Rodents can be a severe nuisance and a health hazard for you and your family. They can damage your property, contaminate your food, and carry diseases. If there are rodents in your yard, it’s important to act immediately before they take the opportunity to enter your home.

Signs of Rodents in Your Yard

Before you seek treatment for rats or mice in the yard, you have to determine if they’ve nested on your property to begin with. So how can you tell if your yard has rodents? Here are some of the main signs to look out for:

• Rodent droppings.
• Holes and tunnels in the ground where rats or mice can hide and nest. 
• Gnaw marks on fences, furniture, plants, or structures.
• Footprints and tail marks in the soil or snow. You may see them along walls, fences, or pathways.
• Squeaking, scratching, or scurrying noises at night. You may hear them in your attic, walls, or basement.

Types of Rodents in Your Yard

There are a variety of different rodents that may find their way inside your property and home. Luck for us, only two varieties in Iowa are known for invading from the yard. This would be the house mouse and the Norway rat. Let’s talk more about both species below:

• House mouse: The house mouse is a small rodent with gray-brown fur and a pointed snout. It can go as big as three inches long and 0.8 ounces heavy. House mice feed on seeds, grains, fruits, and insects, and can enter your house through gaps as small as a dime.
• Norway rat: The Norway rat is a large rodent that has brown-black fur and a blunt snout. It can get as big as 10 inches long and as heavy as 18 ounces. A Norway rat can enter your house through gaps as large as a quarter, where it’ll look for garbage, meat, grains, and fruits to feed on.

How to Prevent Rodents From Moving Into Your House

It’s never too early to take the right steps towards keeping rodents away from your yard. And by taking proactive action, you can save yourself the bill and hassle of a pest control treatment. To keep rats and mice off your property, you can:

• Seal any gaps or holes around your house that rodents can use to enter. 
• Keep your trash cans tightly closed and away from the perimeter of your house. 
• Dispose of garbage regularly and do not leave food scraps outside.
• Trim back any bushes or shrubs that touch the side of your house. 
• Store firewood above the ground and at least 20 feet away from your home. 
• Remove any clutter or debris from your yard that rodents can use as a shelter or nesting material.

Get Professional Help for Rodent Removal

If you already have rats or mice in your yard, you want to seek professional extermination services while the problem is still manageable. A licensed pest control company can inspect your property, identify the type and source of rodents, and apply the best treatment methods.

Springer Professional Home Services is one of the best pest control companies that offer rodent removal in Central Iowa. They have been serving the area since 1989 and have the experience and expertise to handle any rodent problem. So if you find yourself playing landlord to a crowd of furry, beady-eyed tenants, contact us today and find your peace of mind.

Many people have questioned the nature of COVID-19, including how it is spread. One of the common questions we’re seeing is, “are rodents spreading coronavirus?”. Thankfully, the answer is no. While rodents have been linked to other coronaviruses and other rat-borne diseases, COVID-19 is not one of them as of now. The team at Springer Professional Home Services is staying up to date with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and continues to focus on providing our local communities with safe living. We know this is still a developing situation, and more information is coming out about both the nature of the virus as well as how it is spread. For now, we will explore the link between rodents and the diseases they carry.

Rats, Mice, and Coronavirus

As of 2020, rats have not been linked to directly transmitting COVID-19, even though they can carry other coronaviruses. The three most recently discovered human coronaviruses (including the virus causing the current pandemic, SARS-CoV-2) have all caused epidemics with large numbers of serious infections and deaths. All three viruses have also been genetically traced to a bat origin, not rats!

Rats that have been recorded to carry other coronaviruses have not transmitted them to humans.

Rodent Activity During Pandemics

Even though rats and mice are not transmitting SARS-CoV-2, you still should be wary of infestations. A rodent problem can cause a plethora of issues. Unfortunately, they’re very common right now. Two reasons why it’s important to implement rodent prevention and control during the pandemic are:

1. Because of the nature of the lockdowns and restaurant closures, there have been a number of reported cases of rats and mice becoming more bold and rampant in the absence of food sources. This has led to more infestations and rodent-related problems.
2. Some rats and mice can spread other diseases, including hantavirus, salmonellosis, and plague. They also can indirectly transmit diseases from ticks, mosquitoes, lice, and fleas. Some of these include Colorado tick fever, Lyme disease, and others.

