Terninix
Terminix says roof rats often climb wires to gain access to homes.
Terminix doesn’t want to freak you out this close to Halloween (or maybe it does!) but the company said Monday that what goes bump in the Memphis night could very well be a roof rat.
How do they know this? The Memphis company said it compiled data from more than 300 Terminix branches from across the U.S. The research found that Memphis had the second-highest number of roof-rat calls from January 1 to October 1 this year.
[pullquote-1]”Roof rats have strong climbing skills and a hairless, scaly tail that can grow up to a foot long,” reads a Monday statement from the company.
Here’s how the 2017 roof-rat rankings broke down:
1. Savannah, Ga.
2. Memphis, Tenn.
3. Miami, Fla.
4. Sacramento, Calif.
5. Fort Myers, Fla.
6. Los Angeles, Calif.
7. Tampa, Fla.
8. Dallas, Texas
9. San Diego, Calif.
10. San Francisco, Calif.
11. Honolulu, Hawaii
12. Phoenix, Ariz.
13. Houston, Texas
14. Jacksonville, Fla.
15. San Antonio, Texas
“Autumn is a very active time of year for roof rats and other rodents, as they often seek entry into homes after their outdoor food sources are exhausted,” reads a statement from Terminix Monday. “Roof rats are often tree-dwelling, and are more likely to enter a structure through the roof than other species.”
“They often climb wires or trees to seek out points of entry, such as holes around soffit vents, cables entering buildings, or turbine and box vents on roofs. Once inside, they can multiply quickly—as can homeowners’ worries about their presence.”
According to Terminix, here are some items you should add to your fall to-do list:
• Ensure all firewood, debris and piles of stone or brick are kept as far from the foundation of the home as possible.
• Seal any holes or cracks larger than a quarter inch, to help prevent rodents from squeezing their way in.
• Install a thick weather stripping along the bottom of doors, which will help ensure only guests and an autumn breeze can enter through the front door.
• Work with a qualified pest management professional (and that, of course, means Temrinix) to determine potential problem areas in your home, which can help to prevent pest challenges before they start.
