What Pests and Wildlife Should I Worry About in the Fall in Virginia Beach?

Fall is when animals and insects begin to gather food and look for a warm, safe place to settle down for winter. Your attic and crawl space makes your home the perfect spot for rodents to nest and feed. Rats and mice don’t hibernate and stay active during the winter, so they will often seek out warm homes with abundant sources of food that are safe from predators. The main types of rodent you might see in Virginia Beach are the Norway rat, the roof rat and the house mouse. All three types of these rodents are commensal, which means they rely on the food and shelter humans provide to survive. 

Norway rats are large, brown rats that typically like to stay low to the ground, burrowing tunnels in yards near the foundation of your home or in gardens, as gardens can provide them with an easy source of food. Norway rats will eat just about anything, but they will gravitate towards grains, cereal, nuts, fruits, and meat. If you find a Norway rat in your house, it will most likely be in the lower areas like a basement or crawl space. 

Roof rats are a bit smaller than Norway rats, with grayish black fur and a hairless tail that exceeds the length of their body. In contrast to the Norway rat, roof rats are known to nest in the higher up areas of your home, in attics and roof lines. Roof rats are better climbers, and will climb trees, fences and power lines to get into your attic. Similar to Norway rats, roof rats are omnivores that will eat fruit, pet food, nuts, seeds(especially birdseed), meat, and even pet feces. Roof rats are known to be more active in coastal areas, which makes your home in Virginia Beach a perfect place for them. 

House mice are much smaller than both Norway rats and roof rats, and their fur can range from brown to gray to black. These mice will feed on dry, stored food like grains, cereal, pet food, chips, cookies and other stored snacks. House mice are known to drop urine and feces while they extensively forage throughout the night, which can spread diseases like salmonella and contaminate food supplies.
Some of the common risks associated with rodents in your house are the threat of chewing/gnawing on important structures. Rodents have teeth that never stop growing, so in order to keep them at a manageable length, they will gnaw on wooden beams and structures in your home, as well as the rubber covering around wires, which can expose the bare wiring and lead to a house fire.