Year-Round Rodent Prevention

In general, it’s important to always be wary of rodents in your home. Not only can they spread germs and bacteria, they also can cause structural damage on your property. So although rats are not transmitted COVID-19, it’s as important as ever to implement rodent prevention. The team at Springer has the experience needed to keep customers rodent-free all year long. Contact our rodent exterminators today!

Rodent infestations are feared for the damage they inflict and dangers they bring. These pests are much worse than simply a nuisance. Rats and mice have been tied back to a number of dangerous diseases, making it important to seek help from a rodent exterminator if you notice the signs of them in your home. These diseases are most commonly spread through their droppings, but can also be transmitted indirectly through fleas and mice. Read on to learn expert info on the dangers of rodents from the mice exterminators at Springer Professional Home Services.

Common Diseases Spread by Rats & Mice

The thing people fear most about rodents are the diseases they carry. These can be transmitted directly through human contact with droppings or bites, or indirectly through infested fleas and ticks. Although these diseases may be rare in Iowa, it’s still important to be aware of them: 

1. Hantavirus. Most often found in the urine and feces of deer mice, hantavirus can cause symptoms from fever and chills to aches in pains.
2. Salmonella. Rats and mice are infamous for contaminating food. The most common bacteria they spread is of course salmonella, known as food poisoning.
3. Lyme Disease. This disease is transmitted by ticks, which are often carried by rats and mice. This disease is dangerous and can have long-term effects on health.
4. Plague. Historically, the bubonic plague was caused by infected fleas that were carried by rats and mice. Even though this was centuries ago, the same disease can still be spread today.

Property Damage Caused by Rodents

Rats and mice are one of the worst pest infestations because of the mess they can create inside your home or business. Nests can be made out of any material rats and mice get their paws on, meaning they’ll shred through a number of things in your property at will. Perhaps the most dangerous thing about rats is their tendency to chew. With incisors that never stop growing, rats never stop chewing! This can lead to damaged electrical wires, which can in turn cause a fire hazard. Bottom line: rodents create a hazardous environment inside your home, which is why it’s important to team up with a professional rodent exterminator

Effective Rodent Extermination in Des Moines

If you have a rodent infestation inside your home or business, you’re almost certainly going to need the help of a mice exterminator to get rid of them. The rodent control team at Springer Professional Home Services have the years of experience needed to implement the best rat and mice removal tactics. Our goal is to keep you, your family, and your property safe from the dangers of rodents all year long.

If you see a mouse in your property, it’s important to act quickly! Rodent problems can spread quickly, especially with how quickly mice reproduce. Mice can be a pain to deal with—they’re messy, can chew through wires, and leave foul smelling odors wherever they go! One of the most common ways to control an infestation is with a mousetrap. In order for them to work properly, it’s important to educate yourself on how to set the best mousetrap. Read on to learn top tips from the experts at Springer Professional Home Services!

Which Mousetrap Should You Use?

Electronic, glue, and catch-and-release mousetraps are some of the most common types. All of these have varying degrees of success as well as a number of advantages and disadvantages. The most common—and likely the most popular—trap is the spring-loaded mousetrap. These have been used for decades to get rid of mice, and it’s smart to know how to properly set one! There are several tips to keep in mind when setting a mousetrap in order for them to work in your favor!

Top Tips for Setting a Successful Mousetrap

Many people make the mistake of setting a mousetrap improperly. The following list provides tips on setting the best mousetrap:

1. Wear gloves. Mice can smell humans and will avoid traps if they catch onto your scent!
2. Use the best bait and the correct amount. Not all mice like cheese. Only use a small amount of bait to encourage the mice to reach into the stand and trigger the mechanism.
3. Start with an unloaded but baited trap. It may seem counterintuitive, but start with unloaded traps (baited but not activated)! This will lure mice into a false sense of security.
4. Use more than one trap. Always set multiple traps two to three feet apart each. You will have a better chance at catching as many mice as possible at once.
5. Set out mousetraps strategically. Always set mousetraps along walls and behind furniture, or wherever you suspect activity.
6. Check the mousetraps regularly. Success won’t happen overnight, but don’t give up! Always check to make sure the traps are loaded correctly with bait, as some mice will grab bait without setting off the trap.

Need Help Setting the Best Mousetrap?

Mousetraps are certainly a popular and accessible way to get rid of rodents, but they don’t always work. Especially when you’re dealing with a serious infestation, it’s sometimes best to enlist the help of a professional rodent control company. At Springer Professional Home Services, our experts know how to get rid of mice quickly and safely. For more info on setting the best mousetrap or to learn about our extermination, give us a call!