Pest Control Winter Update

Unwanted Winter House Guests
Roof and Norway Rats

With the dropping temperatures this coming season, you may become the unwilling host to some unwelcome winter guests: Rats. These animals often invade homes in search of warm winter nesting areas. Norway rats and Roof rats are commonly found here in the Southeast.

Norway and Roof rats have litters of 6-12 young born about 21 days after conception. Females have 4-6 litters per year. Their offspring can begin reproducing as early as 8 weeks after they are born, so it is not hard to understand just how quickly they can become a major problem inside your home.

Both species will eat nearly any type of food. They prefer cereal grains, meats, fish, nuts and fruit. They are primarily nocturnal, and they have a keen sense of smell to offset poor eyesight. These animals are destructive to property and foodstuffs. Their teeth never stop growing, so they constantly chew on things to keep their teeth filed down. They damage electrical wires, conduits, wood, and other substances causing potential hazards inside your home. Their hairs and urine contaminate foods and dishes. They play an important part in the transmission of human diseases such as typhus, rat-bite fever, and bubonic plague.

Adult Norway rats weigh an average of one pound. Roof rats are slightly smaller on average. Norway
rats usually construct nests in below-ground burrows or at ground level. Nests are lined with shredded paper, cloth, or other fibrous material. Roof rats usually frequent attics, building crossbeams and pipes. They often leave a dark colored layer of grease and dirt to mark their travelways.

Control of rodents inside your home is included in our Quarterly Household Pest Program at no additional charge. Control of Norway rats can be achieved at the ground level or basement level, while Roof rat control measures must be used in attic spaces and areas above ground level. You should remove tree branches overhanging the roof of your house in order to reduce access to attic areas. Control is achieved with glueboards and snap traps, and other methods. Most rats have a strong tendency to avoid new objects in their environment. have a strong tendency to avoid new objects in their environment. It may take several days before they will approach a control device such as a glueboard or snap trap.

The Silverfish

Adult Silverfish are about 1/2 inch long with a uniform silvery or pearl-gray color. They often live in damp, cool places such as basements and laundry rooms. Sometimes they are found trapped in a bathtub, sink or wash basin. Silverfish like warm temperatures, and it is not uncommon to see more of them inside your home during the winter. Large numbers may be found in new buildings where the walls are still damp from plaster and green lumber.

Females may lay over 100 eggs during a lifetime. The young hatch in 3-6 weeks.

Silverfish eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper paste, book bindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton and other fabrics, wheat flour, cereals, meats and leather.

The perimeter based barriers and dust products we use in our quarterly treatments achieve effective control of silverfish. You may see increased silverfish activity during the winter with more of the insects seeking warmth coming in from outdoors. Effectiveness of control can be increased by removing old stacks of newspapers, magazines, etc., along with eliminating foodstuffs spilled and stored for long periods of time.