area around your home for cracks, crevices or holes that rodents could fit through. Close up any openings with materials like steel wool that they cannot chew through. Look at the foundation of your home, including along basement walls and flooring, to find these openings.
4 – Trim back any overhanging tree limbs or bushes near your home so that rodents do not have easy access to the roofline of your house.
Remove sources of food for mice and rats by picking up any fallen fruit from trees or shrubs in your yard, limiting birdseed to what birds can consume within a day, securing pet food in covered containers at night and keeping garbage cans tightly covered. Click here on how to secure your foods in mice and rats.