The Key To Effective Rodent Control For Rhode Island Properties

Living in Rhode Island is unlike living anywhere else. Whether that means getting to enjoy beautiful beaches during the summertime or breathtaking foliage during the fall, there is a lot to love about Rhode Island. Unfortunately, there’s a lot that rodents find appealing about Rhode Island as well. Animals like rats, mice, and squirrels are all a realistic concern for property owners in the area no matter the time of year. While rodents are more likely to take up shelter in homes and businesses once temperatures have cooled down, they never stop looking for a steady source of food or water. Once rodents make their way inside of a home or place of business, they can be the source of serious health issues as well as property damage problems such as ruined insulation and chewed electrical wiring. 

Luckily, there’s an answer. At Big Blue Bug Solutions, we have been providing quality rodent control in Rhode Island for more than 80 years. Our company is composed of the most experienced technicians and methods that are designed to bring you lasting results. If you want to familiarize yourself with rodents, the issues they cause, and how to address them, please enjoy the following guide. You can also call us today for more information on our rodent control services.

There are certain types of rodents that live in the Rhode Island area that residents ought to be aware of because they’re not all the same. Some of those rodents include:

• Squirrels: These animals are mostly seen hopping around backyards, telephone poles, and anywhere else that they can climb. Squirrels are often gray, brown, or some combination of the two. They can sit on their hind legs and have very strong use of their hands. Squirrels are also easy to spot due to their bushy tails. While they primarily live outside, sometimes they will enter attics looking for shelter. 
• Rats: In Rhode Island, most people will encounter either a roof rat or a Norway rat. The roof rat lives up to its name and is a very adept climber. They will take advantage of any trees that are in touch with a home as a means of entering it. The Norway rat can also utilize small crevices. but as their nickname “water rat” would suggest, they are known to use sewers to enter homes as well. 
• Mice: The smallest of the area’s rodents, mice are very petite in size, which affords them many opportunities to enter homes and businesses. Mice are capable of using openings that are no larger than the size of a dime. They will slip through cracks in foundations or even walk through open garage doors if it means that there is food and shelter on the other side. Mice usually stay away from people, which leaves them to nest inside of walls and beneath bulkheads. They are capable of having eight litters of pups a year, which can vary greatly in size. 

For more information on rodent identification, please call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.

Having a rodent infestation is more than just an inconvenience. While these animals may look furry and cuddly, they are actually linked with some very significant health issues that include:

• Salmonellosis: Rodents carry salmonella bacteria in their intestines, which is why it spreads through the droppings that they leave behind on countertops or around cooking areas. Having a salmonella infection can result in fever, chills, nausea, and cramping. 
• Hantavirus: The way this health issue spreads is when people inhale particles of infected urine, droppings, and saliva that spread throughout the air. If nesting materials are agitated, then they might spread the same droplets. Signs of hantavirus include muscle aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and dizziness. 
• Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: This virus is transmitted primarily after people have been exposed to new rodent feces or urine. If these pathogens make their way into a person’s eyes or broken skin then they might be at a greater risk for contracting LCMV. This shows as a stiff neck, loss of appetite, and nausea. 
• Rat-bite fever: Rat-bite fever is a disease that spreads through open wounds as well as areas such as the eyes, mouth, and nose. People must first come into contact with rodents that are carrying these pathogens. Some of the signs of rat-bite fever include joint swelling, headaches, fever, and vomiting. 
• Spread of other pests: Rodents are also known to be hosts to some very detrimental pests, which include fleas, ticks, and mites. These parasitic invaders can pose their own health risks to both people and their pets. They are associated with the spread of Lyme disease, tapeworm, murine typhus, anemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and more. And because of the free roam that rodents have, they can bring these pests inside very easily and spread them yards just the same as well. 

For more information on total rodent control, call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.

Rodents cause the type of pest problems that are significantly worth the preventive measures that you can take. By implementing subtle changes in your daily life, you may be able to drastically reduce rodent attraction to your property. Here are five tips that are worth trying today:

1. Be mindful of cleanliness. Rodents will eat nearly anything that they can find, which is why maintaining a clean and tidy living environment is crucial to deterring them. Make sure that indoor and outdoor garbage bins always have a lid on them and that you never miss garbage collection. You may want to rinse bins out to clear away food residue as well. Additionally, it’s important to make routine vacuuming and disinfecting a routine to further eliminate food crumbs that could attract rodents. 
2. Look for moisture issues. Another key reason why rodent problems appear is that your home offers them moisture. Indoors, consider installing dehumidifiers to keep crawl spaces and basements ventilated. You’ll also want to shut off fixtures completely after using them. Outdoors, check for leaking pipes to fix and if gutters get clogged, clear them out. 
3. Tidy up the yard. Squirrels and rats are both very adept climbers, so they can easily use overhanging trees and hedges as a means of entering your house. These landscaping features usually point rodents directly toward the attic or upper floors where they can invade insulation and nest out of sight. Be sure to clip tree branches and other plantings on a regular basis. 
4. Organize the pantry. To further reduce the types of food sources that you provide rodents with, make sure that none of your pantry snacks or goods are stored in their original packages. Instead, opt for sealed containers even if you’re keeping food on the counter. 
5. Seek professional services. If you want complete assurance that your property will always be protected from rodents, then there’s no substitution for professional pest control. By enlisting these services, you will benefit from routine inspections, the use of top-quality products and methods, as well as someone to always answer your questions. 

For more information on rodent exclusion in Rhode Island, call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.

Sometimes, no matter what you do or how hard you try to keep rodents away, they can still develop into an issue for your property. Instead of continuing to struggle with these issues, eliminate your stress with help from Big Blue Bug Solutions. We are proud to be a local family-owned business with more than 80 years of experience! Big Blue Bug Solutions is synonymous with quality pest control in Rhode Island, and with good reason. Not only are we a fully licensed and insured company, but we also stay up to date with the latest technology and equipment. We provide regular educational training to all of our technicians so that when they arrive at your property, they are ready to treat. 

Whether you’re a homeowner or operate a local business, our rodent control programs are all informed by Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods. This will benefit you in more ways than one. IPM standards guide our technicians to perform comprehensive property inspections that provide invaluable information as to why rodents are getting attracted to your property. This step will also help us understand how rodents are interacting with your property while locating the entry points that they’re using and making proper species identifications. We focus on making habitat modifications and eliminating attraction in order to deter rodents in the long term. 

If you’re a homeowner and want ongoing protection from rodents, then our residential pest control program is a trusted option. We provide three preventive services throughout the year that will target the parts of your home that are most vulnerable to rodent invasions. And if any rodents appear between these visits, simply give us a call and one of our technicians will be right over! For businesses, we offer the option of tailored monthly services. We work across industries to ensure that Rhode Island’s restaurants, warehouses, and schools are free from rodents. For more information on keeping your property rodent-free, call Big Blue Bug Solutions today.