Possible Reasons For Increased Rodent Activity Around Chantilly, VA Homes

Most rats can typically be found near restaurants, where they can feed on leftover food scraps. However, as staying at home became our new normal in Fairfax County, most of these rodents lost their primary source of food. But rats don’t stay in one place if they’re hungry; they start to move around in search of food.

According to experts, the rats first run around the streets around their usual food sources. When they don’t get food there, some turn on each other in what is called ‘muricide’. Those that are more inclined to ‘flight’ than ‘fight’ will go further out in search of food. These are the ones most likely to invade our homes.

Stories like these are likely playing out around the world, according to Robert Corrigan, famed urban rodentologist, who lends his expertise to cities across the globe as an independent consultant. He says that as particular colonies of rats lose their established food sources—whether it’s litter and trash cans in parks, or dumpsters outside restaurants—they will start fighting over any food that’s left. Some rats will kill and eat their own kind to survive. (Corrigan says the Seattle park rats were likely “duking it out for the kill.”) Others will strike out into the unknown, looking for new food sources. Read more at National Geographic…

At the same time, when the social-distancing rules were initially put in place, a lot of people instinctively stocked up on food. However, many homes, kitchens, and pantries are only designed to store a limited amount of food. So many people had to store all the extra food in unusual places like under the stairs, loft spaces, or cupboards. This is bad news if there are hungry rodents in the vicinity because they now have easier access to food sources.

So what happens when you come across a rodent or evidence of rodent activity in your home? Well, if you’re like most people, the one thing you’ll want to do is rid your home of them pronto. The most effective method for this will depend on which rodents you are dealing with, as the following post explains:

Your rodent control efforts will be most successful when you understand each of these pests fully. Knowing things like their behavior, food preferences, and habitats will help aid your control efforts. What works to control mice will not necessarily work to control rats.

The most common rodent pests in the U.S are the Norway rat, the roof rat, and the house mouse. Small mousetraps that work for mice will not work for much larger rats. And, rat traps set on the floor will not capture roof rats that tend to stay up high. Read more at The Spruce…

It’s worth noting that under normal circumstances, you are more likely to catch a mouse than a rat. That’s because rats are typically cautious, and will avoid new things, including traps. On the other hand, mice tend to be curious and will probably investigate a new trap the very first night.

Sometimes, you won’t actually come across rodents, but they often leave evidence of their presence. Here’s what to look out for:

Look At Their Bodies

Roof rats are about twice the size of house mice. Not including their tails, roof rats are 6-8” in length compared to house mice that can only grow to be around 3” long. Mice bodies are also rounder and more compact.

Examine Their Tails

Both roof rats and house mice have long tails, the only difference is in what their tails consist of. Roof rats’ tails are scaley and smooth while house mice tails are scaley with fur. Read more at Bug Head Pest Control…

Have you noticed any rodent activity in your home? Then you’ll be happy to learn that pest control is considered an essential service. Backyard Bug Patrol is well equipped to help you get rid of rodents in Chantilly, VA homes, mice, and rats alike. Call us today.