Rodents Moving Indoors This Winter

As temperatures here in Sevierville and across the country drop during the wintertime, rats and mice may be looking to take shelter. Rodents, one of the most common winter pests, love nothing more than to spend the chilly winter inside a cozy home. Needless to say, no one wants rodents making themselves at home in their property this time of year—or ever, for that matter. It’s important to be aware of the dangers rodents may bring into your home. It’s also important to learn how to keep them out in the first place! Keep reading for expert info on rodents moving indoors this winter with Johnson Pest Control.

What Time Of Year Do Rodent Problems Occur?

Fall & winter rodent movement — 45% Fall & Winter

According to the NPMA, rodents have, at one time or another, been a problem for nearly one-third of American homeowners. Rodents don’t need much space to get inside our homes and bring with them threats to health and property. Rodent infestations are most common in the winter and fall months, but are a year-round pest problem in Tennessee.

Where Are Rodents Found in the Home?

Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a dime.

Dangers of Rodents Inside Tennessee Homes

1. Mice and rats spread salmonella and carry disease-causing parasites.

These pests are capable of causing damage to property by chewing through drywall, insulation, wood, and electrical and automotive wiring, increasing the potential risk for fires. They are also known to spread a variety of diseases, including Salmonella, murine typhus, infectious jaundice, rat-bite fever, and the potentially fatal Hantavirus.

2. Rodents can chew through wood and electrical wires, increasing the risk of electrical fires.

Rodents have open-rooted incisors that continue to grow throughout life, enabling them to gnaw continuously without wearing down their teeth.

This gnawing habit can cause a fire hazard in your home, making it important to learn how to keep rodents out of your property for good.

How to Prevent Winter Rodents In Your Home

To avoid the dangers of rodents altogether, it’s best to learn how to make your property less attractive to them in the first place. Here’s how:

Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home – pay special attention to areas where utilities and pipes enter the home.
Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
Store firewood at least 20 feet from the home and s feet off the ground.
Keep basements and attics clear; eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.
Keep food in rodent-proof containers

Need Help Keeping Rodents Outside This Winter?

Rodents can squeeze inside easier than you think. If you are noticing a growing rodent problem in or near your Sevierville TN home, it’s time to call the rodent control experts at Johnson. Contact us today to learn how we can keep you safe from rodents in the winter and all year long.

Size of hole required rat to get in home — Rats can squeeze through openings the size of a quarter.

Mice can squeeze through openings the size of a dime.

Dangers of Rodents Inside Tennessee Homes

1. Mice and rats spread salmonella and carry disease-causing parasites.

2. Rodents can chew through wood and electrical wires, increasing the risk of electrical fires.

Rodents have open-rooted incisors that continue to grow throughout life, enabling them to gnaw continuously without wearing down their teeth.

This gnawing habit can cause a fire hazard in your home, making it important to learn how to keep rodents out of your property for good.

How to Prevent Winter Rodents In Your Home

To avoid the dangers of rodents altogether, it’s best to learn how to make your property less attractive to them in the first place. Here’s how:

Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home – pay special attention to areas where utilities and pipes enter the home.
Replace loose mortar and weather stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
Store firewood at least 20 feet from the home and s feet off the ground.
Keep basements and attics clear; eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.
Keep food in rodent-proof containers

Need Help Keeping Rodents Outside This Winter?

Do I Have Rats or Mice?

When you have a rodent infestation in your home or business, how do you know if you are dealing with rats or mice? Both of these rodents can cause a lot of damage on your property, but there are several differences between the species. While they both are joined by the common identifying feature that is their ever-growing incisors, they are different in a number of ways. Because these pests can cause such a headache for homeowners here in the Sevierville TN area, it’s important to know how to tell the difference between rats and mice. The experts at Johnson Pest Control are here to help outline the differences—read on to learn more.

