With Christmas just around the corner, a lot of people are starting to bring out all those decorations that have been sitting in isolation for a full year. Usually we find a few surprises in those small attics and dark corners of our garages. Strings of lights are broken, decorations are outdated and ugly, or ornaments are cracked. Unfortunately, this is also usually when we discover things like mice droppings, chewed and gnawed wires and even nests. Here’s what you can do to prevent or help fix any issues with rodents in your Christmas decorations.
Are these droppings? What exactly am I looking at here?
So you found a weird pile of stinky stuff under that box of old Christmas lights, what is it from? Most rodent poop looks like small brown or dark pieces that look like large grains of rice. The bigger the feces, the bigger the rodent that left them likely is. You will usually find these piles in noticeable quantities, so there isn't much of a chance that you will miss them and not much point in actively looking for rodent droppings in Christmas decorations to identify an infestation.
Sometimes you may find what looks like a pile of dirt with consistent grain size. This could mean a possible termite issue; please check out our termite page for more details.
My Stuff is Wrecked, UGH.
Sometimes we don’t notice until a string of lights is already 15 feet up and stapled to the eaves that none of the lights on the strand work.
Rodents need to keep their fangs sharpened and filed. Christmas decorations and small wires are a perfect candidates for chewing on because of they are attractive to rodents and easy to get their mouth around. Even if your decorations are stored in boxes, rodents could still have gotten to them by chewing through the cardboard or entering through the small openings. It’s a good idea to inspect your Christmas equipment beforehand, but that goes without saying.
I Can’t Get to My Decorations, It Smells Horrible Up There!
If the dark corners of your storage area smell foul, it’s possible that there is a rodent nest nearby or even possibly a dead animal. Rodents, especially rats, love to live in filthy areas with lots of dirt and foliage. If you spot or smell a rodent nest, make sure to keep your hands sanitized after taking decorations out of the area.
You won’t always need a pest control company to take care of your rodent issues. Sometimes the rodents have already packed up and left to another area. Other times only one rodent got stuck up there and died, maybe it already decomposed. If you are confident that rodents are still around, you could easily buy some traps and get them yourself.
As for cleaning up a dead rodent or rodent nest, it is important to take certain precautions. Rodents carry all sorts of diseases, including the infamous Hantavirus. Make sure you wear proper respiratory equipment and use properly labelled sanitizers. Check out our blog for more information on Hantavirus.
Great Whatever, What Can You Do?
We offer tons of rodents services. First we would recommend an inspection of the area, these inspections are free. Our technicians inspect the area for any openings where they might have entered the structure, evidence of more droppings or nests, an active rodent infestation and other structural concerns. From there we will give you a quote on pricing for sanitation, trapping and exclusion. Rodent exclusion includes sealing off all areas that rodents can use to access your storage areas and Christmas decorations.
With the Holidays in full force, rodents can often be the least of our problems, but it’s important to get rodent issues taken care of quickly to prevent further damage from rodents. For more questions or to set up an inspection please call our offices at 818-898-4898 or email us at info@expertpest.com