Outdoor temperatures are turning chilly in California, and that means that outdoor pests are looking for a warm and cozy spot indoors. Unfortunately, the crawl spaces in your home are a perfect location for rodents.

Which Pests Do You Have To Be Concerned About

There are three species that we commonly see when we get calls to come do rodent damage cleanup and sanitization:

  • The tiny house mouse can create big problems in your home when they enter to find shelter and food. Because they’re so small, they can live undetected in your home for quite a while. Your first clue will be mice sightings during the daytime; if you see them, you have a big problem.
  • The common brown rat or sewer rat is actually the Norway rat species. They’re very large with a 9-inch body and a 7-inch tail. They can very quickly do lots of damage to your home because they gnaw on materials like electrical wires and wood beams.
  • Smaller than Norway rats, roof rats are also very common in California and create similar damage. They will multiply very quickly in your home. One adult female can give birth to as many as thirty baby pups in a year.

All of these rodents can create structural damage, and they spread disease. Exposure to their feces is a health hazard and they also carry ringworm, salmonella and other harmful diseases. And you certainly do not want a rat bite! In addition to rodents, other species like birds, raccoons and squirrels may be calling your crawl spaces “home”.

What We Can Do About Animal Pests

We will help rid your home of these unwanted guests by cleaning up and professionally sealing your crawl spaces. We’ll remove mold and mildew and install a vapor barrier to make it much less inviting for rodents and other pests. We effectively isolate the crawl space from the outdoor elements and the effects will last for decades. Our barriers offer the added benefit of blocking harmful radon gas and improving your home’s energy efficiency. In some cases, the homeowner can even use the new crawl space as an added storage area. In many cases, we are also able to install drains and pumps to improve drainage around your foundation.

Crawl spaces are not often on a homeowner’s list of home improvements, but it can make a real difference, so give us a call, whether you have pests or not.