Mice, rats, and squirrels have co-existed with humans for many centuries, and societies have long since learned to treat them as the problematic rodents. Damage from animals ranges from chewing cables and wires to contaminating or eating food supplies. Even in the modern age, with computers, cars, and cutting-edge medicine, old problems such as rats persist, but new ways to fight back have arisen as well.
What Harm Can These Animals Do?
Squirrels, and especially rats and mice, have long since been a problem for civilization worldwide. Even now, major American cities have significant populations of these rodents. In descending order, Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. top the list. The problem is compounded by how fast these animals breed. A pair of mating rats can produce a litter of 12 pups, and in ideal conditions, just one mating pair can exponentially grow into an astounding 482 million rats in the span of three years. All those rats are hungry, and they will eat anything they can find, whether trash or commercial agriculture, as their population grows. In fact, around 20% of the world’s food supply is contaminated or consumed by rats. It is little wonder that rodent control and rodent removal are essential.
Damage from animals is not limited to rats. Squirrels are a major threat to suburban homes. According to Paramount Roofing, once squirrels chew their way into a house’s attic, they will chew up phone and electrical cables and expose the inner wires, urinate and cause a bad smell as stains accumulate, and the holes they carve can even let rainwater into the house. All of this can damage a house’s property value. Not even plumbing is safe, as squirrels will chew the pipes and damage a home’s plumbing system. A squirrel infestation is a never-ending headache for any homehowner.
Preventing Damage From Animals
The good news is that despite the persistence and massive populations of rats and squirrels, rodent control is possible, both by the homeowner and by professional aid. Paramount Roofing recommends a sonic repellent device whose high-pitched tone hurts the squirrels’ delicate hearing and drives them away, and fortunately for the home’s occupants, this tone is above the human hearing range. In addition, these unwanted rodents will have difficulty entering a house’s roof if no trees or branches are nearby, and specialized paints in a home’s wood and roofing will discourage squirrels from chewing on the materials.
Rat control is also feasible. Rat poison can be purchased, and as long as pets don’t accidentally consume it, this substance will kill off any rats in a private home. Simple rat and mouse traps are also commercially available and can deal with small populations of these destructive animals. In the past, house cats served as rat catchers, especially on farms. Now, more advanced devices and poisons can keep rodent populations at bay.