Best Rodent Control Services in South Florida
If you come across rodent activity in your home or attic, it is important to address the problem quickly to ensure a small problem doesn’t turn into a large one. Nozzle Nolen’s rodent control services use integrated pest management techniques to form a barrier around your home to prevent future intrusions.
The Risks Posed by Rodents to South Florida Homeowners
Rats and mice are known to spread more than 35 diseases to humans directly and indirectly, including hantavirus, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis. People contract these and other diseases by handling or being bitten by rodents, or by being in contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva. Diseases can also be transferred from rodents to humans indirectly via ticks, mites, or fleas that have previously bitten a mouse or rat.
In addition to spreading diseases, rodents contaminate the food in your house intended for your family and pets. Their gnawing, nest-building, and defecation can destroy nearly anything in your home, costing thousands in repairs. Some other dangers of having rodents in your home include:
- Mice will burrow into upholstered furniture and car seats in their search for a cozy, secluded nest.
- Mice and rats frequently tunnel into your home’s insulation in walls and attics to make their nests or to gather material for one.
- Rodents often ruin appliances by chewing the electrical cord, which also causes a fire hazard.
- Rodents’ propensity for gnawing can damage anything stored in an attic or closet, including family heirlooms, works of art, and important documents.
What to Look For in a Rodent Control Service
The two goals of rodent control services are to eliminate any current infestations and prevent any future recurrence. To accomplish the first goal, a rodent control service technician will conduct a complete inspection of the home’s interior and exterior to identify the type of pest (mice or rats), to know which removal approach will be most effective.
Next is to determine where the rodents congregate and nest, which provides clues to the routes they travel within and around your home, their food sources, and their access points. This is essential information when placing traps and rodenticides.
Once the current rodent population is identified and eliminated, exclusionary techniques are put into place to prevent future infestations, such as sealing access points into your home.
After the home is sealed, steps must be taken to minimize the risk of exposure to disease from the rodent feces left behind. Sterilization of the attic space can be as simple as a mist treatment or, in some cases, it may require insulation removal and replacement with a high-density blown Thermal Acoustical Pest Control (TAP) Insulation.
Once the rodent infestation is eliminated, one very important task remains: preventing a return engagement. Protecting against rodents and other pests requires an integrated approach that includes the use of bait boxes and an emphasis on exclusion.
Nozzle Nolen’s 4 Integrated Pest Management Rodent Control Services
Nozzle Nolen delivers year-round integrated pest management solutions to protect your home against 20+ of the most common pests in South Florida, including subterranean and drywood termites, wasps and hornets, silverfish, and many others, including rodents. The four components of Nozzle Nolen’s rodent pest management techniques include trapping, exclusion, bait boxes, and sanitation.
Trapping
The safest and most effective way to remove rodents from your home, business, or property is by setting traps. The oldest type of rodent trap is a snap trap that uses a spring-loaded bar that kills the rodent on contact. Other trap types include battery-powered electronic traps that use an electric shock to kill the rodent, live-animal traps for catching and safely releasing the pest, multiple-catch live mouse traps, and glue traps, which the CDC recommends against because they cause the animal to suffer and increase the risk of disease.
Exclusion
Keeping rodents out of your home is as important as removing them once they get in. In their never-ending search for food, water, and shelter mice and rats seek out access points into your home or business. These include plumbing and roof vents, bathroom exhaust vents, and holes in the foundation and siding. Exclusion identifies and blocks gaps in the building’s exterior as small as a half-inch wide. Completely sealing these gaps requires the work of certified pest-control technicians.
Bait Boxes
These devices, also called bait stations, place a rodenticide within a container that a mouse or rat can reach but can’t be accessed by children, pets, and non-targeted wildlife. Bait boxes used by professional pest management services contain bait in the form of loose pellets, pellet packs, soft baits, wax blocks, or liquid. They are tamper-resistant and suitable for use indoors or outdoors. The devices are anchored in place and designed to ensure the bait stays in place.
Sanitation
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are 11 diseases that rodents are known to spread to humans, including viruses such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) and bacterias like Salmonellosis. Rodents are far from sanitary creatures tracking their own urine and feces through your house, pantry, and other living areas occupied by you and your loved ones. Not only does Nozzle Nolen provide disinfection services for surfaces, we offer HEPA-grade vacuum treatment to prevent the spread of airborne diseases as well.
Continuous sanitation is the key to preventing a rodent infestation. It is vital to reduce potential sources of shelter and food for rodents. Store lumber, boxes, gardening tools, and other material neatly and off the ground. Collect all garbage, trash, garden debris, and other waste in containers with tight-fitting lids. Keep plants, vines, and other vegetation trimmed back to avoid creating nesting spots for rodents. Don’t leave pet food out, and store it in rodent-proof containers.
The one-step approach to a rodent-free home is to sign up for Nozzle Nolen’s 365 Complete Home Protection Plan, which provides four seasonal maintenance visits and an unlimited number of follow-ups. Your custom plan ensures your home is protected without harmful spraying or unsightly traps.
Rodent Control Services With 365 Complete
If you’re looking for a premium rodent control service in South Florida, look no further than Nozzle Nolen’s 365 Complete Home Protection Package, which keeps your home free of mice and rats as well as 20+ other pests. The service also features proactive detection and baiting of subterranean and drywood termites.
Getting Started With Nozzle Nolen
Rodents are messy, destructive, and carry diseases that could affect you and your loved ones. If you have noticed signs of them in your home, contact a rodent control service specialist today before a small problem turns into a large one.
Nozzle Nolen has provided rodent control services for South Florida homes for more than 70 years. If you suspect you have rodents in your home, call us at 800.226.6536 or Contact Us to schedule your free evaluation. We look forward to serving you.
