Winter is here in most of the country and that brings mice and rats seeking warm shelters filled with food and water sources. Prevention is always the best way to stop rodents from infesting.

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) suggests a few steps to put on any rodent prevention checklist. These include:

• Find any cracks around the home and seal them, from ground to roof.
• Check insulation and wiring, if there are gnawing marks on them, rodents may already be inside the structure.
• Keep debris such as boxes and storage items off the ground making it harder for rodents to hide.
• Eliminate any branches that offer a clear path from the tree to a roof.

In addition, installing door sweeps is a major source of prevention as rodents can sneak under openings beneath doorways easily. Stainless-steel door sweeps like those made by Burrtec are the best option.

Remember that rodents are more than just guests in your home or business, they bring dirt, dust, disease and can ruin food and water sources. Preventing them is the best course of action.

Burrtec USA is a leading manufacturer of door sweep solutions, providing quality exclusion products to PMPs and building material suppliers. It is the North American Division of Burrtec Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest pest control producers. To learn more about Burrtec, visit our U.S. website.

Following rodent control methods and control practices is one of the best ways to stay on top of education and research trends.
One of the recent industry gatherings that brings professionals together is the West Coast Rodent Academy, held each year in Irvine, California.
The event is a three-day workshop on urban rodent management. It includes lectures, hands-on activities, and a break-out session designed to teach professionals how to better understand rodent ecology and integrated pest management (IPM) practices.
Other educational resources include PCT Magazine’s annual rodent control issue as well as other industry resources from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).
Beyond that, working with top manufacturers of pest control products is the top way to be in front of the trends of products that are new at helping control rodents.
Burrtec is the leading manufacturer of door sweeps for residential door protection. Not only do they protect from rodents, but they keep dust, dirt, and pollen out too.
Burrtec USA is a leading manufacturer of door sweep solutions, providing quality exclusion products to PMPs and building material suppliers. It is the North American division of Burrtec Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest pest control producers. To learn more about Burrtec, visit our U.S. web

Eight of out 10 people in the United States are exposed to dust mites and six out of 10 are exposed to cat or dog dander, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

Dust mites, dander, cockroaches, and rodents can help spread allergies; currently 27 million people in the U.S. struggle with allergies, the AAFA says. Prevention is the best way to avoid allergies as well as illnesses from dust, dirt, and pollen.

Methods to avoid contact with allergens include:

• Air cleaning – using a device to improve air quality will remove the sources of these issues. Make sure the air cleaners are certified as “asthma and allergy friendly^©” to capture 98 percent of particles in the air.
• Avoid clutter in the home; consider drop down shades instead of heavy drapes.
• Use allergy resistant pillow and mattress covers. When you wash bedding, make sure to dry it at high temperatures after to kill any dust mites.
• For those with high allergy symptoms, not having a pet with feathers or fur is the healthiest option.

But keeping the insects, dust, and rodents out of your home so they don’t spread dirt and disease is very important. Burrtec is the leading manufacturer of door sweeps for residential door protection. Not only do they protect from rodents, but they keep dust, dirt, and pollen out too.

Exclusion is the best way to keep rodents from interrupting your daily life at home. Unlike companies that have regulations on keeping facilities pest-free – especially in food-handling establishments – consumers have no such requirement, so this practice isn’t always followed.

A simple way to make sure that pests are kept from a home is to do a full exterior walk around the home, searching for all available openings under siding, through holes in plumbing or utility penetrations, through gaps in windows or air ducts, and under doorways.

Doorways are at the top of the list because rodents can simply crawl under the opening an d into a home. Once inside, they can cause physical damage, can share disease, an d can eventually lead to a full infestation. Finding these openings an d plugging them with steel wool or placing door sweeps on external doors will prevent rodents from “walking right in.”

Burrtec is the leading manufacturer of door sweeps for residential door protection. Not only do they protect from rodents, but they keep dust, dirt, and pollen out too.

Burrtec USA is a leading manufacturer of door sweep solutions, providing quality exclusion products to PMPs an d building material suppliers. It is the North American division of Burrtec Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest pest control producers. To learn more about Burrtec, visit our U.S. website.

– Part 1 of 3 –

One of the top rodent experts in the pest industry is Dr. Bobby Corrigan. Just as many athletes who are “Hall of Famers,” so is Corrigan who is a member of the Pest Management Hall of Fame.

He has published hundreds of articles and has been consulting for decades. Dr. Corrigan’s three common entry points for rats and mice:

“Any penetration like a line that enters a home – a utility line, a plumbing line, a cable line, anything that goes through a wall, and you do not seal properly the rodents will follow that line where the penetration comes out.

“For gaps or holes, if it’s more than a 6 mm gap it allows a mouse in, if it’s more than a 12 mm gap, it allows a rat in. As you drive down the street you look at people’s garage doors and if you see light leaking from the garage door, that gap – a little gap makes it easy for them to enter.”

Keeping them from entering under doorways is a key by using door sweeps like Burrtec’s products.

Burrtec USA is a leading manufacturer of door sweep solutions, providing quality exclusion products to PMPs and building material suppliers. It is the North American division of Burrtec Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s largest pest control producers. To learn more about Burrtec, visit our U.S. website.

Written by Ed DeMask.