The Municipality of Cumberland will mitigate rodent and pest issues on all municipal-owned properties. Pest control on private property is the property owner's responsibility.
Rodents look for food, water and shelter. By eliminating their access, rodents should stay away from your home and property.
Rodent-proof your home
The first line of defence is to get rid of easy entry points. Mice can squeeze through cracks as small as a dime, while rats can enter through a quarter-sized hole. Even the small gaps created by worn thresholds under doors will allow mice access to your home.
- Use metal weather stripping under doors, and weather strip windows.
- Patch cracks in foundations.
- Stuff steel wool around pipes before caulking or plastering.
- Cover dryer vents, attic vents, and soffits with fine mesh metal screening.
- Make your home less appealing to rodents
- Remove cozy nesting sites in unused clutter around your house and garage.
- Cut tall grass and weeds back from your house.
- Secure garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Raise woodpiles about 30 centimetres (1 foot) off the ground. Place them away from your house.
- Eliminate water sources (like leaky taps, sweating pipes, and open drains).
- Keep your kitchen clean. Store dry food and dry pet food in metal or glass containers.
Cleaning
Use caution when near urine and droppings:
- Wear rubber gloves and a dust mask during cleanup.
- Dampen droppings and debris with a solution of bleach and water before wiping up.
- Wear gloves to dispose of dead rats and mice.
- Double bag the bodies of dead rats and mice in plastic bags and put in a garbage bin with a secure lid.
- Wash hands and exposed clothing thoroughly after clean-up, and separate from other laundry.
- Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings. The dust that is raised can cause illness.