Category Archives: Rodent Removal

6 Rodent Control Myths

Only some people are cut out to be professional pest exterminators or are interested in dealing with the pesky critters that get into our homes when we least expect it. That’s one reason why Precise Termite & Pest Control has emerged as northern New Jersey’s preferred choice for ridding local households of everything from mice to ants, bees, birds, mosquitoes, cockroaches, bats, and more.

Over the past 30+ years, we’ve learned a lot about being in this industry, including the many misconceptions people have about the extermination business. Here are some rodent control myths we’d like to debunk and set the record straight on!

1. MYTH: Not Seeing Rodents Means No Problem

Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Rodents do everything they can to avoid contact with humans, typically coming out only at night when you are sleeping. If you see one rodent, chances are there are more, especially during the daytime.

2. MYTH: Clean Homes Are Rodent-Free Homes

Rodents are not picky about the houses they infest and take up residence in clean homes as well as dirtier ones. Your location and surroundings affect the level of rodent activity. However, rodents like clutter, so keep the outside of your home and yard free from attractive hiding spots, and clean up spills and crumbs immediately.

3. MYTH: Poison Is the Best Solution

Some DIY enthusiasts take a ruthless approach to rodent control and fill their homes with rat poison to tackle infestation issues. However, rodent poison can take up to 10 weeks to work, which means that they can continue to destroy your property and breed before they die. The stench of dead rodents in your home isn’t just sickening; it can contaminate the air you breathe and make you actually sick. Rodent poison left out can also put children and pets at risk of being poisoned as well.

4. MYTH: Cheese is a Rodent’s Favorite Food

In cartoons, rats and mice gravitate toward cheese more than anything else. But in real life, there are better baits to use than cheese. Sneaky and agile rodents can remove cheese from traps without setting them off. Sticky substances like peanut butter and high-aroma foods like meat are often more enticing to rodents than cheese.

5. MYTH: Rodents Only Inhabit Homes in the Winter

Another rodent control myth is that these pests are only seasonal concerns. However, rodents are four-season pests that affect homeowners all throughout the year. Mouse and rat activity typically picks up in the fall when rodents sense a drop in temperature and start preparing for winter survival. In the spring and summer, rodents seek shelter indoors to breed and give birth.

6. MYTH: Pets Will Take Care of Rodents

Cats make wonderful additions to households as pets but aren’t always the most effective exterminators. Cats, dogs, and other household pets may deter some rodent activity, but they cannot address rodent issues inside walls, up in the attic, or in other hard-to-reach places. Rodents may also access food and water from your pets’ bowls, contaminating them and potentially making them sick.

We Can Help with Your Rodent Problem

With these rodent control myths busted, we hope you better understand how rodents affect a home and why professional help is needed for mice and rats. Precise Termite & Pest Control specializes in rodent control and offers free inspections to help you get a handle on your rodent problem.

Please contact us today at 866-971-2847 to learn more about our approach to rodent extermination and prevention or to schedule your initial visit.

Rodents in Attic Insulation: The Dangers and How to Get Rid of Them

As homeowners, we often think of the possibility of rodents getting into our pantries, basements, and trash cans. But attic insulation is another common place affected by rodents, and solving this problem can take significant time, energy, and money.

Here are the signs of rodents in attic insulation so that you can address the situation quickly and exterminate them effectively.

Pests Found in Attic Insulation

Various pests can find their way into attic insulation and cause damage in a home. Many New Jersey homeowners have experienced issues with mice eating insulation and rats in attic insulation. Attics are ideal habitats for rodents because they are warm, safe from predators, and offer excellent nesting conditions. Beyond just rodents, you might also find cockroaches, wasps, termites, bed bugs, ants, raccoons, and spiders living up there among the fiberglass and cellulose materials that provide cozy homes for unwanted guests.

