While rodents are common in McKinney, you don’t need them hanging around your home. In this article, you’ll learn why rodents are dangerous, why the DIY traps you buy at hardware stores are ineffective, and how professional pest control in McKinney can help keep rodents out of your home and away from your family.
Identifying A Rodent Problem In Your McKinney Home
Rodents are a sneaky and secretive pest. They frequently sneak into our homes searching for shelter from the elements, looking for food and water, but they don’t want to interact with humans. They prefer to hide in dark unoccupied areas of your home, out of sight and out of the way.
This behavior makes it difficult to spot a rodent infestation in your home. Here are some of the common signs you may see if your McKinney home has a rodent problem:
- Droppings: Rodent droppings are usually small and cylindrical. You will find droppings in areas where rodents frequent, like cabinets and pantries.
- Gnaw Marks: Rodents chew constantly, and you frequently see gnaw marks on baseboards, drywall, and PVC pipes.
- Nests: Rodents will nest in secluded areas of your home. They usually build their nests out of shredded paper or cloth material.
- Rub Marks: Rodents run along walls to get from their nest to their food sources. As they run, they leave dark, oily streaks on the walls that can indicate their presence.
- Strange Noises: If you hear rustling noises inside your walls or attic, especially at night, you may have a rodent problem.
If you have any questions about whether you have rodents in your home, call a professional pest control company for a home inspection right away.
The Diseases Spread By Rodents
Rodents aren’t just a nuisance running around your home; they can be very dangerous to you and everyone else in your home. Here are some of the diseases spread by rodents:
- Bubonic plague
- Rat-bite fever
- Hantavirus
- Leptospirosis
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV)
- Tularemia
- Salmonella
Along with diseases, rodents can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks because of their urine and hair. They can also cause floods and fires by chewing through pipes and live electrical wires.
As cute as they may look, rodents are an incredibly dangerous pest you must keep out of your home.
Why DIY Rodent Traps Don’t Work
As dangerous as rodents can be, seeing them around your home can be scary. If you see signs of rodents, you need to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Your first reaction may be to run to the hardware store, buy a bunch of traps and poisons, set them out, and think you solved your rodent problem. But, eliminating rodents is not easy to accomplish!
Unfortunately, DIY rodent control methods are usually ineffective. Traps may catch a few of these pests, and poison may leave a few dead mice scattered around your home, but they won't get to the root of the problem.
DIY rodent control doesn’t treat the source of the infestation, meaning some rodents will always get left behind. As quickly as rodents can breed, the infestation will grow back to its original size and even become more extensive.
Professional McKinney Rodent Control
Don’t waste your time, energy, and money with ineffective DIY rodent control options. Contact our Big D Pest & Termite Services professionals at the first sign of rodents. Our trained rodent control technicians in McKinney will use various techniques to remove the rodents in your home. We will place and monitor bait boxes around your home's exterior and other areas if necessary.
Not only can we quickly eliminate the rodents in your home, but we can also help you identify the areas in your home where rodents may be getting in. You will be able to initiate repairs like sealing holes, replacing rotten wood, or removing food sources that are attracting rodents.
A rodent problem in your McKinney home is too dangerous to handle alone. Call us at Big D Pest & Termite Services, and let us address all your rodent concerns. We’ll quickly eliminate any rodents in your home and help you keep them away so you can live rodent-free all year long.