Dealing with a rat or mouse infestation can be every business owner’s nightmare. If left unchecked, rodents pose major health risks while causing damage, contaminating stock and ruining your company’s hard-earned reputation. But spotting the early warning signs allows rapid action to get rid of the pests and prevent further problems.
Here are 5 clear signals indicating your business premises have become overrun with undesirable squatters.
Seeing Rats or Mice
The most obvious sign of a rat or mouse infestation is if you actually see the rodents running around your business premises. Catching sight of just one rat likely means there are many more hiding out of sight and breeding rapidly. Mice tend to be more visible as they are less shy around human activity. But seeing either rats or mice darting about, especially in daylight, indicates a substantial infestation requiring urgent action from a Bristol pest control expert like Advance Pest Control Bristol.
Strange Noises in Walls and Ceilings
Rats are incredibly agile and can fit into very tight spaces, as any pest controller Bristol will tell you. They often move into hard-to-reach areas inside walls and ceilings. Tell-tale scratching, scampering or squeaking noises coming from within partitions or overhead can reveal the presence of rats. They make a rustling racket moving about, particularly at night. Rodents also love gnawing on materials like wood and wiring for their ever-growing teeth. Listen out for light gnawing sounds indicating rats are present even though they remain unseen.
Unpleasant Odours
The powerful smell of rodent urine and other bodily secretions can indicate rats and mice have occupied a building space unseen. Research shows rats tend to urinate and deposit musky scent-marks around their nesting areas and routes they use for searching food. So, pay attention if you notice any unpleasant musky or ammonia-like whiffs in certain areas, rooms or corridors. Sniff out where the odd smell is strongest to trace signs back to where rats may be nesting inside cavities in the structure of the premises.
Damage to Packages or Interior Areas
Carefully inspect any storage areas containing boxes, bags, wrappers or packets of food items, materials or merchandise. Look for odd holes chewed into packaging as this shows clear signs rats or mice have gained access. Rodents can exploit the tiniest gap with their sharp teeth and flexible skeletons to get into containers and wall spaces. So, scrutinise your building’s interior walls, floors and ceilings too. Damage caused to electrical wiring or pipe insulation points to rat activity going on out of sight. Fresh wood shavings, dirt mounds or smear marks can further confirm rats are gnawing, digging and entering hard-to-detect spots nearby.
Quite a few Droppings Lying Around
The definite calling card of rats and mice are their tiny dark droppings left dotted around. Rodent faeces look similar but rat droppings tend to be larger due to their bigger size. Inspect corners, floors and surfaces near food preparation zones closely for any scattered pellet-like poo. The greater the number seen, especially if fresh, the more rodents are soiling surfaces and products after scuttling about unseen. Their droppings also spread bacteria, viruses and parasites so pose a contamination and illness risk for your premises and staff. Finding numerous faecal pellets anywhere onsite signals a current sizable infestation requiring rapid action from an expert Bristol pest control company.
Act promptly if you detect any of those tell-tale rodent signs to tackle a building-wide infestation right away. Consult a professional Bristol pest controller for effective solutions if you spot those worrying indicators of unwelcome squatters.