Insulation Risks with Pests

Pests in attic insulation are a problem because homes depend upon this insulation to provide structural support, direct airflow, and improve energy efficiency. Whether your insulation is made from flexible fiber sheets, loose fibers, fiber pellets, or foam spray, these materials prevent heat from escaping in the winter and enable cool air to circulate throughout the house in the summer.

When pests chew through insulation, this protective layer is eliminated, leaving you feeling uncomfortable temperature-wise and paying higher energy bills throughout the year. Moisture and draft problems are common after insulation deteriorates. Additionally, a rodent infestation can present health risks, including salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Signs of a Rodents in Your Insulation

It is easy for rodents to live in attic insulation for a long time without being noticed because many people do not frequently access these parts of their homes. However, you can be mindful of the warning signs of an insulation infestation and take action quickly to remove them.

Here are some common signs of rodents in attic insulation:

Pieces of insulation material on the attic floor
Fecal droppings on the floor
Urine stains on the walls
Musty smell throughout the attic
Scurrying and scratching noises
Gnaw marks on items stored in your attic

How to Prevent Rodents in Attic Insulation

One of the best ways to keep rodents out of your attic insulation is to seal up cracks and gaps where mice and rats could enter and inhabit the soft materials. Although no insulation materials are 100% rodent-proof, your insulation installer may be able to recommend certain materials that are less attractive to pests. If your insulation is affected by rodents, it is advisable to replace it to prevent the potential spread of disease and not attract additional rodents to the smells of the ones who lived here before them.

When to Call a Pest Control Professional

Removing pests from attic insulation is a challenging job and one that is best left to the professionals. Precise Termite & Pest Control offers knowledgeable and reliable rodent control services to help you rest easy at night and feel safe in your home during every season.

For a free rodent inspection in your attic and other areas of your home, please contact us at 866-971-2847.

How Far Do Rats Travel from Their Nest and Safe Nest Removal Strategies

Very few homeowners are independently interested in the habits of rats…that is until they are dealing with an infestation of rats taking over their home!

One of the common habits of rats is to build nests, which is worth learning about so that you can accurately identify nests and get them safely removed right away. Here’s an answer to the question, “How far do rats travel from their nest?” so that you can keep your home free of rats and mice throughout the year.

Understanding the Rats Nest

Rats build nests out of many different materials that they find around a home, including pieces of cardboard and insulation. Rats will shred these materials to build nests in attics, lofts, walls, and eaves. Fallen leaves, cotton, and sticks around the yard are other common nesting materials.

Rats tend to travel between 100 feet and 300 feet from their nests to search for more nest-building materials and food. This means that if you locate a rat’s nest, the actual rats likely aren’t too far away and could feasibly be trapped in the vicinity. In contrast, common house mice usually venture out only between 10 feet to 50 feet from their nests.

Other Signs of a Rat Infestation

In addition to nests, there are other telltale signs of rats and mice. These include holes gnawed through walls, noises in your walls, greasy marks, and urine odors. Rat droppings are brown and have a tapered shape that resembles the shape of a grain of rice.

Safe Rat and Mice Nest Removal in New Jersey

Homeowners in New Jersey often don’t know the extent of a pest infestation until they are in way over their heads and have sustained extensive damage to their homes. If you notice a rat nest on your property, it is a smart idea to call Precise Termite & Pest Control right away to look into the situation for you. It is possible that there are additional nests on your property or that the rats living here are carrying diseases that can affect humans and household pets.

We are your local experts in keeping homes rat-free in Northern New Jersey, and we’ve been doing exactly that for over 30 years. For effective, affordable, and prompt pest control solutions, contact us at the first signs of nesting materials for a free in-home inspection.

How Does Rat Poison Work and How It’s Used by Exterminators

If you notice evidence of rats or mice in your home, your first instinct may be to pick up some rat poison at your local hardware or home supply store. However, rodenticides can actually be very dangerous to use for DIY extermination because of the rat poison ingredients they contain.

Here is a look at how rat poison works and why it’s a pest control strategy best left to professional exterminators.

