If you are one of the nearly half of Americans who have stockpiled a food storage in case of a natural or man-made disaster, then you have likely put in a lot of money, time and effort to ensure your emergency supply doesn’t spoil or go to waste. Being prepared for an emergency before it happens will make all the difference in how your family survives through tragic times. With all of the natural disasters we have seen across the globe in recent years, one never knows when disaster may strike. It is intelligent to think ahead as many Americans already have. Acquiring your food storage was a task all in its own. The next step will be protecting that food from anything that may come its way. Rodents and pests will stop at nothing to get a free meal. Fall through Winter is when we see the most rodent activity because they seek refuge from the cold. Don’t let your food storage become a restaurant to these unwanted house guests. Effective Pest Services is here to give a bit of advice for protecting your food storage from rodents this season!

Can You Make Your House Rat & Mouse Proof?

If you can keep a rodent out of your home altogether, then you’re ahead of the game! Mice only need openings the diameter of a dime, while rats can squeeze through holes the size of a quarter. Talk with your pest control company or do a walk around yourself to ensure all entry points are sealed off to your home. Seal cracks, window edges, piping, vents and be sure your doors sealed all the way around. If you can see light through the bottom of your doors, rodents and other pests can likely fit under them.

Clear Clutter for a Rodent Free Home

Vermin of all kinds will hide in wood piles, trash piles, leaf piles or anywhere else they can shelter for the time being. By keeping your yard free of clutter, storing trash cans at least 15-20 feet from your home and keeping wood piles away from your home, you will eliminate places for them to hide or things for them to eat.

Will a Clean House Keep Mice & Rats Away?

Rodents are nocturnal creatures who are always in search of a free meal and water. By keeping your home clean, you will eliminate food sources for them to feed on. Dishes should stay washed at the end of the day, trash should be emptied each night, floors swept daily and mopped as needed and your home should be kept free from clutter. Any water leaks or plugged drains should be addressed and fixed as quickly as you can to eliminate water sources for these rodents.

Store Food in Airtight Containers

While keeping our yards and homes clean is a vital part of making our homes unappealing to rodents, our food storage itself should be stored and protected in a way that should a rodent make its way inside, they can’t breach and contaminate your food source. Storing your food in airtight containers is the safest option for keeping your food safe. Never store foil packets or other items in cardboard boxes or leave them out. This will be a free buffet for rodents who will smell the food and come running! Rodents not only look for food and water, but places and materials to build nests out of. Cardboard boxes will become nesting materials. Any items that can be canned or stored in airtight jars should be, anything else would be best suited in an airtight, thick plastic storage container, or clean trash bin with a locking lid. Every few months, you should rotate items to ensure they are still safe and keep things off the floors and on shelves as much as possible.

Mouse & Rat Rodent Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado

As with any pest, early intervention is key. If you keep an eye on your food storage from time to time, you can detect when there has been rodent activity, so you can act quickly in eliminating them! Effective Pest Services offers various tactics to aid you in protecting your food storage or pantry. If you need assistance catching problem rodents and/or keeping them out of your food storage, give us a call today!