Probably since the beginning of human existence, rats have been with us. These opportunistic feeders will eat just about anything, which is why they tend to be around humans. They are useful in that sense, being that they will eat our trash. Rats prefer grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, but they are not picky.

Safety Fumigant Company serves the South Shore of Massachusetts with the best pest control and wildlife removal services, including rodent control. We are a third-generation, family-owned business that’s been serving the residents of Massachusetts for over 90 years. Our experience and know-how with eliminating your pests cannot be beat. Below, we’ll take a brief look at the importance of rat catchers throughout time, and why you should call us should you see one of these pesky rodents near your home or business. Call for rodent control today!

THE IMPORTANCE OF RAT CATCHERS THROUGHOUT TIME

Rats and mice have always lived near humans. However, the problem with this is that rats and mice don’t discriminate in food, meaning they will eat our grains and more that is for human consumption and not just the garbage. The other problem with rats is that they carry fleas that can cause diseases in humans, most notably The Black Plague that killed millions of people from the 16th to the 18th century.

Enter the rat catcher. Rat infestations in big cities such as London and in Europe was a huge problem. With the rise of Industrialization in the 1800s, the rise of sanitation did not accompany it. This meant that the environment of trash in the streets was ripe for rat populations to soar. This was also a time of incredible poverty in Europe, so humans earned a living as they could, one being rat catchers.

Rat catchers would chase down rats in sewers and in the streets, capturing them with their bare hands, with traps, or by using terrier dogs. This helped to control the rat population and the spread of disease.

In essence, anytime there is a great abundance of food, rats congregate. Another example of a rat problem was in the trenches of World War I. They would eat discarded food, rotting bodies, the leather straps of guns, anything. They spread diseases with their fleas and urine, bit people, stole food, and disrupted sleep. Terriers and ferrets were in high demand.

Finally, as sanitation improved throughout the world, rats retreated back to their natural environment, eliminating the need for rat catchers.

CHOOSE SAFETY FUMIGANT IN HINGHAM TODAY FOR ALL YOUR RODENT CONTROL NEEDS

Safety Fumigant in Hingham offers both residential and commercial rodent control services. Our team is well-versed in rat behavior and with over 90 years of eliminating rats, we have what it takes to get the job done. Our rat removal team will perform a thorough inspection of your home or office. Then we’ll set our traps, catch your rodents (don’t let their faces fool you!), and take them away for you. Sign up for our recurring pest control services today!

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In our most recent article, we discussed some of the things to look out for in order to decide if it’s time to call a rodent exterminator. We discussed the way that rodents destroy food containers in a pantry to get at what’s inside, as well as the way that you can look for tracks in the dust or sugar that they have gotten into. Of course, rodent droppings are also an excellent sign that it’s time to contact someone about rodent control. We also discussed the importance of not ignoring your senses when it comes to rodent control, such as hearing the scurrying in the walls and seeing the rodents outright.

But those aren’t the only five ways to keep an eye (and ear) out for rodents. Today we take a look (and a smell!) at some more ways to discover if you need to contact a mouse or rat exterminator.

Strange Pet Behavior

Pets are pretty much guaranteed to have at least one sense that’s better than yours. While standard human vision might beat the average dog’s, the dog is certainly the champion when it comes to smells. Cats can hear better than humans and dogs, and they’re much better at pinpointing where a sound came from.

If you have a rodent problem, it’s very likely that the sounds of smells of the mice or rats will cause your pets to act strangely. They might be clawing at the baseboard or concentrating on a spot on the wall. But they know something is there, so be sure to watch out for strange behavior in your pets.

The Smell of Urine

Your pets will almost certainly be able to tell that you need rodent control thanks to the smell of urine from the mouse. But if the smell gets too bad — which usually means a large infestation — humans can smell it as well.

It’s unlikely that the smell is the first thing you’ll notice if there are that many rodents in the walls. But if it’s just one more sign that you can’t ignore, call a professional mouse exterminator right away.

Home Damage

Here’s something that’s probably pretty obvious: Rodents don’t care about your home. They don’t care if they have to chew through wood to get somewhere else in the house, and they don’t care if they have to chew through the electrical wiring in order to wear down their ever-growing teeth. If they want to make a nest, they’re not going to think twice before tearing apart your antique quilt.

Not every mouse hole is a perfect little arch like you’ll see in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, so you’ll have to look in less obvious places where rodents can slip in and out of the walls. When you do, you might find…

Grease On The Baseboards

Rodent hair is full of grease, and it often rubs off as they move through the tiny spaces in a home. This can cause discolorations on any wood that they rub up against. If you find grease near the floor in the kitchen, don’t automatically think it was from a cooking mishap.

Do You Need Rodent Control?

If you’ve run into any of these problems, it might be time to contact a pest control expert. Give us a call and we’ll get rid of your rats and mice!

The post 4 More Signs That It’s Time To Contact A Rodent Exterminator appeared first on Safety Fumigant Company Pest Control Services.

Until they actually see a mouse or rat scurrying around their home, most people don’t think that they have a rodent problem. They might see some mouse droppings in the pantry and think that the bag of brown rice spilled. They might hear scurrying noises and dismiss it as a squirrel scampering on the roof. And if there’s a strange smell in the house, it’s easy to blame it on the pets.

People will come up with excuses to ignore the real problem all the time for one simple reason: having rodents in the home is considered socially unacceptable. For many people, admitting that they need rodent control means admitting that they have a dirty house. The fact is, pests can get into any home new or old, messy or clean. Most of the time, it’s just bad luck that allows a rodent to set up house in your own house.

With so many people unaware of the signs of a rodent infestation, we thought we’d spend the next couple of articles telling you all about the things to look for when you have an inkling that you might have to call a mice or rat exterminator.

Damaged Food Containers

One of the first signs of rodents that people notice is damaged food containers. Rodents will eat just about anything, and they’re often not just content to take the crumbs that fall to the floor of the pantry…they want the whole pantry!

Rodent teeth are incredibly sharp, which means that a cereal box and the bag inside can be compromised in under a minute. If you notice any sort of chew marks on your food containers, don’t ignore them; call for pest control right away. And be sure to check for…

Droppings

Droppings, aka rodent feces, are fairly easy to identify. Like we said before, it kind of looks like uncooked black or brown rice. Besides the obvious “yuck factor” of having their feces so close to your food, please know that rodent feces can also carry disease, so rodents might make you sick even if you never see them.

Tracks

When most of us think of tracks, we imagine an animal that has left foot indentations in mud. Since there’s no mud in your kitchen, how can you look for tracks?

The most common place to find rodent tracks is in the mess that they’ve already left. For instance, if a mouse or rat chews through a bag of powdered sugar, they might leave their telltale prints on the shelf or take the sugar with them on their feet and end up leaving the tracks on the floor. You might also be able to find tracks in very dusty areas, such as a cellar floor.

Scurrying Noises

Don’t dismiss scurrying noises in your house. Rodents often make their way through a house by moving inside the walls, so if you hear scurrying noises it might be time to call a pest control expert.

Visual Confirmation

The most obvious way that most people know that they need a pest control expert is when they see the little rodents with their own eyes. Don’t wait for the second sighting before calling for rodent control!

Do You Think You Need Pest Control?

If you’ve experienced any of the points above, it might be time to call pest control. And be sure to come back next time to discover five more signs that it’s time to contact a rodent exterminator.

The post 5 Signs That Tell You It’s Time To Call For Rodent Control appeared first on Safety Fumigant Company Pest Control Services.