A Toronto autumn is a great time of year to take in some of nature’s best scenery. However, with the crisp weather comes an increase in pests in many Toronto homes. Like us, pests such as mice, rats, spiders and cockroaches look for places to take refuge from the upcoming winter months.

At Cannon Pest Control we encourage all of our customers to properly pest-proof their homes. This can save a lot of money and avoid the inconvenience and damages resulting from a pest infestation.

“When the weather cools, our warm homes are just as enticing to pests as they are to us,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for National Pest Management Association (NPMA). “Yet, pests are unwelcome house guests as they can pose serious health and property threats. In preparation for winter, homeowners should be proactive and vigilant in preventing pests from coming indoors.”

In addition to being a nuisance, pests can cause you and your family serious health issues. Rodents in the city can carry diseases such as Salmonella and Hantavirus.

It only takes a small hole for a mouse to enter your home. It’s important to quickly find and seal all entry and exit points in your home before they make their way inside. Mice will also use the same holes year after year, this can result in rodent problems for years to come.

Mice Pest Control Toronto, Rat Pest Control Toronto, RodentsRodents will also gnaw through wiring, this can dramatically increase the risk of fire in your home. Mice will make nests in your home’s insulation, the average female will produce four-to-seven pups in a litter and will produce eight litters in her lifetime.

Rats and mice have a remarkable ability to survive and adapt to many conditions. They survive by foraging for food, they will inadvertently contaminate your food during this search.

Rats prefer to eat grains or grain products such as cereal or bread. They can fit into a hole that’s as small as a 1/2 inch in size. Rats are excellent climbers, they have the ability to climb pipes on the outside of your home. They also have excellent balance, they can scale brick walls and can even crawl along power or phone lines.

When winter months approach mice will gravitate to their nests. Mice have very limited vision and use their incredible sense of smell to establish routes to food sources. These paths will link their nests to food sources. A mouse nest is usually made of common household materials such as paper, leaves and grass. Typically, a mouse will live in the same nest for the entirety of their life, only a lack of food will convince them to move elsewhere.

Strong sanitation practices are the best way to keep mice away. Be sure to keep your food and pet food away in a sealed container. Good housekeeping will help decrease the amount of mice in your home and may even eliminate the problem entirely.

It’s estimated that a mouse can jump at least 12 inches vertically. This coupled with the amazing climbing ability can make it even more challenging to hide and secure food.

Signs of a rodent problem will usually include gnaw marks on food and droppings near counter tops, drawers and cupboards. Rodents will typically live in close proximity to their human hosts, they will often build nests in wall voids, attics, between floors, under the house, in cabinets, and many other places.

Cockroach Pest Control TorontoCockroaches are also a problem for Toronto-area homeowners. These insects feed on human and animal food and leave a nasty odour in your home. Cockroaches can also spread diseases through their droppings and saliva. Younger children are more at risk at contracting diseases from cockroaches. It’s not uncommon for people to suffer allergic reactions from cockroaches. Asthma can actually be triggered by a cockroach infestation.

These bugs are extremely resilient and keeping your home clean won’t deter them. By the time you find a cockroach in your home it’s likely there are many more waiting. Unfortunately, your home provides the perfect breeding ground for cockroaches. There’s plenty of food, water, warmth and nesting areas. This allows them to be active 365 days a year. It’s estimated that they can survive a month without food and less than two weeks without water.

The following tips should help keep your home pest-free for years to come:

Fix any damaged screens in doors.
Take a look through your home and seal and cracks or crevices in the exterior of your home. Also, pay attention to openings for pipes and utilities.
Ensure that you install door sweeps on every door leading to the outside.
Make sure all vents and openings to chimneys are screened.
Never leave food out. Purchase air-tight containers and use them to store all food. Also, insure that garbage is stored in air-tight containers as well.
Inspect the exterior of your home and fix any loose or weather damaged mortar and weather stripping around windows and your basement foundation.
Eliminate any moisture sites from your home. Repair any clogged drains or leaky pipes.
If you have a wood stove or fireplace be sure to store your excess firewood at least 20 feet from the house. Also, keep any shrubs well-trimmed.
Sometimes calling a professional exterminator is the best way to remove pests from your home. A good exterminator will remove all pests from your home and will ensure that don’t return anytime soon. It’s also important that all harmful droppings and urine damaged regions are dealt with properly. This will protect the integrity of your home and prevent dangerous health issues.

At Cannon Pest Control, we take a lot of pride in our work and we strongly believe that we should exceed the expectations of our customers. That’s why we guarantee that we’ll keep your home pest-free for one year after our visit.

Our team of experienced exterminators are eager to help with any extermination need. We work throughout the entire Toronto region to ensure that your pest protection needs are addressed in a permanent and cost effective fashion. Contact us to learn more about how we can aid in your residential or commercial extermination needs.