What is the Goal of Inspecting for Rodents? 

• Potential nesting areas that provide shelter and safe haven for rodents. 
• Available food sources that may be attracting rodents. 
• Water sources that rodents are using for sustenance. 
• Access points that rodents are exploiting to enter the premises. 
• Problem areas with evidence of rodent activity like droppings or damage. 

Understanding these factors is essential for crafting an effective rodent management plan that is designed to eliminate the current population and prevent future infestations.  

Why You Need to Check Your Home for Rodents 

Being proactive with rodent control is endorsed by health organizations such as the CDC and EPA as the best strategy to minimize these risks. A thorough rodent control inspection by Absolute Pest Management can identify potential rodent issues before they escalate which will ensure your home stays safe and disease-free. Here’s why a thorough rodent inspection is critical: 

How to Check for Rodent Activity

Our rodent inspection process begins outside where we identify and evaluate any potential sources of shelter and resources that could attract rodents like food, water, and nesting materials in areas like overgrown vegetation, debris, or outdoor clutter. 

Once rodents find something to live off of outside, they can easily move indoors in search of more resources. Finding evidence of rodent activity outside often indicates that they may have infiltrated your home or business through easy to access points of entry. This is why our indoor inspection includes a thorough search of common infestation sites like garages, attics, basements, crawl spaces, and any other space that offers warmth, food, or water. By identifying these critical signs and potential entry points, we can formulate an effective strategy to address any rodent issues. 

Signs of Rodents

Recognizing signs of rodents is key to managing an infestation effectively. Vigilance is necessary because these signs are often subtle and can be overlooked without a careful eye. Here’s what to watch for: 

• Rodent droppings: Fresh droppings are soft, dark, and moist. They become harder and lighter with age. A greater number of droppings indicates a larger population. 
• Tracks: Look for footprints or tail marks in dusty areas or mud. Rodents typically have five toes on the hind feet and four on the front. 
• Gnaw marks: Rodents can gnaw through several common building materials including wood and drywall. Mice leave clean-cut holes while rats create larger openings with jagged edges. 
• Runways: Well-traveled paths may be visible between nesting and feeding areas. These paths may be indoors along walls or behind objects or outside as narrow trails in vegetation. 
• Grease marks: Rodents leave greasy smudge marks along walls and beams from their oily fur. 
• Signs of nesting: Shredded materials like paper, clothing, linens, and insulation make the perfect nesting site for rodents to house their young.  
• Unusual pet behavior: Pets have sensitive ears and noses and will likely detect rodents before you do. If they act disturbed, it could be because they detect the presence of rodents. 
• Audible sounds: Scratching, squeaking, or scurrying noises, particularly at night or from inside the walls. 
• Unpleasant odors: A musky scent indicates rodent urine. 

Pest Inspection

Our process begins with a thorough inspection of your property. Our experienced technicians identify the types of pests present, their breeding grounds, and potential entry points, allowing us to understand the extent of the infestation.

Pest Treatment

Based on the inspection findings, we develop a customized treatment plan. This could involve the use of environmentally friendly pesticides, traps, or other methods, all designed to effectively eliminate the pests from your property.

Pest Prevention

After the treatment, we focus on pest prevention, which involves educating clients on how to minimize future pest problems and making your property less attractive to pests. This step is crucial in preventing future infestations.

Follow Up

We stand by our service guarantee and follow up on our treatments to ensure the effectiveness of our work. This allows us to make any necessary adjustments and verify that your rat problem has been thoroughly resolved.

Pest Maintenance

The final step is regular maintenance. We provide ongoing services to ensure that your property remains pest-free. This includes periodic inspections and treatments as necessary, giving you peace of mind knowing that your home is protected from pests.

How to Determine the Severity of a Rodent Infestation 

Determining the extent of a rodent infestation is essential for crafting an effective treatment plan. The inspection aims to identify the level of damage caused by the rodents, as this can indicate the duration and intensity of the infestation. The severity of an infestation can also be determined by the amount of activity seen on site. This could be the number of droppings found or number of nesting sites located during the inspection. By closely monitoring rodent activity, pest control professionals can devise a strategic approach that not only addresses the current problem but also implements preventive measures to ensure long-term control and prevent future rat and mice infestations. 

How to Prevent Rodents

1. Seal Entry Points: Ensure all potential entry points, both interior and exterior, are sealed off and rodent proof. 
2. Food Management: Rodents are often attracted by food. Ensure all food is properly contained, messes are cleaned, and garbage is regularly emptied.
3. Declutter: A clutter-free environment reduces potential hiding spots for rodents both inside and outside the home.
4. Vegetation Maintenance: Trim trees and shrubs near your home to prevent them from acting as pathways for rodents.
5. Eliminate Nesting Materials: Remove materials like shredded paper, fabric, insulation, or leaves, as these are attractive nesting materials for rats and mice.
6. Seek Professional Help: Regular pest maintenance will ensure that preventative measures are taken, and signs of rodent activity are noticed immediately which can prevent a full-blown infestation. 

Tools Absolute Uses to Check for Rodents 

Absolute Pest Management equips its rodent inspectors with tools to detect and address the presence of these elusive pests. We utilize UV LED lights which can highlight rodent urine to reveal trails and frequent traffic areas that might otherwise go unnoticed. This technique is particularly useful for pinpointing areas at high risk of disease transmission. 

To monitor and confirm ongoing rodent activity we deploy various traps including glue traps which immobilize rodents on contact, snap traps that deliver a quick solution, and live traps for those who prefer a catch-and-release approach. The traps are strategically placed in areas where rodents are most likely to be. Continual capture of rodents indicates active infestations which signal the need for further remedial action to get rid of rodents completely.  

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