Rodent Control

The Importance of Exclusion in Rodent Control

Rats and mice need food, water and a source of heat to survive, so houses and buildings are naturally the perfect home.  Anywhere a pencil fits through, a mouse can too.   Mice only need a ¼ inch opening to get inside and young rats only need about a ½ inch.

With rats and mice trying to push their way indoors, focusing on exclusion and prevention is the key to successfully controlling a rodent problem versus one that produces callbacks and continued frustration. 

To help control rodent populations, here’s a checklist for one of the key steps in rodent management, Exclusion and Sanitation.

Check for possible rodent entrances

  • Open doors, chewed wooden doors and crawl spaces where pipes meet wood siding
  • Vertical wires, pipes and tree limbs
  • Defective drain pipes
  • Burrows under foundations of buildings lacking basements
  • Hollow walls between floors

Trim foliage and clean up other potential rodent harborages

  • Trim overhanging branches that provide roof access.
  • Clean-out piles of wood, junk, pallets and hay.
  • Control sources of food and water such as bird feeders, dog bowls, food spillage, fountains, pools and ditches.
  • Eliminate weeds and maintain a clutter-free zone of at least three feet around building exteriors.

Exclude rodents from buildings

  • Close all holes in exterior and interior walls.
  • Permit no openings over ¼ inch, particularly around doors & windows.
  • Install self-closing devices on frequently used doors.
  • Install vinyl, rubber or bristle sweep seals under garage doors to eliminate any gaps.
  • Seals around pipes, drains and vents need to be tight.
  • Chimneys need to be capped and in good condition.

Keep an eye out for new holes & tunnels:

Efforts by rats and mice to return to old feeding grounds will be strongest a week or two after the building has been sealed up.

 

Upcoming Meetings & Events

 

MPMA Board of Directors Meetings  

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

 

MPMA Update

View quarterly MPMA Newsletters

View Minutes of Quarterly MPMA Board Meetings

View the Latest MPMA Update

It's Time to Start Planning for Mosquito Control

SPAR Program