The end of summer is only a few days away, and you may find an unwelcome visitor lurking around your home. While the weather outside may not feel very fall-like, instinct-driven mammals like rats and other rodents have a biological urge to begin preparing for the winter. If there are other rodents, insects, or small critters on your property, you have probably noticed they, too, have started gathering food and preparing for the coming winter. To prepare for winter, insects, and rodents gather supplies and build nests in late summer and early fall. As they prepare, you will want to ensure your house isn’t used for their winter bed and breakfast.
Four Things Rodents Will Need Before Settling in for the Winter
The only way to protect your home from rodents using it for their nest is to practice rodent prevention. Rodents prepare for the winter by ensuring they find a place to nest that will provide access to all their basic needs.
Here’s what they will be looking for in the coming weeks:
- Food: Rodents are known for their sense of smell, especially rats. They can smell food from up to ten miles away, and more than 1% of their DNA is devoted to their sense of smell. Rodents can smell food hidden in containers, behind walls, even dried food.
- Nesting Material: Rodents use debris and trash to build their nest. They will search for material to build their nest near their selected nesting location, usually in a dark, warm corner near a food source. They will feed and nurture their young in the nest, so they will search for a secluded area.
- Teething Material: When rodents are preparing for winter, they will need a place to sharpen their teeth to keep them healthy as they continue to grow. Rats and mice never stop teething, so they will sharpen their teeth in your home if allowed to nest there. Caution: rodents aren’t picky about what they chew when teething, which means wires and other structural elements in your home could be vulnerable.
- Shelter: While rodents may not be picky about what they chew or use to build their nest, they are picky about where they hide. They have keen senses and instincts to help them find suitable shelter. They use their whiskers to find vulnerable entry points and places to hide away to build their nests.
Call Anytime Pest Elimination Today!
At Anytime Pest Elimination, our rodent control specialists can help you fight the rodents trying to use your home for their winter nest. Rodents follow instinctual cues that help them begin to prepare early. They can sense seasonal changes before humans, and they will use this ability to start building and hiding their nest before you even know to start looking for them. Call (832) 662-2411 today to begin working on your fall rodent control defenses.