Types of Rat Poison and Rat Bait

Rat poisons, also known as rodenticides, are often anticoagulants and designed to stop blood clotting. These poisons stop a rat’s body from controlling its own bleeding so that an excess of internal bleeding occurs and leads to death.

Rat baits contain edible poisons that are attractive to rats and make them willingly eat poisonous chemicals. Rodent death typically results within about a day. Acute toxins and calcium releasers are other types of rat poison in addition to the anticoagulants.

The Dangers of Rodenticides

Rodenticides are definitely not something you want lying around the house if you have kids or pets. These substances are very toxic to humans and other animals besides rodents. If a pet or person accidentally ingests rat poison, it is crucial to call a poison helpline immediately.

Common Rat Poison Ingredients

Long-acting anticoagulants, bromethalin, cholecalciferol, and phosphides are the most common active ingredients in rat poison. Some rat poisons are slow-acting, while others are fast-acting. The fast-acting poisons require fewer doses, while the slow-acting poisons may take a few days of a rat eating them before enough toxins build up in its body. Diphacinone is an example of a slow-acting poison that kills rats within about four to five days.

Why It’s Best to Leave Rat Poison to the Professionals

At Precise Termite & Pest Control, we certainly understand why you don’t want mice in your home at this time of the year. However, setting out baits with rat poison on your own is rarely a good idea. Poison is just one of many extermination strategies available to professional exterminators, so we can introduce you to alternative ideas for rat control if you are concerned about kids or pets. We typically only recommend trying rodenticides after other control methods have been ineffective. If you do choose to use rat poison, our experts can make sure that baits are placed where nothing else will come in contact with them for the safety of all your household members.

To learn more about our rodent control strategies or to schedule your free home inspection for any potential rat problems, contact us online or at 866-971-2847.

List of Rodents That Cause Problems in New Jersey

No matter where you live on Earth, there are at least a few pests that create hassles and headaches in daily life. New Jersey is certainly no exception to this rule, as we have many troublesome critters that demand the attention of an extermination professional.

Here is a list of rodents that cause pest problems in our area and how pest control companies like Precise Termite & Pest Control can help.

Mice Pests

Among the extensive list of rodents living in New Jersey, mice are the most common and affect many households in our area. Mice are notorious for contaminating human food supply and can enter through the tiniest openings in a house. They can also chew through wires and spread disease after entering a home.

Rats Pests

Rats are sometimes mistaken for mice but are usually larger and have differences in body shape and coloration. When rats enter your house, they can damage wooden beams, pipes, soft concrete, electrical wiring, and plastic coatings. This can result in costly repairs, the spread of disease, and even house fires.

Squirrel Pests

Squirrels are also rodents and often make their way into New Jersey residences from their rightful homes out in nature. Squirrels invade attics to use as den sites and can quickly multiply and cause diseases in humans. They can also cause structural damage and electrical wiring damage if they aren’t noticed promptly.

Beaver Pests

There is a substantial beaver population in New Jersey because there are few natural predators here and they are able to coexist with humans pretty well. Beavers are large rodents with wide tails that love being near homes that are located by lakes and rivers. Having beavers on your property could result in water damage from dam-building and also serious health issues due to water contamination.

Gopher and Groundhog Pests

At Precise Termite & Pest Control, we often get calls about a gopher or groundhog living under a homeowner’s deck. These rodents resemble each other but have differences in their fur, tail, teeth, and feet. But no matter which one is living on your property, you want it gone because these rodents can destroy building foundations, chew through irrigation systems, and build tunnels to reach various parts of your property.

Get Help with Safe and Humane Animal Control

If you live in Northern New Jersey, Precise Termite & Pest Control is the name to know among all pest control companies any rodent issue. We’ve been in this business for over 30 years and know the most effective ways to keep rodents out of your house and away from your yard. We offer free inspections and are committed to providing the best customer service in the pest control industry

Call us today at 866-971-2847 or fill out our online form and one of our experienced pest control experts will call you within 24 hours.