Mice vs. Rats: What to Know

Both of these rodents are ruthless when they infest homes. They can both spread diseases, cause damage, and be a real nuisance to clean up after. Here’s how you can tell if you have rats or mice:

Mice
- Most mice are only 2–4 inches long.
- Mice typically have larger ears and tails compared to their body size.
- The droppings mice leave behind have pointed ends and are just 1–2 mm long.
- Mice are omnivores but mostly feed on seeds, grains, and fruits.
- They are more prolific: Mice produce 5–10 litters a year with up to 14 mice in each litter.
Rats
- While they differ between species, rats typically have larger bodies that are about 6–9 inches in size.
- Rats have small, hairy ears and larger feet.
- Their droppings are much bigger than those of mice at 10–20 mm long.
- Rats produce 3–6 litters a year with up to 10 pups in each litter.
- Rats are opportunistic feeders that will eat meats, grains, seeds, and much more.

Dangers of Rodents

Rodent infestations are infamous for being a threat. Both rats and mice alike can carry and spread a number of potentially dangerous diseases. They also can trigger allergies in people. A rodent problem can be a mess to clean up due to the amount of droppings and urine left behind. Lastly, they can cause significant damage to your home. Both mice and rats will chew through insulation, cardboard, wood, and electrical wiring, which can create a fire hazard in your property.

What to Do if You Have Rats or Mice

Both rats and mice will make their presence known if you have an infestation. From foul odors to odd noises in the walls, a rodent infestation has many telltale signs. However, it’s always best to enlist the help of a professional rodent exterminator when dealing with either rats or mice. At Johnson, our experts will identify the type of rodent you are dealing with and come up with year-round plan to keep you pest-free throughout the year.

Mice Rats Rodents

Rodent Awareness Week 2020: The Surge in Rodents

Rodent infestations rise during the pandemic in Sevierville TN - Johnson Pest Control

Have you noticed more rodents this year than ever? There are a few reasons behind this. First, rodents are typically more active this time of year as the weather shifts. This drives many into properties and homes in search of warmth. However, you may be seeing them more now than ever due to the pandemic. Restaurant closures or restrictions in the past year has depleted the normal food source for rats. This has led not only to an increase of infestations, but also an increase in their aggressive behavior! More competition for food means that rodents are more compelled than ever to get inside your home here in Tennessee. This Rodent Awareness Week, the team at Johnson wants to share their best tips to protect you and your family from rats this year.

Are Rodents More Dangerous During the Pandemic?

While rodents may be more common right now, there’s no reason to worry about them spreading COVID-19. As of now, there is no evidence to show that rodents are transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to humans. The main concern with rats and mice currently is that they are getting more aggressive in nature, can carry other diseases, and could cause damage to your property.

The shelter in place shutdowns caused an uptick in residential rodent sightings as rats and mice became bolder in their hunt for resources. This has since caused an uptick in infestations and rodent-spread issues. While they won’t transmit COVID-19 to you or your family, rodents still can spread other diseases including hantavirus, salmonellosis, and many more. They also can cause significant damage.

Tips to Keep Rodents Out

Rodent exclusion is the best way to ensure you stay safe from rodents. Our top tips to prevent rodents this year include:

Securely store all food in metal or glass containers with tight-fitting lids.
Clean inside the house and around the garden. Less clutter means fewer places to hide.
Put outdoor garbage bags in metal garbage cans with securely fitted lids to stop them from feeding on contents.
Seal off cracks and crevices around openings. Mice can squeeze inside holes the size of a dime.
Clean up pet food and bird seed debris, and store pet food in robust containers with fitted lids, preferably above ground level.
If you have a compost heap don’t include organic food waste, as this will attract them.
Inspect your garage, attic, crawlspaces, and vents for potential rodent hiding spots.

Why is Rodent Awareness Week Important?

Here at Johnson, we make sure to inform our customers every Rodent Awareness Week about the dangers of rats and mice. This year is especially important with the ongoing rise in infestations. If you need assistance sealing off your home to these pests, our rodent exterminators can help. Contact us today to learn more!

fall pests Mice Rats Rodents

Dangerous Diseases & Damage from Rodents

If you own a home or a business in Tennessee, the last thing you want to deal with is a rodent infestation. In addition to simply being gross, rats and mice can cause property damage and spread disease. Some of the most infamous diseases that have been tied back to rats and mice include salmonella and hantavirus, among others. Rodents can cause a lot of destruction and create a hazardous environment inside your property, making it important to always work with a rodent exterminator who can protect you from the many dangers of rodents.

