Protect Your Home from Rodents During Winter in Sydney
Australia is home to a myriad of pests and insects. From crawling insects to flying ones, they all can find room inside your premises, whether residential or commercial. With the upcoming winter season, the biggest problem Sydney faces is that of insects and rodents. If you wish to get rid of insects and rodents in Sydney, complete pest control in and around your property holds vital importance.
Pest control is key to a healthy home- the more pests you see hovering around, the higher risk it brings to your home. Are you tired of continuous pest infestation in your house? There couldn’t possibly be a better solution than opting for immediate and regular pest control.
Why Is Pest Control Sydney Necessary?
Have you experienced the ill effects of pests at home? Whether it is a destructive home pest like termite or a health hazard pest like rats, the frustration and despair are real! If you do not get rid of them at the earliest, they will begin to make life miserable for you. Let’s list down a few reasons why you must opt for regular pest control in Sydney.
- Insects and rodents are potentially prime carriers of several diseases and other pests like ticks, mites, etc.
- Insects and rodents impact the overall health of your home. They can easily contaminate any food they see inside the house without your knowledge.
- Rodents can potentially carry contagious and deadly diseases.
- Insect bites and stings can drive you to the hospital anytime.
- Pests like mosquitoes carry diseases like typhoid, malaria, yellow fever, dengue, etc. These have also been proven to be fatal if left ignored.
- Termites are among the biggest pest problems in Australia. It can cause an average of $5 billion damage every year.
- Bed bugs can cause severe allergies before you even know it.
- Cockroaches can easily contaminate your food since they hover around at night.
- Cockroaches and rodents are considered the filthiest pest ever to exist.
- Apart from causing health hazards, pest problems have been found to create a nuisance around the house. Torn fabrics, ruined upholstery, bitten papers are all real problems existing in a place full of pests and insects.
Why Are Rodents Such A Big Problem In Sydney?
Australia has witnessed a sudden rise in rats and mice. The country also experienced the mouse plague that left adverse effects on several lives and homes. In May 2021, NSW Farmers, the state’s top agricultural association, predicted that if Australia doesn’t overcome the problems of rodents, there would be a loss of 1 billion Australian dollars from the winter crops. Therefore, winters in Australia have been subjected to rodents problems.
Unfortunately, rodents also are a huge problem in residential, commercial, and industrial areas during winter. In fact, the terrible weather forces these creatures to look for warmer shelter where they also have easy access to food. Obviously, that reason makes human shelters their target place.
It’s hard to deal with a rodent infestation. Particularly, the rats and mice. However, it is essential to begin by understanding the difference between rats and mice and their associated dangers.
Difference Between Rats And Mice
For most people in Sydney, identifying the difference between rats and mice is difficult. They considered both to be under the category of rodents in Australia. However, there are a few apparent differences between the two, starting from the physical difference. If you opt for pest control services, they will find appropriate solutions to get rid of them, regardless of whether they are rats or mice.
When we speak of the differences between the two, the most common one is that rats are cautious and mice are curious. However, that’s not enough to distinguish them.
Rats
Rats are mainly of two types- brown rats and black rats. Brown rats have a thicker body, shorter tail than the head, blunt nose, and small hairy ears. On the other hand, Black rats have a slender body, long tail, pointed nose, and thinner ears. While brown rats prefer cereals and tend to find food in the same place, black rats choose moist foods. Black rats are more challenging to control since they move in different directions to find food.
Breeding Habits
Rats can eat almost anything, but mostly you will find them feeding on moist fruits and grains. They tend to find water approximately half to one ounce per day. Since they contaminate food, you will find rats going in and out of your kitchen area. You will locate rats under buildings, fences, or under plants, unlike mice.
Rats Facts
- Rats Sydney has poor vision but can smell and taste with utmost accuracy.
- Their coarser and larger body characterizes rats with huge feet and teeth.
- Rats have fast-growing teeth, which is why it is detrimental to have them in your household.
- A full-grown rat’s tail can be easily more significant than a full-grown mouse. That’s how big they are!
- The average weight of a rat is approximately 300 grams for females and 500 grams for males.
Diseases and Nuisance They Cause
Rats are undoubtedly one of the filthiest and most disgusting pests to have at home. Not only do they spread diseases, but they can also be harmful to your home. Because they have fast-grown teeth, they tend to gnaw and chew everything they find. From paper to electric wires, nothing is safe at home as long as you have rats around. In addition, rats have been potential carriers of diseases, namely, Leptospirosis that spreads through a rat’s urine. They also spread Salmonellosis, Tularemia, Hantavirus, Pulmonary Syndrome, Lassa Fever, and Plague. Therefore, get rid of rats from home as soon as you can.
Mice
The easiest way to distinguish a mouse from a rat is to look at its size. Mice are comparatively smaller in size. Their tails are usually longer than their body, and so are their ears. Mice are generally grey or brownish, and their belly portion is a shade lighter than their body. Mice usually prefer to eat cereals or grains. Just like brown rats, mice also find their food in the same places, so it’s easier to locate and get rid of them. Mice relatively do not need a lot of water. However, if they find some, they tend to drink about 3 ml.
