Tips for Keeping Mice Away From Your Home

Mice are cute and cuddly in animated movies, but they are a real problem inside of your home. To prevent a mice infestation and all of the health risks that come with it, take steps to make your home less attractive to mice in the first place. For starters, move wood and compost piles away from your home and make sure your garbage cans are sealed. Also be sure to cover holes or gaps around your home to prevent mice from gaining access. For more tips, check out this short video from eHow.com.

Once mice get comfortable in your home, it can be hard to kick them out on your own. Fortunately, there’s help. The experts at Gopher Patrol specialize in rat and mice extermination, and we have been serving Southern California for over 15 years. Visit our website or call us at (855) 460-0564 to learn more about our residential and commercial rodent removal services throughout Riverside and the surrounding areas.

Essential Tips for Preventing a Carpenter Ant Infestation

Carpenter ants may not be as feared as termites, but they can cause significant wood damage on their own. Whereas termites feed on wood, carpenter ants hollow it out for nesting. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to prevent carpenter ants from moving in and destroying your home.

First, eliminate conditions that encourage colonies to nest in the first place. Remove potential nesting grounds away from your home. These include old stumps, untreated landscaping timber, and dead or dying trees. You should also examine your foundation for cracks and tightly seal any openings where pipes and wires enter your home. This will go a long way in keeping carpenter ants at bay.

If ants move in, Gopher Patrol can kick them out—for good. For over 16 years, Gopher Patrol has provided effective pest control services for homeowners in the Riverside area. No matter how big or small your problem is, our pest control experts can help you reclaim your home. To schedule service, contact us online or call us at (855) 460-0564. 

A Look at Some Eco-friendly Ant Control Methods

Ants are expected outside, but it can be quite the surprise to find these tiny pests in your home. Besides the shock of seeing ants inside, these pests can also be very problematic. Large ant infestations should be treated by professional pest control experts. Thankfully, there are some natural pest control methods that can help you deal with a small ant problem inside your home. Look inside your cupboards for these eco-friendly DIY ant control methods.

Chalk

One of the best ways to control ants in your home is to keep them out, and one of the best ways to keep them out is by drawing a line of chalk around the window sill or door jamb where they are coming in. Ants will not cross a line of chalk, and it is not harmful to children or pets.

Cream of Wheat

Ants love cream of wheat. We’re not telling you this because we think the ants around your home deserve a treat, but because cream of wheat expands in their stomachs when they eat it, killing them instantly. Ants will also carry cream of wheat into their nest, which can greatly reduce their numbers.

Peppermint

For whatever reason, ants are repelled by the scent of peppermint. To keep ants out of your home, fill a spray bottle with water and add 10 to 15 drops of peppermint extract or peppermint oil. Spray the peppermint mixture in front of door openings and cracks to prevent ants from entering your home.

These eco-friendly ant control methods are great for a small ant problem in your garden or around your home, but once ants move in, it can be incredibly difficult to eradicate them without the help of aprofessional pest control company. Fortunately, Gopher Patrol of Riverside, CA has extensive experience dealing with ant problems. Contact us online or call us at (888) 466-4674 to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services. 

Essential Tips for Rodent Proofing Your Home

Rats and mice make great pets, but only when you know where they came from and have the means to keep them from wondering around on their own. Feral rodents are quite a different story. If your home becomes infested with rats or mice, your entire family could be at risk. Rats and mice carry dozens of transmittable diseases, many of which can be fatal. Rodents can also chew through electrical wiring, creating a fire hazard and endangering the lives of everyone inside your home. To protect your family from the dangers of a rodent infestation, start by sealing up your home and making it less attractive to rats and mice. Here’s how:

Seal Holes and Entryways

Rats and mice can enter your home through cracks and holes that are incredibly small. To prevent these unwelcome pests from invading your home, look around your foundation and seal cracks or holes that are larger than one-fourth of inch with hardware cloth, metal sheeting, or mortar. And if you keep any doors or windows open to air out your home, make sure to close them at night before rodent activity increases.

Keep Your Home Clean

One of the best ways to prevent rats and mice is by simply keeping a neat, tidy home. Sweep up food crumbs in the kitchen and keep animal feed (if you have any) in metal containers with tight-fitting lids. You should also keep the areas around your house clean to reduce or eliminate rodent hangouts, such as old appliances, trash lumber piles, junk vehicles, open garage cans, or dense thickets of weeds.

Take Immediate Action

If you see a single rat or mice in your home, don’t waste any time contacting a rodent control provider. Rodents can reproduce incredibly fast. For example, the gestation period of rats is 21 days, and a single litter can have up to fourteen offspring. This means that in just a few months, a pair of rats can turn into dozens or even hundreds of rats.

If you live in the Riverside area, contact Gopher Patrol for professional rodent removal you can trust. Our rodent eradication solutions will put an end to your unwanted guests. To learn why Gopher Patrol is the trusted name in gopher and rodent control in Southern California, call us today at (855) 460-0564.

Essential Mole Control Tips

Moles aren’t nearly as destructive as gophers, but they can still turn your beautiful yard or garden into a mess of dirt mounds and burrows. To keep these pesky critters from destroying your lawn, you need to take immediate action at the first sign of mole activity. While professional mole removal is the best way to ensure that your lawn is protected, there are some DIY remedies you can attempt yourself (though the results are not guaranteed).

In this video from eHow.com, you will hear about one popular method for DIY mole control. Mix soap, pepper, and castor oil together and spray into your lawn. Moles will detect this spicy mixture and, hopefully, turn the other way. Click play to learn more.

If moles are running amok in your lawn, contact the experts at Gopher Patrol. After years of fine-tuning our mole control service, we have perfected the art of effective mold removal. Our mole removal methods generally will involve two visits approximately one week apart. To schedule service or learn more about our mole control solutions, contact us online or call us at (888) 466-4674.