Tag Archives: rodent infestation

How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Home this Winter

Summary: 

Fall is a beautiful season in Canada, but as the temperature drops your home becomes very attractive to rodents who are seeking a warmer environment in which to spend the winter. Mice and rats will be particularly persistent in trying to enter your home. Check out the video below in which Shawn from Terminix Canada takes us through the telltale signs of rodents in and around the home and identifies common ways they may enter the home.

How to Identify a Rodent Problem 

Just because you haven’t seen a rodent in or around your home doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Many rodents such as rats and mice are nocturnal and will only come out when you’re not home or are sleeping. This is why it’s so important to know the other common warning signs of a rodent problem such as signs of rummaging in the garbage or compost bin, burrowing in the yard, or holes that have been chewed in the walls or floor. Additionally, chewed food packaging, small rice-shaped droppings or unexplained musty smells are all strong signs rodents have already set up shop in your home. You will also want to pay special attention to any scurrying sound you may hear in the wall or ceiling at night as they can help you locate these pesky critters. 

Are Rodents Dangerous? 

Rodent infestations are quite hazardous not only because they can be territorial, but because they often carry a variety of diseases. Rats and mice are notorious for leaving toxic droppings around the home and spoiling food. Rodent teeth also continuously grow and they must frequently chew to grind them down to an appropriate length. This is why they often chew through wires and cause structural damage to the home. It is because of these risks that rodent prevention and exclusion methods are so important to keep you and your family safe. 

rat in bathroom

How to Prevent a Rodent Problem

The number one thing that attracts rodents to the area is a food source and they are not picky about what they consume! Open garbage cans, bird feeders, food scraps on counters and pet food all look like tasty meals to these animals. It’s very important to clean up and seal food properly to prevent attracting these pests. 

Rodents also need shelter, particularly during winter to avoid the worst of the cold. To prevent them from finding their way into the warmth of your home you’ll want to close any holes in the side of your house. Even small holes should be treated – mice have been known to fit through holes as small as a quarter inch round or about the size of a pencil! Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise, rodents could chew through and enter. Thick weather stripping should also be installed on the bottom of all doors to create a proper seal. 

rat eating seeds

How to Treat a Rodent Infestation 

There are a couple of options when it comes to traps we recommend – there are live traps that can be used to humanely remove these rodents from the home or standard traps that provide homeowners with a permanent solution that minimizes suffering. 

However, as mentioned earlier, dealing with these rodents is quite hazardous and not something we recommend inexperienced homeowners attempt. Don’t risk the health of you or your family- call on a licensed professional to get the job done quickly and safely. 

Terminix Canada offers expert pest control services for both residential and commercial properties. We have local pest control experts at locations across Canada including BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Call us today to learn how we can help.

The Added Benefits Of Environmental Pest Control

April is Earth Month, with Earth Day happening on April 22. So, this month, Terminix Canada wanted to focus on the importance of environmental pest control, as some pest control practices can be very harmful to people, pets, and the planet.

True to its name, environmental pest control is all about getting rid of pests with minimum impact on the environment. That means finding pest control solutions that go beyond simply spraying and praying with dangerous pesticides.

However, more than just being environmentally friendly, natural pest control can be more effective than traditional pest control solutions, offering longer-lasting results with less impact on your day-to-day life.

Long-Term Pest Control With Integrated Pest Management

Health Canada and the Pest Control Products Act regulate the sale, use, and handling of pesticides across the country. They promote an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to pest removal. Integrated Pest Management is an ecological approach to pest management that focuses on techniques to eliminate pests effectively, economically, and with environmental consciousness.

IPM is an environmental pest control method that seeks to remedy pest infestations by getting rid of the root causes of the infestation. While insect applications can temporarily get rid of pests, if it doesn’t address those root causes, you can be sure the critters will return as soon as the smoke clears.

Ultimately, IPM is about creating a holistic pest management plan that will get rid of pests without having to resort to chemical pesticides, except in extreme cases. Examples of Integrated Pest Management include exclusion and getting rid of conditions that could create pest habitats, such as removing standing water in your backyard.

