When you notice signs of mice or rats in your home, your first instinct may be to set out some baited traps. But many people catch rodents in traps and then, a few months later, realize there are more rats in their home and have to repeat the process. This is because they are not fixing the reasons rodents are inside.

To permanently keep mice and rats out after trapping them, you also need to remove the rodents’ access to your home. Otherwise, the food and shelter that attracted them in the first place will continue to bring rodents in and you will have an ongoing problem that is both expensive and stressful as you try to keep up with the rodents in your home.

What is Rodent Exclusion?

Lured by the smell of food and the warmth of your home, rodents will search out a preexisting gap they can squeeze through to gain access to your property. These holes can be as small as ¼” for mice and ½” for rats and still provide ample room for them to get in. Some of the common entry points for rodents in Gainesville include:

• Cracks in Siding
• Damaged Roofs
• Vents and Fans
• Torn Screens
• Gaps Around Doors and Windows
• Open Chimneys, and More

To keep these pests away, we use a process known as “Exclusion.” Exclusion, as the name implies, is an approach to pest control that prevents pests and rodents from entering by sealing any access point.

During exclusion, we search out and seal all of the holes and gaps that rodents use to enter. We use physical barriers for this, such as mesh screens or different fillers to cover the gaps and leave no space that is large enough for a rat or mouse to get through.

Only when we are sure rodents cannot come into your home do we lay traps to catch the existing infestation. This creates a lasting solution to rodents that requires only minimal upkeep if any new damage leads to additional gaps.

Why We Use Exclusion in Addition to Traps to Keep Rodents Out

Rodent exclusion gets to the root cause of your mice or rat problem. Instead of focusing only on the rodents currently causing issues in your home, we prioritize protecting your home from all rodent invasions.

In addition, rodent exclusion is also:

• Safe for Your Family – Since exclusion relies on physical barriers rather than chemical ones, there are no toxic products that could harm your family. You will also no longer need to use traps that can hurt children or pets.
• Humane – Rodent exclusion is also more humane as preventing them from entering your home means less need for extermination through traps.
• Long Lasting – Where chemical preventatives may work in the short term before needing to be reapplied and traps can take care of rodents inside your home, exclusion works indefinitely.

Our rodent control relies on regular services we provide quarterly or bi-monthly throughout the year. This gives us the opportunity to locate potential rodent entrances as they occur and exclude rodents immediately – ideally before any mice or rats can enter your home. If you have had trouble keeping rats out for good, rodent exclusion from ExtermPRO will provide the effective results you need. Call us today for rodent exclusion in Northern Virginia.