The High Cost of a Rodent Infestation in Your Business
Mice can be cute when you see them in the field or behind glass at the local pet store, but they look a whole lot different when they are spotted in your place of business. Mice and other rodents are known for chewing through cords and paperwork, ruining stored food and spreading some pretty serious diseases.
Some business owners don’t realize just how destructive rodents can be. Also, many business owners don’t know the extent of the infestation they might have. You might only see a mouse here and there, but there could be hundreds that stay out of sight.
When it comes to a rodent infestation, time is of the essence. In addition to being extremely intrusive, mice and other rodents breed at an amazingly fast rate. This makes their behavior all the more destructive as they scramble to make cozy homes for their offspring.
There have been rodent infestations so bad that they have closed down entire businesses. And we aren’t just talking about restaurants. Rodent infestations can occur in any building with any type of business.
Earthwise Pest Management, your commercial pest control service in Sacramento, opens your eyes to just how much damage rodents can cause.
Health Risks
This should be your biggest concern when it comes to a rodent infestation. Rodents are known to carry no fewer than 25 diseases that can pose a serious health risk for humans. Some of these diseases include hantavirus, rat-bite fever and bubonic plague. If you are unfamiliar with these diseases, look them up for yourself. We warn you, it will be a scary read.
And rodents can carry fleas, which were responsible for the bubonic plague of the 14th century in which up to 60% of the European population perished.
Mice and other rodents have been reported to cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which is an airborne viral infection. This is caused when dust particles are contaminated by rodent droppings or urine gets kicked up in the air and breathed in by humans. You need to know that a single mouse produces 500 droppings a week.
The symptoms of HPS include fatigue, muscle aches and nausea. You can also expect your lungs to fill with fluid. The disease is fatal in 40% of all cases.
Ruin Your Reputation
In this day and age of social media, bad news travels at the speed of light. If one person in your restaurant or place of business sees a mouse running around, they can post that to social media and in a short period of time, thousands of people will know.
And once the word is out, there is very little you can do to protect your reputation. Even if you could only find a couple of mice running around in your establishment, the damage has already been done.
Rodents make customers not want to visit your business, no matter what business you happen to run.
Rodents could cause you to fail a health inspection and get shut down.
Damaged Goods
Rodents have a keen sense of smell and they will find a food source and settle in. This is a huge problem for restaurants, grocery stores and other businesses that sell food goods. Rodents can get into your food products and contaminate them, forcing you to throw away hundreds and thousands of dollars of food.
Structural Damage
Rodents have teeth that never stop growing. This means the only way to keep them ground down is by chewing things. Basically, this means that mice and other rodents will chew on almost anything. And they chew all of the time.
It is bad enough that they will chew on boxes and paper, they will damage products and make a mess. But when they start chewing on wires, that’s when trouble starts. In addition to the damage they can cause chewing on wires and cords, they are also a fire hazard.
And just think about the expensive items you have in your place of business that can be destroyed by rodents.
Employee Distraction
Ask any of your employees if they mind working in a building infested by rodents. We guess they wouldn’t want to. A rodent infestation would be a distraction as well as a cause for odor, unsightly droppings and noises.
If your business is suffering an infestation, give Earthwise Pest Management a call.