Since 1969, Virginia has been known as a place for lovers, and there is plenty to love, beaches, mountains, and nature top the list. What our residents don’t love, though, are mice and rats, but these rodents love Virginia. There are nine species of mice and five species of rats that call the Old Dominion state home. Luckily, they all aren’t nuisance pests in Chesterfield County and the surrounding areas. Of those, the four most common are the house and deer mouse and the black and brown rats.
Mice came with the early colonists and fur traders and arriving early in the 17th century. Their roots, though, go back to India about 900,000 years ago. They love to make nests indoors and can use bits of whatever they can find to construct it. They'll use just about anything to make their nests. This includes paper, wood, drywall, and insulation. They can live outside but prefer the warmth and the other accommodations of your home or business as the weather gets colder. Virginia considers them a greater risk to humans than the Norway Rat.
Deer Mice typically nest outdoors, under logs and stones and in tree hollows. They can also migrate inside when the weather turns cold. Your basement or attic makes the perfect home for them, but don’t be surprised to have one come out at night in garages, sheds, and vehicles.
For most of us, seeing a rat strokes a primal fear, whether a brown or black, and most of us won’t take a close enough look to decide which it is. They are two different rodents, though. Norway rats create burrows to nest and can dig under foundations causing property damage. They are territorial and protect up to 150 feet around their home, and can travel about 1300 feet away for food and water.
On the other hand, Roof Rats prefer to live higher up and are generally found in upper floors and attics. As adept climbers, they make their way onto roofs via overhanging tree limbs. From there, they can use incredibly powerful jaws and teeth to gnaw through wood and shingles and make their way in. Then the damage can really start. They tear up insulation for bedding and contaminate more than that with urine, feces, and hair.
All four rodents can cause issues for landlords in Virginia. Our state has an “Implied Warranty of Habitability.” This means owners must keep their properties clear of environmental hazards, and rats and mice pose great ones. It is a tenant’s right to a “livable place.” They carry diseases which can be transmitted directly or indirectly to us. They also play host to parasites like fleas and ticks and the pathogens they carry.
In Midlothian and the surrounding area, the most trusted company to contact for rodent issues is Victory Pest Management. Our technicians are highly skilled, and training in the latest techniques and technology is continual. Pests are best dealt with before they infest a property. At the first sign of rodents, contact us for an estimate, and we’ll put those primal fears to rest.
