Pests In The Attic: What Can You Do?
If you are like many homeowners, you may be afraid to look too closely in your attic. Often, the attic is a dark and stuffy place that attracts destructive pests. When you hear scratching, squealing, and thumping coming from the top of your home, you cannot ignore your attic any longer. You need to have it checked for pests.
Pest Types
Any number of pests can find their way into your attic. Mice and rats are perhaps the most common visitors, but other pests often break into your home as well. Squirrels, raccoons, birds, and bats can get into your attic and cause all types of problems. You can often tell what kind of pest you have by the type of excrement they leave behind. Mouse excrement is black and comes in 1/8" long pellets while rat droppings are 1/2" long and are in a sausage shape. Larger droppings may belong to squirrels and raccoons.
Damage
Rats, squirrels, raccoons, and other pests cause a variety of problems. These larger animals can bite or scratch you, especially if they feel trapped or threatened. Pests can carry disease, including rabies, and pose a real risk to your health. These pests also chew through anything they can reach, putting your electrical wiring at risk. They chew up insulation and nest there, leaving behind their droppings. Repairing all this damage can be extremely expensive.
Removal
The first step toward ridding your attic of pests is to clean it out. Many pests, including rats and mice, love a dirty and cluttered surface. You will help deter pests by forcing them out into the open. Next, seal up any openings that they can use to enter or leave your attic. Remember that they can squeeze into very small spaces, so all openings need to be closed.
You may decide to try using traps to capture the pests in your attic, but contacting a professional pest control company is usually the smartest move, particularly when you have larger pests in your home. Trapping wild animals can be a dangerous business that is best left to experienced technicians.
Noises in the attic are not just scary for children. As an adult, when you hear noises coming from above, you know that pests are most likely the problem. You can take steps to identify and protect your home from these creatures, but you may need the help of pest control professionals (like Kirkland's Pest Control) to truly solve the problem.
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