Examining Some Common Winter Rodent Problems

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the holidays are upon us. There’s a lot to love about winter, but with the cooler temperatures comes a very serious threat: rodents. Rats and mice are notorious for making themselves comfortable in your home, especially when the temperatures drop. No matter how big your home is, there is never extra room for rats and mice to move in. When rodents decide to move in, they bring a number of problems with them, including:  

Rodent Tracks

One of the most obvious signs of rodent activity is dark, greasy tracks along the floors or baseboards. As rats and mice move around your home, their oily fur mixes with dirt to create dark streaks along the areas they most frequently travel. Rodent tracks can be difficult to remove, especially if they run all throughout your home. These streaks can also be very unsightly and embarrassing, especially when you have guests over during the holidays.

Rodent Noise

If you hear a pitter patter on the roof on Christmas Eve, it probably isn’t Santa Clause. Rodent activity increases at night, so you will probably hear rats and mice moving around in the ceiling or between the walls, or even scurrying across your wood floor. Hearing rats and mice in your home can keep you awake for hours, which will definitely drain some of your holiday cheer.

Rodent Droppings

Rats and mice carry a large number of transmittable diseases, many of which can be fatal if left untreated. One of the easiest ways for human beings to become infected with a rodent disease is by inhaling or ingesting the droppings of rats or mice. If you notice rodent dropping around your home, contact a pest control company as soon as possible.

Don’t let rats and mice ruin your holidays. Call Gopher Patrol today and let our rodent removal experts clear your home of these annoying and potentially dangerous pests. For additional information about our rodent control services in Riverside, CA, call us at (888) 466-4674.

Understanding the Costly Damage that Gophers Can Cause in Your Yard

Have you ever looked at your lawn in the morning to find mounds of fresh dirt that weren’t there the previous evening? If so, you’d seen the damage that gophers can do. Gophers, or pocket gophers, are burrowing rodents that grow to be anywhere from 6 to 10 inches long. These creatures live underground in tunnels that they dig with their powerful front legs and large claws. These rodents cause grief as they excavate the dirt from their tunnels, often spoiling the look of a freshly mown lawn or healthy garden.

Landscape Destruction
Since gophers are underground dwellers, you’ll probably never see one. Instead, you’ll likely only see the crescent-shaped mounds on your lawn. However, gopher damage goes beyond the occasional blemish—gophers dig about 6 to 12 inches beneath the soil so they can feed on the roots of your vegetables and bushes. If left to their own devices, gophers could kill several of your beloved plants.   

Damage to Underground Lines
While damage to your landscape can be frustrating, most plants are relatively easy to replace. Gophers can do the most damage to your property and checkbook by gnawing on irrigation pipe and underground utility lines. To repair these underground elements, you’ll likely need to have a professional excavate the dirt, lay new lines, then fill it back in again. Some gophers can cause as much as $3,000 in damage.   

Control Methods
As you can imagine, numerous home gopher remedies have surfaced over the years. Some people put bubble gum or vegetable oil down the holes, while others try to drown the gophers with water. However, these methods may only get rid of one gopher at best. Gopher control professionals, on the other hand, know how to eliminate all gophers from a given property.

If you have gophers on your property, don’t rely on ineffective home remedies—call Gopher Patrol at (855) 460-0564. Our high standards and strong work ethic have allowed us to become one of the most trusted rodent removal companies in the LA area.