Rodents will inhabit spaces that offer protection and insulation. They get attracted by the scents or trails left by food. Vegetation especially lure them in. Your home is the most likely candidate for a rodent outbreak, as its walls and attic spaces provide ample opportunity for mass breeding. Once settled inside your home, these creatures will find their way into your food storage and defile your newly purchased groceries.The most worrisome aspect of a rodent home invasion is the potential illnesses and diseases that many rodents are capable of passing along to humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes 35 specific diseases that one can directly or indirectly attribute to rodents.
Vegetation should be done far away from home. Because, decking can sometimes cause problems, despite it being a great addition to your outside area. How? Well, food can drop between the slats and become a food source. There is also ample space underneath for garden pests to make themselves a nice home.
What can rodents do?
- Gnaw on furniture, structures of the home, personal belonging, food packaging
- Leave urine and droppings which leads to contamination
- Can transmit diseases through droppings and biting
- Cause fire hazards from chewing on electrical wiring
- Can introduce other pests into the home such as fleas and mites.
So how far should vegetation be?
If open compost piles are positioned anywhere near a home, shed or other structure, don’t use them to process the kind of food waste that will attract creatures like rats, mice, possums and raccoons. Most kitchen waste adds no nutrition to the finished compost and is better recycled through a worm bin anyway. If food scraps must go outdoors, use a metal compost tumbler or similar device that’s sealed and sits up off the ground.
Start your growing vegetables in your garden or yard rather than your balcony or on your roof. That way rodents stay away. Also make sure to follow the instructions above and use them around the vegetation area.
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