Hearing scratching of a mouse in the attic after everyone has gone to bed can be unsettling. Finding droppings in the garage, pantry or underneath a kitchen cabinet is an even clearer indication that something doesn’t belong in your home.
For homeowners in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, rats and mice can be a year-round concern. Our warm Central Florida climate, abundant vegetation and expanding residential communities provide rodents with plenty of opportunities to find food, water and shelter.
Once a rat or mouse finds its way inside, the problem goes beyond having an unwanted visitor. Rodents can affect your family’s living environment and potentially cause damage to the home itself.
How Are Rats and Mice Getting Into My Land O’ Lakes Home?
Rodents are remarkably good at finding small openings.
Gaps around plumbing and utility lines, garage doors, rooflines, vents and other openings can provide potential entry points. Rats are also excellent climbers and may use trees, fences or other structures to reach roofs and attics.
Once inside, rodents often settle into protected areas such as:
- Attics
- Garages
- Wall spaces
- Cabinets and pantries
- Storage areas
- Areas behind appliances
Food, pet food, garbage and available water can make a home even more attractive.
That’s why effective rodent control shouldn’t focus only on catching the animal you happen to see. Finding out how rodents are entering the home is an important part of solving the problem.
Rodents Can Affect Your Family’s Health
Rats and mice aren’t simply unpleasant to have around.
Rodents can contaminate areas with their urine, droppings and nesting materials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that rodents can spread diseases directly through contact with urine, droppings or saliva and indirectly through ticks, mites and fleas associated with rodents.
Diseases associated with rodents include hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis and rat-bite fever, among others.
This doesn’t mean finding a mouse automatically means your family has been exposed to disease. It does mean rodent activity—particularly around kitchens, pantries and food-storage areas—shouldn’t be ignored.
Rats and Mice Can Damage Your Home Too
Rodents have another characteristic that makes them particularly troublesome: they gnaw.
Their teeth continually grow, so rats and mice regularly chew on materials around them. That can include cardboard, stored belongings, insulation, wood, plastic and other building materials.
Of particular concern is electrical wiring.
Rodents may chew the protective covering surrounding electrical wires, potentially damaging wiring hidden inside attics and walls. They can also damage insulation and contaminate attic spaces with droppings and urine.
So while ants or roaches may primarily be a pest problem, an established rodent infestation can become a property problem as well.
Signs You May Have a Rodent Problem
You don’t necessarily have to see a rat or mouse to know they’re there.
Homeowners may notice:
- Scratching or movement in ceilings or walls
- Droppings in cabinets, garages or attics
- Gnaw marks
- Damaged food packages
- Nesting materials
- Unusual odors
- Pets suddenly focusing on a wall or ceiling
- Noises that become more noticeable at night
If these signs begin appearing, determining the source of the activity is important.
Rodent Control Starts With an Inspection
At Green Land Pest Control, our objective is not simply to remove one mouse or rat.
A professional approach begins by looking for evidence of activity, potential nesting areas and possible entry points into the home.
Depending upon the situation, rodent control may involve trapping or other control methods along with recommendations for reducing food sources and closing openings rodents may be using.
The goal is to address both sides of the problem: the rodents already inside and how additional rodents may be getting in.
Local Rodent Control for Land O’ Lakes Families
Green Land has served families throughout Pasco County since 2002. We understand the pest pressures homeowners experience in Land O’ Lakes and surrounding Central Florida communities because we’ve been working here for more than two decades.
We’re a local, family-owned company that understands Florida homes and the pests that try to move into them.
If you’re hearing scratching in the attic, discovering droppings in the garage or suspect rats or mice have entered your Land O’ Lakes home, Green Land Pest Control can help determine what’s happening and recommend an appropriate solution.
Your home should provide shelter for your family—not for rats and mice.
Learn More About Rodents and Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides additional information about rodents, disease concerns, cleanup and prevention.