Breeding Habits
You will find mice eating grains, cereal, or plants. So if you locate a rodent outside in your yard, you will know whether it’s a rat or a mouse. Mice tend to feed on almost everything they find. They live near places where they find adequate food supply. If you find shredded paper around your house, know that a mouse has built a home from it somewhere. Mice usually have a life span of 9-12 months.
Mice Facts
- Mice in Sydney is usually tinier and thinner than rats.
- Their tail is longer than their body and tends to grow 2 to 4 inches long.
- Mice appear to be white, brown, or greyish.
- Mice have less sharp teeth compared to rats.
- Mice possess a musky odor.
- Mice are known to be color blind. However, their other senses like smell, taste, and touch are sharp.
- A house mouse is very easily found and is most prevalent than rats.
- Mice are usually afraid of giant rats because they believe that the rats tend to threaten mice.
Diseases and Nuisance They Cause
Mice are tinier creatures compared to rats, but their occurrence is widespread and is a significant problem in Sydney. Numerous diseases are spread by mice and are transmissible to humans. Hantavirus and rat-bite fever are among the common diseases spread by mice. Apart from that, Leptospirosis, salmonellosis, and bubonic plague are common diseases spread by mice. Like rats, mice also carry other pests in their body like fleas, ticks, and lice.
Which Is Deadlier- Mice Or Rats?
The truth of the matter is that regardless of whether you identify a rat or mouse in your house if you have either, it is a problem that calls for urgent care. Both rats and mice gnaw and chew things around the house. Imagine their saliva touching everything they find, from paper and fabric to electric wires. However, a few points prove that rats are more dangerous than mice. For example, rats have more prominent and sharper teeth that can penetrate through any holes or reach any food item stored in tight packaging. Rats are also famous for gnawing through rigid building materials like aluminum, wood, glass, sheet metal, etc. So regardless of the type of rodent you find inside your house, you shouldn’t delay calling help since either way, you are at the receiving end of all the trouble, diseases, and ill effects.
Signs That You Have Rodents In Your House
A few prominent signs will tell you that your property, residential or commercial, is infested by rodents. If you are having a tough time determining which pest have caused the nuisance around your property, look for the following signs –
- You will find rodents dropping around the house and in corners.
- You will find gnaw or chewed marks on household stuff. However, if the marks look light in colour, they are new and fresh compared to a darker color, which means it was done some time ago.
- You smell something foul and disgusting.
- You find tracks and runways around your house.
- You found nests in some corner of your house made of paper or torn clothes.
To avoid any significant harm to your health or property, it is best if you get rid of rodents at the earliest. Unfortunately, with the upcoming winter season, the problem of rodents becomes inevitable in Australia since they live in a warm environment. For this reason, they escape the cold and enter your home.
Other Pest Problems In Sydney
Apart from rodents, which are one of the significant concerns in Australia, there are a few more pests that have been a great distress to humankind. Especially when we speak of residential properties, the infestation of pests is a real problem. Having kids, pets, and older people at home, it becomes challenging to take care of their health with unwanted guests like insects and rodents. Among other widespread pest problems in Sydney are –
- Termites
- Cockroaches- mainly three types (German, American, Oriental)
- Spiders
- Mosquitoes
- Moths
- Wasps
- Crickets
- Birds
- Silverfish
- Fleas
- Bed bugs
- Ants
- Beetles
- Dragonflies
- And more
The longer you delay calling in pest control services, the bigger your pest problems become. For this reason, it is recommended to seek immediate help as soon as you cite the first sign of pest infestation.
Household Risks By Pests
Pests only come inside your property to cause disturbance and disrupt your daily life. They have nothing good to bring apart from diseases and destruction. Every pest that enters your home carries within them particles of infections and diseases. Among the common health hazards caused by pests are –
- Allergies: caused mainly by mice, cockroaches, dust mites, and termites.
- Infections: caused by rodents, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks, fleas, and spiders.
- Bites and stings: caused by spiders, bees, hornets, wasps, bed bugs, etc
Would you like to suffer from these because of some insects that found their way inside your house? If not, contact a pest control company that will find permanent solutions to your problems. All you have to do is dial their number and leave the rest up to them.
Conclusion
As mentioned, Australia is home to such infectious and detrimental insects and rodents Hence, it is crucial to have the services of pest exterminators. Nobody wants to live in a house where there is always a fear of insects. Besides, it is not even safe if you have kids or people with allergies to pests like cockroaches and biting insects. Therefore, invest your money in something that will improve your living standards and enhance your health security.
If you search for pest exterminators in Sydney, you can conveniently reach out to ABC Pest Control Sydney. The company has been top-rated for more than 20 years of servicing the entire Sydney metro. Certainly, their customer reviews on Google My Business can prove that. Visit their website for the services they offer and their amazing packages. Call them to book or enquire now!