Did you know there are very real differences between wildlife control companies and pest control companies?
Did you know those differences could cost you thousands of dollars?
If you’ve got a rat or mouse problem, you can’t afford to get the two types of companies mixed up. At least, you can’t afford to get the two types messed up if you want to get rid of your rodent problem for good.
Wildlife control vs. pest control—what’s the difference?
Wildlife control companies usually handle larger animals. Most of what we handle are rodents (squirrels, rats, and mice), raccoons, opossums, and bats. Mammals, in other words, with one exception: we also handle snakes, which feed on rats. Snakes are still larger though.
Pest control companies usually handle insects. They do a good job too! And in Houston, you need someone who will help you with ants, roaches, and termites. There’s no doubt about it, and we respect their work.
But the behavior, needs, and control methods for the two classes of critters are completely different, and those differences can really trip you up.
Why would pest control companies try to offer rodent control services?
Rodents usually start their incursions into Houston homes right after the first cold snap. That could be in September or it could be in November. Houston cold snaps are unpredictable. But a fun fact about cold snaps is they tend to drive bug populations into hibernation.
That means just as we’re getting busy chasing Master Splinter and all his second cousins twice removed out of your attic, the phones over at the pest control companies are starting to go silent.
And in the hopes of continuing to bring in revenue, they will often turn to rodent control. How different can it be really?
Quite different, as it happens, even if they know that they need to use exclusion methods for full and effective removal.
How much money can you save by calling a wildlife control company?
You can save at least $3000.
$3000 is roughly what pest control companies are charging for rat exclusion on the average Houston home.
Unfortunately, they’re using outdated exclusion methods. They are still using expansion foam to fill up the holes rats are using to get into Houston homes.
That worked okay ten years ago, but for whatever reason Houston’s rat population has evolved. They’ve figured out they can tear right through expansion foam. We’ve gone to a mortar and resin mix that takes more skill to apply and which is currently impenetrable to rats.
We did this because we’ve got over a decade of experience dealing with rodents and other warm-blooded invaders as our full-time jobs, and we had the opportunity to notice what was going on, experiment with better solutions, and found the one that worked.
You’ll save $3000 because you’ll get the job done right the first time instead of spending all that money just to watch your rat problem come back.
We recognize some pest control company might read this and go, “Well aha! We’ll use mortar and resin too.” And that’s fine. We can’t actually service every home in the Houston metro area. There’s room to share, and maybe a few people will be better off for the upgrade.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t undermine the core point. When you have ants, you should call ant experts. When you have rats, you should call rat experts. And since rats are never going to be the primary focus of these companies, they’re not going to have the opportunity to develop the same expertise. If Houston rats adapt again, we’ll be ready.
Will they?
Schedule Your Free Inspection Today
If you suspect you have a rat problem, call Elite Wildlife Services. We’re the local rat experts who adapt when the rats do.
We’ll show you how they’re getting in and what we can do about it, and we’ll ensure the problem doesn’t return. We’ll give you tips on how to make sure your home remains rodent-free.
You’ll get the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re paying for a solution that actually works.
Ready to get started? Contact us today!