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Mice and rats are expert home invaders. A mouse can squeeze through a gap the size of a dime; a rat can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. Once inside, they breed quickly, contaminate food, damage your home, and can create fire hazards by chewing through electrical wiring.

If you’ve heard scratching in the walls, found droppings in your pantry, or noticed gnaw marks on baseboards or food packaging, it’s time to take action. Here’s your complete guide to rodent control in Lexington, Columbia, and the Midlands of South Carolina.

Why Rodents Are a Year-Round Problem in SC

While rodent problems often spike in fall when cooler temperatures drive mice and rats indoors, in South Carolina they can be active and entering homes throughout the year. Our relatively mild winters mean rodents don’t experience the hard die-off that northern climates see, and our humid summers support large outdoor populations.

Common Rodents in the Midlands

House Mouse: The most common home-invading rodent. Small, grey-brown, and incredibly resourceful. House mice can nest inside walls, in insulation, behind appliances, and in stored items. They reproduce rapidly — a single pair can produce dozens of offspring in a year.

Norway Rat (Brown Rat): Larger than mice, Norway rats typically burrow underground or nest in basements and crawl spaces. They’re strong gnawers and can cause significant structural damage.

Roof Rat (Black Rat): Agile climbers that prefer to nest in upper parts of structures — attics, ceiling voids, and upper walls. Common throughout the Southeast.

The Dangers of a Rodent Infestation

Health risks: Rodents spread diseases directly through droppings, urine, and bites, and indirectly through fleas and ticks that feed on them. Associated diseases include Hantavirus, Salmonella, and Leptospirosis.

Property damage: Rodents gnaw constantly to keep their teeth filed down. They’ll chew through wood, plastic, foam insulation, and electrical wiring — a leading cause of house fires.

How Do Rodents Get In?

Common entry points include:

  • Gaps around pipes and utility lines where they enter the home
  • Spaces under doors, especially garage doors
  • Cracks in the foundation or siding
  • Gaps around window frames
  • Vents without proper screening

Walk around the outside of your home with a critical eye and a flashlight. Any gap larger than a dime is a potential mouse entry point.

Rodent-Proofing Your Home

Seal entry points: Use steel wool, caulk, hardware cloth, or expanding foam. Note that rodents can chew through regular foam and wood — for larger gaps, use metal-based materials.

Secure food sources: Store pantry items in airtight, hard-sided containers. Don’t leave pet food out overnight. Keep bird feeders away from the house.

Eliminate harborage: Stacked firewood, overgrown vegetation, and debris piles give rodents safe places to nest. Keep firewood elevated and at least 20 feet from the house.

Address moisture: Rodents need water. Fix leaky pipes, eliminate standing water, and ensure proper drainage around your home.

When to Call a Professional

If you’re seeing active signs of rodents — droppings, gnaw marks, nesting material, or actual rodents — it’s time to call a professional. Identifying and sealing all entry points requires a trained eye, and if rodents have been present for a while, sanitation of contaminated areas may be needed.

At Econ-O-Bug, our rodent control process includes a thorough inspection to identify entry points and active areas, strategic trap placement, follow-up visits to check and remove rodents, and exclusion recommendations to keep them from coming back.

Call us today at (803) 998-2297 or visit econobugpc.com for a free inspection. Serving Lexington, Columbia, and the greater Midlands area.