Recent news reports have highlighted the increase in rodent activity in Brisbane. Rats and mice are invading homes during our cold winter days.
Warm places to live and plenty of food nearby means that they love to share some time with us in our homes.
Rodents eat practically anything humans eat, they get plenty of food from home gardens, fruit or nut trees and even parts of some ornamental shrubs and flowers.
Garbage disposals also attract rats into household and street sewer lines. Rats and mice have long been a problem in domestic environments where food is plentiful and convenient nesting sites are both numerous and hard to eliminate.
We are receiving unusually high rates of calls from clients regarding rats and mice, (rodents), in Brisbane.
Rodent control is an absolute must – don’t let them move in to your place.
What are the risks with rodents?
Risks Include:
- Eating and contamination of stored food: Poor rodent control causes major losses in stored food through either consumption or contamination with urine, faeces and hair.
- Physical Damage: The gnawing habits of rodents can cause considerable damage. Buildings, furniture, books, equipment and machinery are not immune to this sort of damage. Rodents will gnaw electrical cables causing short-circuits and even electrical fires.
- Disease Transmission: Rodents play a role in transmitting diseases including the bubonic plague, salmonella, Murine typhus fever, Weil’s disease and trichinosis. Diseases are transmitted in a number of ways including their urine and faeces, scratching and biting, other parasites (e.g. fleas) or via pets.
- Fear and Apprehension– The stigma attached to the presence of rodents.
- Attracting snakes: Rodents are food for many species of snake, both venomous and constricting; these snakes may then pose a danger to you, your pets or your family.
- Poisoning of Pets and Other Animals: Chemical baits use for rodents are often very attractive to other animals, including family pets. Sadly, the baits will be just as effective on other mammals.
- Work Health and Safety: For a business, control of rodents is vital to ensure a healthy work environment for your workers and the public.
- Commercial Risks: Rodent infestations can cause major damage to products and reputation of a business.
Rodent control program with lockable bait stations
How to treat rodent problems
- Sanitation – reducing the food and shelter available for rodent activity. This is generally best achieved by removing any rubbish and debris against building structures. Store rubbish in bins that have tight fitting lids. Clean up any spilt food (eg. grain from around bird cages). Attend to any leaking plumbing pipes. Having the property clear from rubbish or debris will help minimise the risk of a rodent infestation. Don’t leave pet food lying around in open containers;
- Rodent-proofing – alter the building structurally so that rodents cannot gain entry. For example seal up any holes with small gauge mesh and seal the bottoms of doors with automatic weather seals or weather strips. A rat can gain entry through a hole as small as 12 mm in diameter and a mouse only needs a hole no larger than 6 mm in diameter;
- Trapping – using non-chemical means such as traps to physically capture rodents;
- Chemical Control – Includes a wide range of baiting techniques, most commonly bait blocks used in Tamper Resistant Rodent Stations. These baits are secured inside the station and cannot be removed, making them pet and child friendly. Where needed, tracking powders, gels and other baits may be used as required.
- Teamwork – Management and treatment of rodents is best achieved through a team effort between yourself and Amalgamated Pest Control.
Learn More about Rodents and Rodent Control here
What to get rid of rodents or stop them from moving in?
Call Amalgamated Pest Control Brisbane today – We can set up a tailor-made program to make sure that rats and mice don’t share your home this winter.