Fall Rodents and Raritan Basements: Keeping Mice and Rats Out

Why the river edge matters

Norway rats den outdoors along the Raritan River, the D&R Canal, and the alleys of a dense old city, then commute into basements and crawl spaces through gaps around pipes and foundations. House mice, meanwhile, move indoors in force as fall temperatures drop, nesting in wall voids and cluttered basements.

New Brunswick's older housing stock, with its shared walls, stone foundations, and utility chases, gives both an easy path inside.

Traps clear them; exclusion keeps them out

Trapping and baiting knock down the rodents already inside, but on their own they invite a callback, more rodents simply follow the same route in. The lasting fix is exclusion: finding and sealing every gap around utility penetrations, foundation cracks, door sweeps, and vent screens with rodent-proof material.

Pair that with sanitation, tight trash, no open pet food, less clutter, and the sealed building stops being attractive.

Do it before the first cold snap

The best time to rodent-proof is before the fall push, not during it. If you already hear scratching in the walls or find droppings, a local exterminator can handle the current problem and seal the entry points in one go. See rodent control or call us.

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Have this problem in New Brunswick? Call us at (732) 479-9382 and get connected with a local exterminator.