Winter Storm Clean up Vital in Preventing Rodents and Other Pests from Invading Home

Reading, PA (PRWEB) February 24, 2014

As winter storms continue to plague the nation, the Rentokil family of pest control companies (Ehrlich Pest Control, Western Exterminator, and Presto-X Pest Control), warns that mice and rats are also looking for a warm place to escape the winter chill. Unfortunately, these small pests can cause more than just a headache for homes and commercial facilities if they gain entrance inside. Rentokil in North America is seeing a substantial increase in calls regarding rodent infestations across storm-laden regions of the U.S.

Rodents can contaminate food sources and serve as vectors of many diseases, such as salmonella and the potentially fatal Hantavirus, said Nancy Troyano, PhD, entomologist for Rentokil. Moreover, mice and rats can cause serious structural damage by chewing through insulation, wallboards, wood and electrical wiring.

To show the destructive habits of rodents across the country, Rentokil has provided an infographic from the National Pest Management Association.

Broken and fallen branches from storms can pile up around a structure encouraging harborage for rodents seeking shelter. Rentokil encourages everyone to eliminate potential harborage sites, especially as part of their storm clean-up plans, with the following:

Eliminating storm debris will not only help prevent rodents from entering your building, but it will prevent secondary pests, such as termites and ants, from finding a readily available food source once the weather warms.

This has been an unprecedented winter in many parts of the country and as part of remediating storm damage, homeowners and businesses need to assess how cleaning away debris can impact potential pest problems in a short amount of time, added Troyano. If those impacted by storms are unclear as to pest prevention as part of their clean up, they should call upon a licensed pest management professional to view the impact areas storm damage may have created.

About Rentokil North America Rentokil North America is part of Rentokil Initial plc, one of the worlds largest and most diverse business service companies, operating in 69 countries worldwide. Ehrlich Pest Control (http://www.jcehrlich.com), Western Exterminator (http://www.westernexterminator.com), and Presto-X Pest Control (http://www.prestox.com) are all part of the Rentokil family of pest control companies in North America. They provide commercial and residential pest control, bioremediation, bird control, vegetation management, deer repellent services, wild-animal trapping and termite control from more than 200 local offices in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The infographic available at the link above is also available as a high resolution image.

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Winter Storm Clean up Vital in Preventing Rodents and Other Pests from Invading Home