Greenville County, Greenville Rat Control Situation:
Hi, David: We are recent home owners with an infant at home, and found ourselves with a squirrel and mice in our attic. I came across your web site which was extremely helpful; thank you so much for putting that together. We followed your advice and hired a company from the web site you listed. I wanted to get your advice about what that company did. We still have mice and wanted to get a sense of what we can ask for, in the way of continuing the work. The attic is large and has the rolled insulation as well as the blown kind. The company did use poison. Should the poison cease or at this point continue? They've been trapping and poisoning for 2 weeks now --even though they've only caught one mouse. We're the middle townhouse in a row of three. Both town homes in either side of us have mice as well. The neighbor on the right has a bigger infestation that the neighbor on the left. According to the company guy, there's not a lot of feces in our attic, which indicates that we don't have too big a problem. However, even if only one mouse, that's a big problem --to me. When the company came to do repairs, they did some work in the front and back of the house (they put critter guards, and fixed a small hole in the A-frame on the roof). We still have mice, though. They've got to be going from house to house via the attic --it's the only thing that makes sense. It seems rather crazy that the mice are going out of our roof and then going to the neighbors via the roof, and back. We've had a bitterly cold winter; I can't imagine they're going to go out of one house and into the other. Logic would tell me that they've carved themselves a path from attic to attic. The company person claims that he can't seem to find a hole in between the houses, though his time in the attic has not been long at all. And, we still have mice. Also, they sterifabbed the attic, but shouldn't they have waited until the mice were caught? If there's more there, they're going to have to sterilize again, no? What are your thoughts? Thank you!
Greenville Rat Control Tip of The Week
Using Exclusion Funnels To Get Rid Of Rats Without Killing Them
Rats are probably the second most common species of rodent to be found in our towns and cities after rats, and like their larger relations, they can also often find their way into many different areas of the domestic property. Because rats can carry diseases, and can also transmit them by soiling food and water sources, it is natural to want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Exclusion funnels are one approach that can be used to try and get rid of rats from your home.
How Do The Exclusion Funnels Work?
Ultimately, the funnels are designed so that the rats can easily get in through the wide end of the funnel, and can then push themselves out of the narrow end of the funnel when they are leaving a particular area of your property. However, when they try to get back in the narrow end of the funnel the entrance is too small and cannot be prized open, meaning the rats are not able to get back into the area where they are causing the problem. The key aspect with exclusion funnels is that the rats really do need to be contained in one area of the home.
Preparation Work To Install Your Exclusion Funnels
The first step before you install any exclusion funnels in your property is to carry out a detailed search of where they are active, and then to identify all of the holes the rats are using to get in and out of that area. The reason for this is that you need to be able to deal with each entry point the rats may use so that when you install the funnels, they cannot simply come back in through another entry point. While carrying out this work, it is usually a wise precaution to wear long sleeved clothing and gloves, along with a breathing mask and goggles to protect yourself from any disease transmission.
Where To Place Your Exclusion Funnels
It is usually best to only place one or two exclusion funnels, and then seal the remaining access points that you can find in the area where the rats are nesting. When choosing which entry points to install your exclusion funnels, the best options are usually those that have the heaviest traffic, and should be indicated by a greater buildup of rat droppings and urine stains.
Monitoring The Rat Activity In Your Home
Once you have installed the exclusion funnels, the next step is to monitor the area to see how effective the funnels have been. In some cases, this part of the work can actually prove to be quite trial and error, as the rats will often have other secret entry points that you may not have found on your first search of the area. In this instance you will then have to search the area again, and try and find the other access point the rats are using to get in and out.
The Challenges Of Using Exclusion Funnels To Deal With Rats
One of the key benefits of using exclusion funnels to deal with rats is that it doesn?t kill the animals so you don?t have to dispose of any carcasses. However, this also means that the rats can try and find other ways to get into your home, which means it can take longer to deal with them than if you were to use lethal means to deal with a rat infestation. The other issue with using exclusion funnels for such small animals is that because of their size, it is very difficult and detailed work to actually find all of the holes they are using to get in and out.
