Nothing beats coming home on a cold winter day to a nice warm home and being able to snuggle on the couch with a cozy blanket and a steaming cup of coffee or cocoa. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one who finds your nice, warm home particularly inviting this time of year.
Once the weather gets cold, rodents will be looking for a warm place to make their home for the winter. If you don’t want these uninvited guests infiltrating your home for the holidays—and we mean the rodents, not the in-laws—we can help. Here are seven tips from Excellence Pest Control, your local rodent control service in Bartlesville, OK, to help keep the rodents out of your home this winter:
- Fix any plumbing leaks: Don’t allow a leaky faucet or standing water to turn into a water supply. Fix leaking plumbing, both inside and outside your home, to help prevent giving rodents the water resources they need to move in.
- Trim your trees and any house-climbing plants: Branches that are too close to your roof or windows make excellent bridges for rodents to gain access to your home. Climbing ivy and other plants can also help give rodents easy access.
- Store dry goods and pet food in metal or glass containers: Leaving dry goods like rice, oatmeal and even pet food in the paper containers they come in is an open dinner invitation to any rodents in the area. Protect your home by making sure to store any dry goods in non-chewable containers.
- Maintain a clean yard: Yard debris like leaf piles, branches and even the leftovers of your garden make the perfect hiding places for rodents. To help keep rodents far away from your home, be sure to maintain a clean yard.
- Store your firewood away from your home: People tend to stack their firewood close to their home for easy access, but rodents love to make woodpiles their home for the winter. If your woodpile is right next to your house, rodents are just one step away from getting inside.
- Check your home for holes or access points: Door and window frames and other areas of your siding or roof often have holes that will give rodents easy access to your home. Before the really cold weather hits, do a quick inspection of your home and plug up any holes bigger than ¼ inch.
- Put your trash away: Be sure to keep all your trash bags in a sealable trash can. Garbage is a number one attraction for rodents. Keeping your garbage put away will help keep rodents and even other larger, more robust animals from finding a winter meal among your leftovers.
By following these few simple steps, you can help protect your home from pesky rodents this winter. However, if you do find yourself having a problem with mice or rats in your home, call the team at Excellence Pest Control for rodent control service in Bartlesville, OK.