They can be found not only in our homes, but supermarkets, restaurants, warehouses, food processing facilities, livestock facilities, and farm fields.
Under stable conditions rodent movement for both rats and mice is limited. A Norway or Roof rat will move within a diameter of 98 to 164 ft. and a house mouse,10 to 33 ft. If conditions are unstable or there are changes such as new building, they may expand the diameter. They may also expand their range in protected areas such as in sewers, in passages between buildings, and under groundcovers.
RODENT PESTS
Rodents reproduce rapidly with major activity at night. Rats tend to be cautious and mice are more curious.
Rats tend to eat most of their food at one time, where mice will nibble a little at a time.
It is important to remove rodents food sources, but do not disturb the rodent habitat.
You will want a complete rodent elimination to occur before they could move to another area.
A successful rodent control program includes a combination of baiting and trapping for the highest rate of success.
You may also want to consider integrating your program ,with exclusion techniques and a general cleanup ,removal of their hiding places(harbor aging areas.)
If the rodent population is large, you will want to begin with a high quality rodent bait, to quickly knock down a population and prevent rapid growth.
Their are different types of baits to choose from: blocks, pellets, seeds ; each rodent population is different in their preferences, so a little of each is a good choice in bait selections.
When baiting initially , try not to disturb their original habitats or they may run to another area. After baiting has begun, continue with sanitation procedures, food source removal, and harborage removal to ensure additional rodents from nearby areas are not attracted to your location.
They also cause damage to our buildings by their burrowing and gnawing activity.
They are able to squeeze through very small openings:1/4 inch for mice and 1/2 inch for rats.