Rodents
About
Rodents are pests that Connecticut homeowners deal with regularly. They know our yards provide them with a place to forage for food and shelter. In the late fall, when the weather cools, rodents know that our homes will give them a warm place to nest that affords them easy access to food. Rodents have learned how to benefit from people and learned that living close to us provides them with access to their basic needs. We view them as unwanted pests because of how destructive they can be, the diseases they spread, and the food they contaminate.
Rodents live all around us in our yards and the fields, parks, and wooded areas surrounding our yards. Rodents like house mice, Norway rats, white-footed mice, and deer mice are common visitors to our properties. Curious by nature, when they are in our yards, rodents will explore the outside of our homes and scamper inside through spaces they discover in the exterior. Once inside, if your home meets their needs, they will make quick work of creating a nest. Rodents prefer to nest in dark, quiet areas, so we often find them behind walls, under floors, and in storage spaces.
To help make your indoor and outdoor spaces less attractive to mice and rats, we want to provide you with a list of our most effective prevention tips.
- Keep curious rodents out of your home by sealing off entry points. Seal cracks in the foundation, install door sweeps, place caps on chimneys, and use vent covers.
- Remove their easy access to food by keeping lids on trash cans and storing food properly.
- Cut back shrubs and bushes where rodents can hide near your house.
- Store woodpiles away from the exterior of your home.
- Rodents will feed on bird seed; remove bird feeders from your property or place them a distance from your house.
- Eliminate as much clutter from both inside and outside your home as possible to limit their hiding spaces.