What Types of Diseases Are Spread by Rodents?

Diseases associated with rodents can be transmitted directly through human contact or indirectly through infested fleas and ticks. The main rat-borne diseases to remember include:

Hantavirus
- Most often found in the urine and feces of deer mice, hantavirus can cause symptoms from fever and chills to aches in pains. In serious cases, it can lead to kidney failure or worse.
Salmonella
- The bacteria spread by rats and mice can track onto food. The most infamous bacteria is of course salmonella, known as food poisoning.
Lyme Disease
- This is of course transmitted by ticks, which are often carried by rats and mice. This disease is dangerous and can have long-term effects on health.
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 from Rats & Mice

One of the most commonly known facts about rats is the fact that rats possess incisors that never stop growing. This causes them to chew on anything and everything, including the wires inside your home. Needless to say, this can be extremely dangerous and create a fire hazard. Additionally, rats and mice will tear through a number of materials to create nests. Rats are also known to cut through tough materials, endangering the very structure of your property.

How to Prevent Rodent Damage

To avoid dealing with the many dangers of rodents, it’s recommended to work with a professional rodent exterminator. At Johnson Pest Control, our team will work with you to customize a rodent control plan suited to the unique needs of your property. We guarantee our services will keep you, your family, and your Sevierville TN home or business protected from rats and mice all year long!

Mice Rats Rodents

Rodents Poised to Invade Homes This Winter

With the arrival of cooler temperatures across the East Tennessee, rodents will begin to seek shelter from the elements – often in people’s homes. To promote public vigilance against the hazards rodents can pose when they invade structures, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), a nonprofit organization committed to the protection of public health, food and property from the diseases and dangers of pests, recognizes November 15-21 as Rodent Awareness Week. We at Johnson Pest Control are proud to take part in this observance by educating homeowners about the threat of rodents and how they can lessen their chances of an infestation.

Each winter, rodents invade an estimated 21 million U.S. homes, bringing with them threats to human health and property. Rodents are most likely to cause problems in this time of year, so it’s important for homeowners to take steps to keep them out before they become an issue.

Mice and rats can spread a vast array of diseases, including Salmonella, murine typhus, infectious jaundice and rat-bite fever. A buildup of rodent droppings can cause indoor allergies and since mice tend to urinate constantly, the risk of contamination of food surfaces and equipment is high. Rodents are also capable of chewing through drywall, insulation, wood and electrical wiring, increasing the potential risk for fires.

NPMA offers the following rodent prevention tips:

Install door sweeps on exterior doors and repair damaged screens.
Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
Seal cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter the home, using caulk, steel wool or a combination of both.
Store food in airtight containers and dispose of garbage regularly.
Keep attics, basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
Replace loose mortar and weather-stripping around the basement foundation and windows.
Eliminate all moisture sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.
Inspect items such as boxes, grocery bags and other packages for evidence of rodents before bringing them indoors.
Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and keep shrubbery trimmed and cut back from the house.

We encourage homeowners to keep an eye out for signs that rodents may have taken up residence in their home, including droppings, scurrying noises at night, gnaw marks, damaged food packaging and burrows in secluded areas.

Contact us today to find out more ways to protect your home against rodents and the upcoming winter.

Mice Rats Rodents

Spiders, Rats, Bats: Spooky Pests Can be a Nightmare for Homeowners

With Halloween right around the corner, sightings of classic creepy bugs and creatures will surely be on the rise as homeowners decorate for the spookiest day of the year. We like to remind our homeowners that real pests pose threats to both health and property and an infestation can be a real nightmare.

Pests such spiders, bats, rats and mice are frequently associated with Halloween fun and campy horror movies, but if found inside the home, they are a cause for concern. These pests are more likely to invade houses as the weather cools down, so it’s important for homeowners to be on the lookout for any signs of pest problems.

According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the following pests could threaten the health and safety of your home this fall:

SPIDERS

For many people, spiders of any size and shape cause great alarm when found in the home, and their webs can be a serious nuisance. However, there are only two species of spiders in Tennessee that pose significant threats to human health: the brown recluse and black widow. Both species will bite when threatened and can cause painful, and possibly fatal reactions. Anyone who suspects they’ve been bitten by either of these should promptly seek medical attention.

