Got Rodents? Trust the Process!

Pest Control can be repetitive for the people answering phones, and providing great service. It’s no secret to us, the service providers, we are going to be fielding the same questions almost every day, and answering the same questions almost every day. So we end up repeating ourselves a lot. And that’s ok! We are the experts, and our customers have a right to ask any question that crosses their minds.

One scenario pest control providers find themselves in a lot is the, “I hear something in my walls and I don’t know how it’s getting in”, scenario. We get the call and we head over to help. We get the rundown on where the activity in the walls is being heard and at what times during the day. Sometimes we head up to the attic, or down to the basement (or both). Usually, we walk the perimeter of the house a few times to see if we notice any obvious breaches in the foundation, siding, windows, doors, soffits, fascia, roof, etc. Often we find the obvious entry/exit point. We then explain the plan of attack, which usually looks something like this:
1 – Start trapping for a set amount of days.
2 – We request updates on activity in the walls, and on our cages.
3 – We continue to inspect the attics, basements, and trouble spots on our service visits.
4 – We recommend simple, important tweaks to the landscaping as to lower the amount of “bridges” the pests can take to enter the home. We explain the many ways in which pests can enter our homes.
5 – We talk about eradication first, and seal up LAST. We really stress not sealing anything until the rodent/s in question are caught. During this part of the discussion we mention the concerns related to an early seal up.
6 – We cover all our bases. We mention all possible scenarios. We even mention “soft closes” which is a great pest control trick for checking entry/exits points for activity.
7 – We repeat ourselves A LOT.

Here is where it gets weird sometimes. Even though we thoroughly cover our bases, and repeatedly stress the most important part of our service (in this case it would be the eradication FIRST, seal up LAST)… even though we make solid eye contact and give solid examples of when sealing up too early has come back to haunt the customer, we still get asked all the time to “just seal the hole, please.” It usually happens right there on the spot, too, after we’ve explained ourselves to the nth degree. Why does this happen? One word – anxiety. The customer wants the problem to magically disappear now that they’ve finally called the pros. But that’s not how it works. So homeowners, listen up!!!
We don’t want to seal up FIRST for a few very important reasons:
1 – If we sealed first, and trapped post “seal up”, then the potential for sealing rodents inside the walls and ceilings of your home is very high. These trapped rodents will eventually die in the walls of your home. It will smell terrible. It will be hard or impossible to find and remove this dead rodent. It can smell for weeks.
2 – If we seal up the hole in your fascia when Mama rodent is outside, and baby rodents are inside, please believe that Mama rodent is going to try her hardest to get back in. And she will do serious damage to your home while trying to get back to her babies.
3 – If we seal rodents inside they are going to go crazy in your walls. They will tear up insulation, chew wires (FIRE), go to the bathroom everywhere, and basically… they will wreak havoc in your home. They could even chew their way into your bedroom. This could turn into a circus quickly. This is not a fun scenario for a sleeping homeowner.

Do not seal the pest entry/exit point too soon. Not to save money, not to save stress, and not to speed up the process. FIRST, the offending rodents must be removed. Then the “soft close” technique is used. Then a few days or a week down the road, it’s finally time to seal that opening. Trust the pros, especially in this case!

Thank you for reading,
Mike Sheridan
Owner – ☘️Sheridan Pest Control☘️, Albany, NY