Hungry Rats & Mice Looking for New Food Sources

Author: Kurt Treftz, Cascade Pest Control

With many restaurants shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, rats, mice, and other aggressive rodents are finding their way into homes and businesses to find new food sources.

We, at Cascade Pest Control, are getting an increasing number of calls for ongoing rodent control because these pesky pests are now aggressively finding their way and infesting homes and businesses in the Seattle region in search for a food source.

Restaurants have always been a place for rodents to feed on the food scraps and left-overs dumped in garbage bins. And even with restaurants open for take-out or delivery, there just isn’t the abundance of food scraps and left-overs that rats are used to feeding on – so they are on the prowl.

Larger cities, like Seattle, have always been more at risk, but because rodents are moving further out to residential areas looking for food sources, the CDC is warning of aggressive rodent behavior, the disease and damage rodents cause, and issuing guidance on how to deter or prevent infestation.

Whether a home or business owner, here are some of the CDC recommendations:

  • Tightly seal and cover garbage cans or trash bins (even recycling bins!)
  • Outside bird feeders can attract rodents
  • Standing pet food can attract rodents
  • Seal gaps, holes and cracks that could be entry points
  • Trim trees, shrubs, landscaping away from your building structure

With the reports of aggressive rodent behavior, it’s important to adhere to CDC guidelines to prevent any rat or rodent infestation. However, if you have been a victim of rodents, do not procrastinate in calling professionals to eradicate the problem.

DIY solutions will not eradicate all the issues rodents cause.

mice and the hantavirus Rodent Damage:

  • Rodents damage cars and RVs by gnawing through engines, hoses, cables, upholstery
  • Rodents ruin attic or crawl space insultation
  • Rodents damage interior wiring, cables
  • Rodents gnaw on wood, aluminum, roofing materials found in many home exteriors

Health Threats of Rodents:

  • Mice carry Hantavirus
  • Rodent droppings and urination carry and transmit disease such as,
    • Leptospirosis
    • Rat-Bite Fever
    • Indirect transmitted diseases and parasites, such as Lyme disease to strains of typhus

The safest and most effective, long-term solution to protecting both the structure and cleanliness of your home or business is to reach out to a professional pest and rodent control company.

Call 1-888-989-8979 to schedule an inspection or Request a Quote, today!

Request a Quote