TAMPA, Fla. — Fall in Florida may only bring a slight temperature change, but it's just enough to send some unwanted visitors inside your home.
The time change, the slight breeze, drier conditions, it finally feels like fall in Tampa Bay. Mike Bentley with the National Pest Management Association says rodents will be looking to get inside.
"In the evening time, we're starting to creep into those high 60's. This may seem like a relatively insignificant temperature change for us, but this is a really big temperature drop for these rodents," Bentley said.
He says the most common rodents in our area, roof rats and house mice. "Rodents, in general, can significantly contaminate our food. They can make u sick and they can damage our structures through wires potentially leading to electrical fires."
So, how do we keep these creepy creatures out of our homes? First, walk around your house and look for places they can get in. Then, seal them up. "Believe it or not rats can fit through a hole the size of a quarter and mice, the size of a dime!"
Second, seal up your food. "A thick plastic container or a metal container, something that prevents those rodents from being able to chew through it."
And finally, keep the trash out. "Make sure that your trash is removed from your premises regularly and when it's not being transported away from the home then make sure it's stored in a very tight container."
Taking those steps should keep your home pest-free, but at the first sign of a rodent, Bentley says call a pest professional. "Because very often when you see one rodent, that's an indication that there could be many more rodents that your not seeing and the problem can grow very quickly."
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