Rodents
Customized Rodent Solutions
For Missouri Homes & Businesses
Common Types of Rodents in Missouri
If you’ve heard scratching coming from your walls or ceiling at night, have discovered droppings in cupboards, or have even found yourself face to face with a rodent, then it’s time to call in the professionals. Rats and mice are not just annoying, they’re dangerous to people and property. Rodents tend to be social animals, living in small to very large colonies. They also have the ability to breed rapidly in favorable conditions, which is one of the reasons why they are such a concern when you have an infestation in your home or business.
The majority of rodents are herbivores, feeding on seeds, nuts, roots, tubers, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit. Some are omnivores; eating meat such as insects opportunistically and a small number are carnivores. Common rodents in Missouri include :
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House Mouse
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Deer Mouse
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Norway Rat
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Roof Rat
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Mole
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Vole
House Mouse
Small and slender, 3 to 4 inches long, with large ears, small eyes and pointed nose. Light brown or light gray. Droppings are rod-shaped.
Mice live everywhere outside, and are found more often indoors than rats because they are smaller and more able to fit through small openings. Mice can fit through a crack or hole 1/4 of an inch or larger—about the width of a pencil. Their territory generally ranges 10 to 30 feet from their nest. They are curious but wary. They are also excellent climbers, making rodent control difficult. They can enter your home through holes in soffit vents, around cables entering the building, and through turbines and box vents on the roof.
Deer Mouse
Brown with white belly and feet, round in body shape, 5 to 8 inches long, big eyes and rounded ears.
Deer mice prefer outdoor habitats and tend to make their homes in hollow tree logs, leaf piles, and other brush. It’s rare that the deer mouse will venture into your home. If they do, they tend to prefer undisturbed zones, like the attic, or corners of the garage.
Omnivorous, but prefers seeds, nuts, grains, and plant materials.
Norway Rat
Gray, brown or black, with small eyes and ears and tails shorter than their bodies; up to 12 inches.
The Norway rat is the largest and most common structure-dwelling rat in the world. In rural areas it lives in fields, wooded areas and farms, and in urban areas in vacant lots and buildings. It nests in burrows underground and may enter buildings in search of food. Due to its large size, it needs a hole about the size of a quarter to enter a building. Once inside, Norway rats can chew through wiring, causing fires. Removing them often requires professional rodent control expertise. They are known to spread numerous diseases.
Omnivorous
Roof Rat
Black or brown, 7 to 10″ long, large tail, large ears and eyes, and a pointed nose. Body is smaller and sleeker than Norway rat. Fur is smooth.
Roof rats get their name from their preference of being up high on buildings. They mainly present a rodent control problem in coastal states, particularly in the Southeast. These rats have very poor vision and are colorblind. They only need a crack or opening the size of a quarter to enter a building, and once inside are known for the damage they cause by chewing on materials and eating stored foods. Historically they were known as carriers of the highly dangerous bubonic plague, and continue to transmit serious diseases today.
Omnivorous
Moles
Dark gray fur, long cylindrical body ranging from 4-6 inches, tiny eyes with which they can barely see, an extra thumb on each forepaw (polydactyl) for extreme digging skills, and an uncanny sense of smell.
Moles are solitary creatures unless mating. Males tend to fiercely fight if they meet. They prefer woodland, grassland, and farmland terrain. They spend most of their lives underground in their tunnels hunting earthworms and are able to tolerate higher levels of carbon dioxide than other mammals.
Omnivorous. Moles eat mostly earthworms, grubs and nuts.
Voles
Gray, brown or black, with small eyes and ears and tails shorter than their bodies; up to 12 inches.
The Norway rat is the largest and most common structure-dwelling rat in the world. In rural areas it lives in fields, wooded areas and farms, and in urban areas in vacant lots and buildings. It nests in burrows underground and may enter buildings in search of food. Due to its large size, it needs a hole about the size of a quarter to enter a building. Once inside, Norway rats can chew through wiring, causing fires. Removing them often requires professional rodent control expertise. They are known to spread numerous diseases.
Omnivorous
Brown or grey, rounded body with stocky appearance, stumpy legs and a short tail, about 4 to 8.5″ in length.
Voles, also called meadow mice or field mice, are chubby furry little rodents with small eyes and rounded hidden ears that thrive in prairie or woodland settings. They’re active day and night, don’t hibernate, and make tunnels with many burrow entrances. Vole females have 1-5 litters per year with an average of 5 babies in each litter. They’re capable of excessive damage to orchards, crops, residential and rural landscapes. Voles are often confused with moles, but are actually quite different rodents. Eat plants, grass, seeds, insects
How To Keep Rodents Away From Your Home Or Business
Successful mice and rat solutions are multi-faceted efforts that include routine inspection for signs of activity, placement of baits to control an existing population, and continued efforts to prevent inviting them into the structure.
Working with a licensed pest management professional will help to identify remove their food and harborage sources, making your property less inviting. Advice, such as sealing any holes larger than 1/4″ wide, helps prolong the effectiveness of a rodent control service, by getting to the root of the issue.
In order to successfully eliminate rodents from residential and commercial properties and keep them out, we use our extensive knowledge of rodents, the tools of our trade, and a comprehensive process that ensures success.
FREE Site Inspection
Our first step towards rodent removal is to perform a thorough inspection of the structure and property to identify if rodent activity is present, what type of rodent is infesting, and to assess the severity of the infestation. We’ll inspect areas where rodents are prone to infest including under or behind appliances, basements, attics, dumpsters, cafeterias, etc. We’ll also determine how they’re getting inside and what conditions are encouraging them. Based on our assessment, we’ll provide you a quote that includes the removal of rodents and possibly exclusion services.
Rodent Removal & Clean Out
Once we’ve determined the scope of the issue, we’ll develop and then implement a customized rodent control plan that addresses the existing rodent population. Discreetly placed mechanical devices such as rodent traps will be used to bring the number of mice or rats down to zero. Based on your unique situation, we may also install exterior rodent stations around the perimeter for monitoring and baiting.
Monitoring
To ensure the success of the treatment plan, we’ll provide follow up service(s). Every rodent infestation is different (you may have a couple of rats or a full-blown infestation), we’ll communicate what your monitoring program will entail at the time of service.
Ongoing Rodent Control Services
An effective rodent control program may include ongoing service which is why DeProw Services offers ongoing rodent control services for both homes and businesses. In fact, if you’re a homeowner who often finds yourself battling mice and/or rats, we offer home pest control plans that target general household pests AND rodents.