Massey Blog

Rats and mice are rodents that are very common in the Southeast. They tend to enter homes in search of food and shelter and will eat any kind of food that people eat. They can also contaminate 10 times as much food as they eat, with urine, droppings and hair. In addition, they are known carry at least 10 different kinds of diseases, including bubonic plague, murine typhus and bacterial food poisoning.

When rodent-proofing your home, it’s important to keep in mind that rats can squeeze through holes ½ inch wide and mice can get through a hole ¼ inch wide.

Here are a few rodent-proofing tips:

• Rodent-proofing requires the use of rodent-resistant materials. These materials include sheet metal (26 gauge or heavier), perforated metal (24 gauge or heavier with openings no more than ¼ inch), hardware cloth (19 gauge or heavier with openings no more than ¼ inch) and brick with mortared joints.
• Seal openings around pipes with sheet metal or concrete.
• Be sure to block all possible rodent entry points such as the bottom of doors, pipe entry holes, ventilation pipes, roof vents and eave vents.
• Proper sanitation is a very important factor in rodent control.  Be sure to cleanup any trash or rubbish around your property which could support or harbor a rodent population.  Keep garbage cans sealed and eliminate any areas of standing water.  Do not leave open food items out including pet food.

For more information on preventing rats and mice from entering your home, contact Massey Services for a free, detailed inspection and written analysis.