rat in a miniature sleigh

The Wintertime Invasion: Cold Weather Brings a Rodent Invasion

In the United States, wintertime means the start of what oftentimes proves to be a challenging rodent invasion in homes and businesses. Every winter, an estimated 21 million homes and untold millions of businesses face rodent infestation as the weather chills. We present you with some essential information about this troublesome wintertime invasion.

Types of Invading Rodents

There are four types of rodents that people in the U.S.A. potentially might face as winter approaches:

  • Mice
  • Rats
  • Squirrels
  • Raccoons

Those locales in California that have seasonal rodent invasions more often than not are dealing with mice and rats. With that said, squirrels and raccoons are also proving to be an issue for a good many homes and business owners in the state.

Is Anyone Immune From a Wintertime Rodent Invasion?

A broad spectrum of home and business owners are susceptible to a wintertime rodent invasion. More than a few extermination professionals proclaim that unless a person lives on the 20th floor of a high-rise condo or apartment building, an individual is not immune. Arguably, even a person on the upper floors of a high-rise structure is not necessarily going to be immune from a rodent invasion. As will be demonstrated in a moment, rodents are particularly ingenious. In addition, some rodents – particularly mice and rats – can go undetected for what can amount to a rather extended period of time.

What Specifically Attracts Rodents to a Residence or Business as Weather Cools

The year-round, rodents are attracted by food and the prospect of shelter when they head into residences and businesses. An added attraction exists in those parts of the country that experience cold wintertime months. Rodents – particular mice – have a strong capacity to detect heat emitting from buildings. Heat literally ends up serving as a beacon to certain rodents as the temperature starts to drop outdoors.

Wintertime, Rodents, and Hibernation

Many people understandably and yet wrongly conclude that rodents hibernate in the wintertime.

Whether it be squirrels, raccoons, mice, or rats, a good number of individuals think that these critters are hibernating in the wintertime because they don’t see them as often.

One of the key reasons why certain rodents aren’t seen as often when the weather cools is because they’ve taken up residence in homes and businesses and people don’t know it.

The only real adjustments rodents make in the wintertime in colder climates is that they do become more aggressive at seeking shelter in structures like homes, businesses, and barns. In addition, mice and rats in colder environs will stop breeding in colder months unless they acquire shelter. If, or when, a mouse or rat procures shelter in a location like a home or business, breeding and procreation typically continues apace. What this means is that what may have been an infestation of a few mice can become a large problem in a relatively brief period of time.

Professional Rodent Infestation Assistance

A person with a rodent infestation in a home or business many times is wise to obtain professional assistance. There are over 5,000 wildlife control companies (including exterminators and firms that catch and release critters) in operation in the United States, according to the National Wildlife Control Operators Association. Americans spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 billion on “pest control” each year, according to the National Pest Management Association.

A reputable rodent control business will provide a thorough evaluation of the problem that exists in a home or business. A rodent control professional provides a reliable estimate of what the elimination process will cost in advance of commencing work.

As eluded to previously, while extermination is one alternative to remove critters from a home or business, it is not the only available course of action. There are firms that offer home and business owners humane catch and release services for rodent control. Laws and regulations in California and other states dictate how extermination and catch and release services are undertaken.

Post-Rodent Control Action

Another matter related to rodent control in a home or business is the fact that necessary work doesn’t end with the elimination of these critters from a property. There remains a very important task of safely and thoroughly eliminating and cleaning up rodent droppings, dried urine, and other waste.

Rodent droppings and associated waste cleanup is something that warrants professional remediation in many instances. The fact is rodent droppings potentially present a health hazard. These droppings must be thoroughly and safely eliminated in the aftermath of rodent control and removal actions. The health and wellbeing of residents of a home or people who access a business depend upon a thorough, safely executed rodent dropping remediation process.

As is the case with rodent control and elimination, a reputable rodent droppings cleanup specialist provides a reliable, complete cost estimate before work begins. This type of professional bills a client when the remediation job is complete and a home or business owner has the opportunity to inspect and approve the work done.