By striking directly at the heart of your pest infestation, you’re ensuring years of pest-free living, instead of buying a few months of peace as the surviving pests breed and repopulate.

Eco-Friendly Pest Control Is Safe Pest Control

In addition to keeping the environment safe, eco-friendly pest control reduces the amount of chemicals inside your home. While you can be sure a reputable pest control company will take every precaution to use pesticides safely, weekend warriors attempting to use store-bought pesticides can easily put themselves and their loved ones at risk!

In addition to being safer than spray treatments, natural pest control is also a great way to save energy. This is because it avoids multi-day treatments or applications. Instead of having to pack away all your things and spend days in an expensive hotel while other exterminators spray away bed bugs, all-natural bed bug heat treatments can get rid of the pests in a matter of hours without disrupting the comfort of your home.

Whether you need to get rid of bed bugs or remove raccoons, Terminix Canada offers natural pest control solutions for all kinds of infestations. For Canada’s top eco-friendly pest control, call us today.

How Terminix Stands Out From The Competition

Terminix Canada lives and works in the same neighbourhoods as our customers, who trust us with their homes and businesses. Each day, Terminix teammates and our partners serve more than 50,000 customers around the world. These customers have come to trust us because our frontline cares deeply about the quality of their work and the relationships they have built.

But this trust depends on our commitment to protect the health and safety of our teammates, customers, and communities. As well as creating a healthy and sustainable environment. We value that trust, and it’s our responsibility to live up to these commitments.

QualityPro Mark

Terminix Canada takes great pride in ensuring our products meet the highest standards. That’s why you’ll see the QualityPro mark on our website. This mark designates that our technicians ascribe to professional pest removal standards. These standards far exceed the requirements of provincial and federal regulations. QualityPro is considered “the mark of excellence in pest management”. This is because it is designed to increase professionalism in the pest removal industry. As a QualityPro employer, Terminix Canada undergoes extensive background checks including driving and criminal history. Additionally, we strive to maintain a drug-free workplace to ensure a healthy, safe, and secure work environment.

At Terminix Canada, We:

  • Comply with all laws and regulations.
  • Empower all teammates at every level within the organization to:
  • Take personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of others.
  • Stop work immediately to avoid the risk of injury or environmental harm.
  • Actively share ideas to continuously create a safer place to work.
  • Design products and services to provide maximum benefit with minimal environmental, health and safety impacts.
  • Hold ourselves and our stakeholders accountable for the quality and safety of the products and services they provide to us and to our customers.
  • Strive to continually improve the safety of our processes, tools, and technology with the goal of being incident-free.

When You Need Safe And Effective Environmental Pest Control, Call The Experts At Terminix Canada

Terminix Canada is one of the most respected providers of pest control services nationwide. We offer 24/7 services coast-to-coast with over 90 years of experience.

Our government-licensed technicians use tried-and-tested techniques to get rid of pests and stop them from returning. We 100% guarantee results with our pest control services. If not, we’ll give you your money back. We safeguard residential homes and commercial businesses throughout Canada with effective pest control. That means offering effective protection against ants, birds, cockroaches, and other pests threatening human health and safety.

How To Identify Signs Of Pests In Your Home

It might sound like a no-brainer but identifying signs of pests in your home means getting rid of them quicker. While Terminix Canada has many more years of experience than your average homeowner in dealing with pest infestations, learning the common signs of pests living in your property is always beneficial.

Ever found yourself playing detective as you hold up a magnifying glass to pieces of dust? Chances are you were trying to determine whether you just encountered rodent droppings or not.

We understand that it’s easy to get paranoid about signs of pests in your home when you don’t know what to look for. However, once you know the real signs of common household bugs and rodents, you’ll be better equipped to quickly identify any infestation before calling your local pest exterminator. Ultimately, the faster you call for pest removal, the more effective it’ll be.

