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Rat vs Mold

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A Tall Of Rats And Mold

I received a frantic call from a homeowner that had a rat running around her condo on Siesta Key. The rat had been:

  • eating her fruit on the counter,
  • getting into her trash,
  • chewing on the couch &
  • leaving droppings and urine everywhere.

We responded and did a complete inspection of the condo.  It appeared as though the rat was coming and going thru a hole under the dishwasher in the slab. We tried to take the dishwasher out so we could seal the entry point but the tile had been installed after the dishwasher, so it was basically built-in.  We finally got the dishwasher’s feet turned down enough to clear the counter and tile, allowing it to clear enough to be slid out.  Or so we thought as the copper water line had no slack for us to pull the dishwasher out. So, again we are at a stand still.  A plumber was called to remove the dishwasher so we could seal the entry points.

Since we could not seal the entry point right away we set numerous rat traps throughout the condo to capture and remove the unwanted pest.  Continuing the inspection of the condo, we went into the guest bedroom where the home owner was concerned that there might be something in the water turn off area since we found an opening under the dishwasher already .  She opened the closet and went to move a few items that were stored in the closet and wow, were we surprised.

It appeared as though there was a leak of some sort coming from the water turn off area.  The wall was covered in black mold. We removed the panel to the water turn off area and there was definitely a leak, and it was still leaking. Water was just running out of the cast iron pipe.  I advised the homeowner that she needed to call the management company and also a plumber again.

Everyone Working On A Solution To Be Rat And Mold Free

At this point the rodent was the least of their concern.  This leak had been going on for sometime because unfortunately it was in a closet in an unoccupied room, used only as storage and rarely looked at.  The management company sent out a mold specialist and a plumber and everyone is working together to get this homeowner “back-to-normal!”


 

 

Noisey Sarasota Attic

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A Rodent Nightmare In Sarasota

Rodents like rats and mice can be a serious nuisance.  A Sarasota home I was called out to last week was a rodent nightmare.  The family complained about hearing scratching and tapping coming from above their ceiling. I knew right away it was a rodent issue. Sure enough after taking a quick glance in the attic, I saw rat droppings everywhere.

Where Were The Rodents Getting In?

The first step was to figure out where they were getting in to the home.  I noticed two small holes in the corner of the attic where sunlight was shining through, so I plugged those holes and set numerous traps.

A Call Back To Finish The Rodent Problem

On my return service visit, I found that every trap had been successful.  It is important to remove the trapped rats as soon as possible to avoid sitting in the heat of the attic.

The family was at ease knowing the smalls holes in their home’s attic where filled professionally and the rats we’re gone for good!

CALL 866-263-WILD (9453)

Snow Birds Take Flight

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Strange Noises Coming From The Attic

I received a phone call from a local management company today in reference to a complaint from their tenant hearing noises in the attic of a manufactured home. We scheduled an appointment for an inspection of the property, offering same day service to eliminate the management company possibly losing a seasonal renter.

A Thorough Inspection Is Needed

We arrived at the local Bradenton mobile home community and met with the tenants, who were more than grateful to see us.  After listening to their observations we were fairly certain that the issue at hand was rodents nesting in the ceiling.  But, to be sure, a complete inspection of the entire mobile home was done. It was noted that the entire underneath of the home was wide open.  All of the breather blocks along the foundation had never been sealed against rodents or any animals. There were also several vents and a few areas around the water heater that were wide open, allowing easy access for the rodents straight into the walls leading to the ceiling. After we completed the inspection we explained to the tenant that we would call the management company, discuss our findings and proceed upon approval.

We Are Always Intent On Meeting The Customer Needs

We are always very cautious on what we discuss with the tenants, thus leaving it up to the management company to explain in everything in-depth from their standpoint.  Again this lessens the chance of them losing their tenant.  Everything was discussed with the management company.  It was explained that we would need to exclude the entire perimeter of the trailer, screen around the bottom, seal the miscellaneous open vents and water heater area.

Once the exclusion is complete we would then start the trapping process to remove the rodents trapped inside the sealed perimeter.  We do not use any poison as we would not want the resident to end up with a dead animal under the home or in a wall.

Their Vacation Was Back On Track

After everything was explained to the management company the proposal was accepted and the exclusion has been scheduled.  I then phoned the tenant to let them know that we would be out to relieve them of further sleepless nights.  They were more than ecstatic to say the least!