5 Pests That Cause Fire Optic Cable Damage & How to Stop Them

Fiber optic cables aren’t cheap, and a lot of planning goes into installing these cables for your network. These cabling systems deliver telecommunications and high-performance data networking across long distances and are useful for the devices we depend upon. However, pests can damage these valuable cables and cause severe fiber optic damage. Here are five pests that cause fiber optic damage and how to stop them effectively.

1. Squirrels

Since fiber optic cables are often mounted onto poles and towers, they are easily accessible for squirrels that are expert climbers. There are theories that suggest squirrels like chewing through these cables because of the peanut oil used in manufacturing or to sharpen their teeth. Whatever, the reason, squirrels cause a significant amount of the damage to the home and fiber optic cables in elevated locations.

2. Mice

Fiber optic cables are also attractive to mice, which are known to chew through various types of wiring. Many people wonder why do rodents chew wires at all, and no it’s not out of spite for high-speed technology! The teeth of mice and rats are growing constantly, and wires help to keep those teeth trimmed and effective for eating food.

3. Termites

Termites are best known for eating wood, but they can also do damage to fiber optic cables. These cables can be installed in the ground, which is where termites live and thrive.

4. Birds

Birds can also cause fiber optic cable damage to cables hung above the ground by simply sitting on them in mass numbers. You’ll often see large flocks of birds sitting on overhead cabling, and the grip of their feet can lead to cable failures, as well as their combined weight from nesting on the poles. A bird infestation can cause many home damages, do not let them damage your fiber optic cable as well.

5. Gophers

Another animal that is known to defy even the best fiber optic cable protection strategies is the gopher. Gophers are resilient and have not always been scared away by poor-tasting additives put on wires to deter mice. Gophers commonly damage fiber optic cables that are buried underground.

Fiber Optic Cable Protection

If you are concerned about pests around your property and fiber optic protection, Precise Pest Control can help. We are experts in all of the types of pests that infest New Jersey, and we’re committed to protecting what’s important to you and your family. If you notice fiber optic cable damage, pests could be to blame. However, various forms of extermination, pest relocation, and preventative measures can help protect the fiber optic cables that you depend upon. At the first signs of damage, call us at 866-971-2847 or contact us online to look into the situation for you during a free inspection.

Bergen County Gopher Removal Services

There are many types of pests that cause damage to New Jersey homes and yards, prompting homeowners to call for professional animal control services in Bergen County. For example, gophers can be a nuisance and cause considerable damage to gardens and landscaping. Fortunately, Precise Pest Control knows the best ways of how to remove gophers from yards and provides professional gopher removal services to rid your property of these pests.

Signs of a Gopher Problem

Adult gophers can range in size from about five inches to 14 inches long and weigh about a pound. These rodents are typically brown in color, have pouches in their cheeks to carry food and live underground. This means that gophers burrow under the dirt to build nests in lawns, gardens, and crop fields.

If you have a gopher problem, you may notice the destruction of your lawn and garden from these burrowing and tunneling habits. It is common to see mounds about three inches in diameter in the yard if you have gophers living underground. Gopher mounds are often shaped like horseshoes or crescent moons, which distinguishes them from the more circular mounds of moles. Since gophers like to feed on trees, shrubs, and other plants, you may also notice your plants being eaten and damaged.

Damage Caused by Gophers

Not only are these tunnels unsightly, but they can also cause damage to sprinkler systems and water lines maintained underground. If gophers destroy these water fixtures, irrigation flow is disrupted and soil erosion can occur. Gophers can dig tunnels up to 150 feet per day and pull down root systems from the surface to feed upon. Also, gophers can damage rubber and plastic hoses and piping that are left out in the yard if they aren’t kept under control.