BATS

Bats prefer to settle in dark, secluded and protected areas, including the attics of homes. They have been known as carriers of rabies in the U.S. and capable of infecting humans and other animals. Their droppings can also cause certain lung diseases. Bats are protected mammals in many states, so it is necessary to contact a pest control professional or the local wildlife service before taking any action to remove bats from the home.

RATS

Rats can inflict property damage and threaten human health. Their strong teeth allow them to chew through glass, cinderblock, aluminum and wire, increasing the potential risk for fires. They are also vectors of diseases including plague, jaundice, rat-bite fever, cowpox virus, trichinosis and salmonellosis. Additionally, rats can introduce fleas into a home. These pests can fit through holes the size of a quarter, so closely inspect both the inside and outside of the home for any gaps that could allow them easy entry.

Bats Fall Pest Pest Control Rats Spiders Spooky Pests

Mice Rats and Rodents Oh My!

It is definitely getting cold around the mountains here in Sevierville and Knoxville areas. With the cold air comes all the rodents. Mice, rats, and other rodents will be looking for warmer places to call home than their current outside housing. Be on the lookout for evidence of mice, rats, or other rodents and take precautions to help prevent them from getting into your home.

What To Look For?

Mice rats and most rodents will be chewing through boxes, walls, duct work/insulation, and other home set ups in order to keep warm and find food.
Holes in food bags or boxes. It isn’t always human food, but you might notice a hole in dog food, bird seed bags, even landscape materials. If they can eat it they more than likely will. Holes in food boxes or bags in your pantry are a strong alert that a mouse rat or other rodent are deeply entrenched in your home.
Droppings along the grounds or shelving. If you notice poop droppings along the perimeter of the walls or on shelves (really anywhere) then you more than likely have a rodent problem. The more poop the bigger, and longer, the problem.

How To Stop Mice Rats From Getting In?

Trap and bait. There is not a sure fire way to keep out mice rats and other rodents, they are sneaky creatures. However, putting out traps and bait around your house or in areas you suspect a lot of activity will start to help the problem.
Seal the house. If you can stop the points of entry then you can keep the rodents out of the house.
Keep doors shut. In summer and fall in the south you and I might be prone to leave open a garage door, basement, crawl space, or enclosed patio to circulate some fresh air or let pets have access to those parts of the home. It is a good idea to close those doors off and insulate them to keep potential access points for rodents to a minimum.

Keeping rodents out can be tough, especially if you live near fields or woods that have a large population of rodents. They will sneak in through the smallest places and stay hidden really well. Will some vigilance and preventative measures, though, you can keep your home from being one of the 21 million homes that are invaded by rodents each winter.

Mice Mice and Rats in the House Rats

What Time Of Year Do Rodent Problems Occur?

Where Are Rodents Found in the Home?

Want to Keep Rodents Out This Winter?

Dangers of Rodents Inside Tennessee Homes

1. Mice and rats spread salmonella and carry disease-causing parasites.

2. Rodents can chew through wood and electrical wires, increasing the risk of electrical fires.

How to Prevent Winter Rodents In Your Home

Need Help Keeping Rodents Outside This Winter?

Want to Keep Rodents Out This Winter?

Dangers of Rodents Inside Tennessee Homes

1. Mice and rats spread salmonella and carry disease-causing parasites.

2. Rodents can chew through wood and electrical wires, increasing the risk of electrical fires.

How to Prevent Winter Rodents In Your Home

Need Help Keeping Rodents Outside This Winter?

Mice vs. Rats: What to Know

Need Help Identifying Rats or Mice?

Dangers of Rodents

What to Do if You Have Rats or Mice

Are Rodents More Dangerous During the Pandemic?

Need a Rodent Inspection?

Tips to Keep Rodents Out

Why is Rodent Awareness Week Important?

What Types of Diseases Are Spread by Rodents?

Need Protection From Rodents?

Property Damage from Rats & Mice

How to Prevent Rodent Damage

NPMA offers the following rodent prevention tips:

SPIDERS

BATS

RATS