The first thing any homeowner should do to protect their home is to keep the exterior clean and clutter free. If you have plants and grass surrounding the exterior of the house make sure that you clear out dead foliage and mow once a week. By doing so you keep your yard presentable and less inviting for rodents that like hiding in grown out bushes and shrubs. Trees are also commonly accessed by rodents to get from place to place. To prevent them from using the trees in your yard as ladders to your roof make sure branches are trimmed at least 3 feet away from your home.
Make sure that your water hoses are turned off after each use, this not only conserves water but it prevents the rodents from having a reliable water source. Lastly ensure that your trash bins are closed securely and far from any entries into your home. Raccoons are experts at getting into trashcans to gather food. To prevent them from opening the garbage bin place a large rock or brick on the top of the lid.
Rodents are professionals when it comes to breaking into homes uninvited. They can squeeze into the smallest cracks and crevasses to access your home. To prevent this from happening walk around the perimeter of your home and mark problem areas that have cracks or openings bigger than 1 1/2 inch. Once you have marked the problem areas use chicken wire, thick plastic, or wood to enclose the area. There are many foam sprays that advertise for this problem but they rarely are a permanent solution. While closing off access points don’t forget about your roof. There are many vents and openings that are located on your roof that usually come with screens already installed. But overtime those screens and protectors can become worn, so for good practice check and replace them once a year to keep your attic rodent free.
Traps are always great to have spread around your home even if you don’t believe that your home is infested. By setting out traps as a preventative measure you can catch rodents that are using your yard as a gateway to your neighbors. For the best results use a variety of traps, keep them on the perimeter of your yard, and check them every morning.
Rodents can carry vast amounts of disease and once they find a suitable area to nest it can be extremely hard to get rid of them. With the city limits expanding rodents have nowhere to go, so if untreated the problem will only get worse. If you have a rodent infestation and can’t seem to solve the problem, it might be time to call your local Bakersfield pest control company for help before someone gets hurt.