Signs Of Pests – This Blog Covers:

1. Bed Bugs
2. Cockroaches
3. Rodents
4. Silverfish

Signs Of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are one of the tiniest pests around, but this doesn’t mean you can’t successfully identify them. Firstly, you should inspect your skin for red, itchy bites. Bed bugs don’t spread disease to humans, but their bites can be rather irritating. If these bites develop after a (bad) night’s sleep, chances are you have bed bugs. These thirsty bloodsuckers like feeding on exposed skin with arms and shoulders commonly under siege.

Besides your own body, bed bugs leave behind blood stains on beds. As you inspect your bed, look out for small rusty coloured spots, often found near the edges of your mattress. Bed bugs molt (shed their skin) too, so you may also find disgusting oval-shaped exoskeletons in your discoveries.

Did you know that you can also smell bed bugs? Bed bug infestations leave behind a strong and musty odour from the release of pheromones. It’s just like that wet towel smell – nasty! Lastly, you should also inspect the clothes in your closet. Bed bugs have mastered the art of travel and will have no problem clinging to your clothing. Grab a magnifying glass and brush any invading insects away.

Signs of Cockroaches

The insidious thing about a cockroach infestation is that it’s easy not to notice you have one. This is until their numbers explode! These tenacious pests can take refuge in the deepest nooks and crannies, beneath floorboards, and behind cupboards. Reproducing rapidly, a single cockroach egg capsule contains between 30-40 eggs!

However, the good news is that roaches tend to congregate in areas near water. The areas worth paying attention to are your kitchen and bathroom. If you start to notice reddish-brown smear marks on your tiles, then you can be sure you have a cockroach infestation.

Other signs of cockroaches in your home include finding shed skins and egg sacs, as well as an increasingly musty odour in your kitchen and/or bathroom.

You should remove food from countertops, ensure dirty dishes aren’t in the sink, and remove crumbs from your floor to dissuade cockroaches from getting comfortable. As a nocturnal pest, roaches are notoriously evasive and require persistent vigilance to remove them.

Signs Of Mice And Signs Of Rats

Fall might seem like a long way away but it’s never too early to learn about rodent vigilance. As Canada cools down, armies of mice and rats seek shelter from the freezing cold temperatures of winter. Dozens of them could have already spent time living in your walls and foundations rent-free. Makes you shudder, right?

Luckily, the signs of a rodent infestation are relatively obvious. The first thing you might notice are mouse or rat droppings in cupboards and underneath cabinets. You should also look out for bite marks on cables, insulation, and food containers, like bags of pet food.

If you wake up in the night to the sounds of scratching inside your walls, don’t dismiss it as a nightmare. Mice and rats are most active at night, and the more intense the scratching, the larger your rodent infestation is.

The biggest problem with rodents is that they can cleverly sneak through the smallest spaces, holes, or cracks. If you have a crack or space in your structure that’s any bigger than 1.75 cm wide, you may be susceptible to a rodent infestation.

Signs Of Silverfish

Don’t be fooled. Silverfish aren’t fish-like but take their name from the pest’s silvery scales that are metallic in appearance.

Silverfish constantly search homes for moisture and food sources high in sugars and starch. Nevertheless, these pests can survive for weeks without food or water. Entering homes through door gaps and foundation cracks, silverfish infestations can start from simply leaving dirty dishes out too long.

Common signs that you have a silverfish infestation include holes in wallpaper, books, or cardboard storage boxes. Additionally, fecal matter resembling small peppercorns suggests silverfish have breached the perimeter. Elsewhere, yellow stains on clothing, wallpaper, books, and papers are sure-fire signs of silverfish.

Remove Pests Professionally With A Little Help From Terminix Canada

Have you found these or other signs of pests in your home? Call Terminix Canada for rapid, effective pest removal near you. Backed by over 90 years of professional pest control experience, our teams can identify and rid you of all common household bugs plaguing your property. Visit our Branch Locator, find your nearest Terminix Canada branch, and give them a call today.