x
Breaking News
More () »

Mice, rats infesting homes in Northwest Austin, Cedar Park

Local pest control companies are seeing an uptick of rodents infesting people's homes in Cedar Park and Northwest Austin -- mice, rats, squirrels and raccoons getting into baseme

Local pest control companies are seeing an uptick of rodents infesting homes in Cedar Park and Northwest Austin.

An assortment of mice, rats, squirrels and raccoons have been crawling into openings in basements, roofs and other small areas.

"We're doing about 20 of them a day now, and those are all new customers, new problems that want to get the home completely sealed,” said Brian Kelly, ABC Home & Commercial Services.

ABC Home and Commercial Services is just one of several local pest control companies seeing an uptick of calls regarding rodent infestations.

The residential manager said ABC Home and Commercial Services saw a 25 percent increase, compared to the same time last year.

"The biggest part we've done in the last several months is North all around Georgetown, Cedar Park, Liberty Hill, those areas,” said Kelly.

He said the most common problem being reported are the smaller pests: mice and rats.

Surprisingly, Kelly said mice can get into holes, as small as a dime inside your house, and rats can get through crevices, as small as a quarter.

He said this is one downside to all of the growth on the north side of Austin. The construction is drawing these rodents out of their natural homes and into ours.

So what do you do if these pests get in your home?

Kelly said cleaning up is important because clutter is king when it comes to drawing pests in. He also talked about several ways to seal up your home.

"We have wire mesh that we seal holes with. We have adhesives that we seal flashes with,” he said, "These are a lot of the traps that we use, this time of year, we're doing it by the pallet loads because we're doing a lot of work."

These furry little critters will chow down on almost anything from peanut butter to slim jims and sweets, but sometimes, when treats and food don't lure them, there's a smelly way to fix the problem. You can use repellents, like coyote urine to draw them out.

"We put them on cotton balls or tennis balls, and we can put it back in voids and stuff like that in the attic,” he said.

Kelly said if all else fails, you should call a pest control company. In fact, he said many homeowners get injured, while trying to take matters into their own hands, so contacting a specialist before taking any action is advised.

Before You Leave, Check This Out