How to Rodent-Proof Your Home for Fall

Categories: Autumn Pests, Rodents, SMART, Winter Pests

Sp inspects under a kitchen sink

Colder weather is approaching, and that leads to an increase in rodent activity. Through Modern’s Anticimex SMART data, we know that rats and mice are an issue year-round. But late summer/early fall is the perfect time of year to do basic exclusion and rodent proofing around your home or business. Combined with professional pest control from Modern, this can help prevent them from overwintering and creating an infestation. 

Rats can fit through holes as small as a dime, and rats can fit through holes as small as a quarter. Keep this in mind and take a good look around your home for possible entry points.  Likely entry points include: HVAC unit lines, utility/cable TV holes, gaps at the bottom of doors, dryer vents, and structural and foundation cracks and openings.

Don’t let rodents damage your health and home.

Call Modern at 800-323-7378!

Tips to Keep Mice and Rats Out of Your Home

  • Remove items from around the home that provide harborage areas for mice, such as firewood piles, stored patio furniture, and kids’ toys.
  • Trim back plants and trees that touch or overhang the structure.
  • Inspect the bottom of entry doors (especially garage doors) and replace them if damaged or worn. Door sweeps made specifically to keep rodents out are available from Modern. 
  • Inspect all utility penetrations through the exterior walls of the structure, such as electrical, gas, or air conditioner lines. If openings are found, seal these with a suitable material like steel wool or copper mesh. Do not use expanding foam as rats and mice can chew through it.
  • Check all window and vent screens for holes and gaps and repair as needed. This includes crawlspace vents.
  • Check for gaps in the siding, especially at the corners. Seal as needed with suitable materials.
  • Any gaps or openings around the home larger than the size of a dime should be sealed.

What Materials Keep Rodents Out?

Some essential tools and materials for rodent proofing can include:

  • Medium-grade or better steel wool
  • Copper mesh
  • 1/4-inch thick wire mesh screens
  • All-weather caulk sealant
  • Door sweeps/weather stripping
  • Crawl space vent covers

The following tools will help you rodent proof:

  • Wire cutters
  • Pliers
  • Screwdriver
  • Utility knife
  • Power drill
  • Caulk gun

Call 800-323-7378 today to get rodents out and KEEP them out! 

How to Fix Rodent Entry Points

  • To seal gaps around utility lines and HVAC lines, cut copper mesh to a desirable length, depending on the size of the gap or hole. Wearing gloves, carefully ball the metal into a piece big enough to seal the entry point. Stuff it into the hole using a screwdriver. Rodents will be discouraged to chew through the mesh due to the damage it may cause to their mouths.

  • Gaps under doors can be fixed by installing a weather strip or door sweep. You’ll know when the gap has been sealed when you can’t see any light shining through. If a pen or pencil can still fit through the gap, keep making adjustments. 
  • Over time, dryer vents can become an entry point if the flaps are not properly sealing. Make sure the vents are clear of lint and other debris that could obstruct it from fully closing. You can also install a metal vent screen or rodent-proof vent according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Seal cracks around the vent with steel wool and cover the steel wool with caulk.
  • Foundational and structural cracks and openings can be sealed with 1/4-inch thick galvanized steel wire mesh. If you are a DIY type, this will be right up your alley, since measuring, cutting, and power drilling can be involved with this type of rodent proofing. 
  • Some openings, like crawlspace vents, may require having the vent cover reinstalled. 

The SMART  Solution

Modern also provides Anticimex SMART pest control technology, a 24/7, 365 wireless and ecofriendly pest control solution that allows us to monitor homes for pests even when no one is home.

Anticimex SMART technology consists of Smart Connect Minis, Smart Connect Eyes, and Smart Snaps that communicate with each other and back to headquarters. They tell our Pest Control Professionals where the mouse pressure is high, so they know where to most effectively place the Smart Snaps. And when a Smart Snap is activated, it reports back to our offices so we’ll know to empty and reset it.

With innovative SMART technology from Anticimex, you’ll never even have to think about mice in your attic, much less remove one from a DIY electronic or traditional snap trap. Modern will know there’s an issue before you do!

A successful SMART service will follow three core steps: inspection, monitoring, and pest-proofing. Rodent proofing is a crucial part of the SMART Service. 

Our SMART Devices help us determine the effectiveness of rodent proofing and exclusion work. SMART Devices are active 24/7 and will provide data trends that will allow us to know and not guess if there is rodent activity.Â