Restaurants and other businesses have many different tasks that they must be completed any given day. Business owners have so many things on their mind, it’s hard to keep them all straight. It’s important to keep what’s important in front of you at all times. Because of this, pest control can fall to the wayside. One of the most important aspects of pest control is making sure that your restaurant, warehouse or office building is free from rodents. Rats and mice can infest any building, at any time. Understanding these pests, can help you deal with them in an easy and timely manner. This article will explore rodents and how they affect your business.
RODENT HISTORY
Rats and mice are found anywhere people are found. We find them on all six continents excluding only Antarctica. They’ve moved around the world using ships, and they love to cohabitate with humans. Keeping them out of your home or business is super important. These rodents carry diseases that can be very dangerous. The Black Plague is one of those diseases. This disease ran rampant in the middle ages, killing millions of people. It still exist today in many parts of the world. This also includes the southern United States, where we still see it in rural areas from time to time. In the modern era, we have antibiotics that can solve this problem if it’s caught early. But in order to keep us from having it all, it’s important that we control rodents especially rats. And there are other diseases that are commonly found in rats and mice.
Because of these things, it’s super important to keep them out of our food supply, our homes, and our businesses. Rats are much larger than other rodents. In Oklahoma we have the Norway rat and the Roof rat. These two rats are often found in warehouses and shipping yards. They can find their way into your home and often into your attic. Controlling them is a must. If you run a restaurant, your food storage is always a factor. House mice are also a common pest in Oklahoma. They can find small holes and gaps in your home or business and make their way into your food supply. Their feces can spread disease as can the bacteria on their front and back paws. They can eat waist and rotting food, so they carry disease just as much as rats do. For help with rodents, call your Tulsa exterminator today.
RODENT EXCLUSION
Both mice and rats are very good at getting in through small gaps and holes. If a rodent can get its head through a hole, then he can collapse his entire body enough to get the rest of it through. That means a rat can come through a hole about the size of a quarter and a mouse can come through a hole about the size of a dime. Their rib cages are very flexible, and that’s why they can fold them and collapse them in a way that allows them to get through these small places easily. Keeping small gaps, cracks and other holes closed off in your building will help greatly in the fight against these rodents. But, as everything in Oklahoma, the ground moves often. Because of this there are constantly new gaps cracks and holes being made in our buildings. We must be vigilant to make sure they stay shut at all times.
Mice and rats can also use piping to enter your home. They do swim, but don’t often come up through the inside of pipes. But they can travel along the top and sides of these pipes. That makes areas under your sinks very susceptible to rodent entry. Again exclusion is a very important factor here. When they are looking to enter a building, they are after one of three things, or a combination of these things. They look a source of food, then for harborage or a place to stay, and lastly for water. This is why kitchen pantries are so susceptible to rodent infestation. It’s often when you have rodents in the building, you will see dropping in a place that they stay at the most. Pantries and kitchens are the most probable places. Your Broken Arrow exterminator can help you with exclusion.
MORE REASONS FOR RODENT INFESTATIONS
Harborage is the second reason why rodents will try to enter your business or home,. Often in cold weather, they will be looking for warm shelter. Nicely heated businesses and homes make a perfect spot for them to come into. They will sense the heat through the walls and try to get in. Often if you have rodents in your attic or other non-heated space such as a garage, they will suddenly desire to get into the building itself. Again exclusion is very important when it comes to these pests. Call your Tulsa pest control company for more information.
Water is the final factor in why rodents are trying to get inside of our businesses and homes. In most cases they don’t find water inside our homes. Water is very abundant outside. If you have a fountain or standing water, this could attract them to your yard. Inside your home if you have a leaking faucet or pipes that are leaking, this also could cause a source or water supply for rodents. It’s important if you have any kind of plumbing issues take care of them quickly and efficiently.
ELIMINATING RODENTS FROM YOUR BUSINESS
If you’re having rodent issues in your restaurant, business or warehouse, it’s time to call in the professionals. We here at TermMax Pest Control are the best in the business. We’re a Broken Arrow pest control company that has been doing pest control including rodents for many years. We service the greater Tulsa area including Owasso, Turley, Sand Springs, Prattville, Sapulpa, Bixby, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa and much more. Call us today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!