How to Remove Gophers from Yard

Professional pest control specialists use a variety of methods to remove gophers from yards depending on the property, preferences of the property owners, and the severity of the gopher problem. For example, baiting, trapping, and fumigation methods are used to eliminate gophers from a yard and prevent costly and unsightly yard damage. To keep gophers out, professionals can also install underground barriers around food sources, such as gardens.

Professional Gopher Removal in New Jersey

Like all rodent problems, we take gopher removal very seriously and are here to help you maintain the safety and integrity of your yard. We provide safe, effective, and humane gopher removal solutions to keep your yard beautiful and full of healthy plants. If you suspect a gopher problem in your yard, please contact Precise Pest Control at 866-971-2847 or contact us online for a free inspection.

Signs of a Skunk Infestation and How to Remove Skunk Odor

The distinct odor of a skunk’s spray is a smell that you’re never likely to never forget. A skunk can spray from 10 or more feet away and get that noxious smell onto people, pets, plants, buildings, and roads. But rather than a devious act, this is a defense mechanism for skunks. People and pets often disturb and startle skunks accidently in the yard, so the best way to avoid that smell is to prevent a skunk infestation with reliable pest control methods.

Here are the telltale signs of a skunk infestation to watch for and how to remove skunk odor if you or your property accidentally get sprayed.

Signs of a Skunk Infestation

Aside from the smell of a skunk’s spray, there are many other ways to tell if there are skunks in your yard. Since skunks eat soil-dwelling insects, you may notice small holes about three to five inches wide from where they have dug. Skunks are also known to eat fruit that has fallen from trees.

You may notice skunk tracks in mud around your home, and skunks have five toes on each foot. Skunk droppings are typically up to ½ inch in diameter and between one and two inches long. Other signs that you have skunks in the yard include dogs barking more than usual and a faint odor that lingers from a skunk’s previous sprays.

Ways to Remove Skunk Odor

You can find numerous commercial products in retail stores designed to eliminate skunk odor. But you can also make a DIY recipe at home with a quart of three percent hydrogen peroxide, a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent, and a quarter cup of baking soda. This is a mixture that can be safely used on humans, pets, and even furniture.

Unfortunately, tomato juice, lemon juice, and Febreze don’t work very well to eliminate skunk odor, so a recipe with these three ingredients is your best bet. For exterior buildings and decks, you can mix a cup of liquid bleach with a gallon of water, just as long as you aren’t concerned with discoloration from the bleach.

Safe and Humane Skunk Pest Control

One thing you can do to prevent skunks from entering your property is to ensure that you aren’t inadvertently leaving food waste or even pet food behind for them to eat. Also, make sure to seal up holes around outdoor decks and fill in holes in the yard that you notice. Precise Pest Control is experienced with safe and humane skunk removal, so let us know if you notice signs of skunks in your yard. For a free inspection, contact us today.

How to Get Rodents Off the Lunch Menu

rat in popeyes fried chicken

Did you hear about the New Jersey woman who found a rat’s head in her fried chicken at Popeye’s?

Rosemary Thomas was eating at Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen in Harlem with her sister, daughter, and niece when they discovered an unwelcome guest in their meal. She posted photos on Facebook of what they believe to be a rat’s head, but just a fair warning that they’ll probably make you a bit squeamish.

“My daughter is traumatized,” Thomas wrote on Facebook. “I had to take her to urgent care last night, vomited with diarrhea all day.”

Can you even imagine such a discovery as you casually settle in for a nice little lunch with your family?!

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Best Ways to Prevent Pests in Your Garden

Preventing Garden Pest One of the best things about having your own backyard is planting a garden with beautiful plants and fresh vegetables that you can use in the kitchen. But while we’re rooting for your garden to be healthy and successful, not everyone is.

Controlling pests are a huge part of maintaining a garden, especially during the hot and muggy summer months in New Jersey. Here’s what you need to know about keeping gardening pests at bay to enjoy lovely garden and bountiful harvest all summer long.