Are You Accidentally Drawing Rodents To Your Western Massachusetts Home?

Rodents in Western Massachusetts are some of the most common pests that can become a problem in your home no matter the time of year. Whether they are looking for a warm place to live during the winter months or sneak in through an open door during the summertime if they’re in search of something to eat, the unfortunate truth is that you might be letting them inside of your home without even knowing it. Rodents of all kinds have grown dependent on people to provide them with the shelter, water, and food that they need to survive and they aren’t fussy about the way that they access these things.

Because preventing rodents can be difficult, you may want to enlist the help of professional pest control in Western Massachusetts from American Pest Solutions. We work with homeowners throughout the year to provide the services that are necessary in order to limit your exposure to these potentially harmful pests. For more information on how you can protect your Western Massachusetts home, we hope that you enjoy this helpful guide.

What Kind Of Rodents Typically Invade Western Massachusetts Homes

In Western Massachusetts, it might seem like there is always the possibility of a rodent problem, and with good reason. There are many different types of this family that can become a problem. Some of those include:

• Squirrels: This type of rodent is seemingly everywhere in the area and is most readily spotted outside and usually identified by its ability to stand up on two legs. Squirrels in Western Massachusetts are usually a shade of gray and brown and have big fluffy tails and small ears. They can also be identified because of their proclivity for climbing and eating with their hands. Squirrels are often looking for something to eat, whether it’s something in the trash or items in the garden.
• Mice: These pests are some of the most iconic rodents and are also some of the smallest. Mice usually vary in color from brown to gray, have very small features from their ears to their eyes, and have thin fuzzy tails. Mice in Western Massachusetts are also capable of fitting through dime-sized openings, which can make them very formidable opponents for homeowners.
• Rats: Rats in Western Massachusetts can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from mice at a glance; however, there are some significant differences between the two. Rats are usually much larger than mice and have larger physical characteristics as well. Depending on the species, rats can also climb roofs and maneuver via the sewer system. Like many other rodents, rats are also known to spread health risks as well as parasitic pests like mites and ticks.
• Woodchucks: This rodent is also known as a groundhog and is hard to miss because of its size. Woodchucks are usually a shade of brown in color and have dense, potato-like bodies. They use their front teeth to burrow inside of the ground and are noted for their signature aggression.

No matter what type of rodents have become an issue, American Pest Solutions can help. We provide long-lasting solutions for rodents through methods based in Integrated Pest Management so that homeowners can rest assured that their rodent problems are completely eliminated. For more information on these services, please contact us today.

Why You Should Never Ignore Rodent Infestations

Rodents are very stealthy pests that can invade your Western Massachusetts with the greatest of ease. Some of the signs of a rodent infestation include piles of droppings, gnaw marks on furniture and food packaging, holes in walls, and little nests in hidden parts of your home. If you spot any of the aforementioned signs, you should not ignore them because of the following reasons:

• Health risks: Perhaps the most iconic issue that rodents are known to cause is health hazards. They are affiliated with hantavirus, allergies, asthma, tularemia, leptospirosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, and rat-bite fever. Rats transmit rat-bite fever when they attack people; however, the rest are usually transmitted when rodents infest food and water that you might leave out on the counter. Additionally, they leave behind urine, piles of droppings, and saliva that spread particles of these pathogens.
• Other pests: One of the little-known facts about rodents is that they usually transport other types of pests like fleas, mites, and ticks. If you’ve ever noticed an outbreak of parasites and aren’t sure where they came from, it’s very likely that you’re dealing with a quiet rodent population. These types of infestations are particularly dangerous because of the health risks that they pose to both people and their pets. Ticks, fleas, and mites feed off of warm blood and during this process can cause murine typhus, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, anemia, heartworm, and hair loss.
• Property damage: Rodents all have front incisor teeth that will grow uncomfortably long if they don’t have the ability to chew on various things all the time. What this ultimately leads to is ruined personal belongings, destroyed molding, frayed electrical wires, and damaged insulation. In the case of chewed cables, it can lead to house fires and when it comes to issues with your insulation, you may notice higher heating bills and energy costs, especially in the winter months.  

For more information on how you can protect your home with effective pest control in Western Massachusetts, contact American Pest Solutions today.

Don't Accidentally Attract Rodents In Western Massachusetts

Rodents have developed a dependent relationship with people where they’re able to gain access to everything they need without people even knowing that they’re giving rodents everything. Some of the ways that you may be making your home hospitable to rodents include:

• Having openings and holes. Whether you’re dealing with mice or squirrels, you may find yourself with a rodent population inside of your walls by having various cracks in your foundation, leaving the garage open, or even gaps around plumbing. Rodents are very limber and can slip through almost any crack that they find.
• Not storing food properly. Rodents don’t care what form your food is in, if it’s available, they’ll eat it. Storing food properly means never leaving snacks in their original flimsy packaging, using airtight containers, and sealing up leftovers securely. Both inside and outside, taking proper care of garbage is imperative. Always use bins with locking lids and don’t allow trash to overflow.  
• Allowing for clutter. Another thing that rodents look for is clutter so that they can hide out and build their nests. Inside of your home, get rid of old boxes, newspapers, and piles of dirty clothes. Outside, keep your yard free from leaf piles, tree branches, acorns, and other debris.
• A surplus of moisture issues. Rodents also need moisture in order to survive, so if you have leaky gutters or damp crawl spaces, then you might be luring these pests to your property. Make sure that you use dehumidifiers where you need them and fix all dripping fixtures.

And if you do accidentally attract rodents into your Western Massachusetts home, they can be very difficult to eliminate. Take mice, for example, which produce approximately eight litters of pups each year. This means that you can have a notable population of mice within a matter of months. Additionally, they are nocturnal, meaning that they only come out at night, and live inside of walls, basements, crawl spaces, and attics, so their nests are notoriously difficult to locate. Rather than try to eliminate a problem once it’s developed, work with American Pest Solutions on rodent prevention today.

Professional Rodent Control Is The Best Solution

Rodents are one of the most tenacious pests that Western Massachusetts homeowners can expect to face during the year and because of this, professional rodent control is always the best solution. At American Pest Solutions, our company has been servicing the greater area for the last century, which means that we understand local pests unlike anyone else. We combine this knowledge with a variety of licenses and certifications, which include our QualityPro certification.

The way that we approach rodent control in Western Massachusetts is by adhering to Integrated Pest Management guidelines. What this means is that our highly skilled technicians will customize a treatment program to the specifications of your home that will simultaneously eliminate any rodents you’re dealing with while also preventing rodents from returning. These treatments are also designed to be safe for everyone in your home as well as the environment.

Our process begins with a detailed home inspection that includes the interior and exterior of your property. This allows us to understand how rodents are interacting with your property and also identify how they might be getting inside your home. We’ll then go over our findings with you and determine the right course of action. One of the treatment methods that we employ most frequently is exclusion, which means that we seal up entry points with ethical products like silicone-based caulk, steel wool, and wire mesh. This keeps rodents from their food source while also creating a barrier between you and rodents. After we’ve installed these measures around your property, we’ll return to inspect them on a regular basis so that your home is always safe from rodent invaders. 

For more information on our residential and commercial pest control services in Western Massachusetts, including our rodent treatments, contact us today.