Rodent Prevention and Monitoring Plans
Once a house is cleared and sealed, a few checks a year keep it that way. That matters most for properties nobody watches every day: a cabin in the East Mountains, a rental in the University area, a shed full of stored gear.
A monitoring plan usually means a provider comes back on a schedule, checks stations or traps, looks for new gaps and tells you what changed.
Timing around here
NMSU Extension notes deer mice often move indoors in fall and winter, so a late-summer check before the cold is worth it. The monsoon is the other season to watch. The National Weather Service in Albuquerque puts average monsoon onset in the central Rio Grande valley around July 9, and storms can loosen vent screens and wash out soil along foundations.
What you can do between visits
The City of Albuquerque's advice is a good list: keep trash bins closed and compost covered, use rodent-proof feeders and clean up spilled birdseed, stack firewood away from the house and off the ground, and seal cracks and screen windows and doors.
- Feed and pet food in metal cans with lids
- Firewood on a rack, off the ground and away from walls
- Brush and rock piles cleared from near the house
- Bird feeders cleaned up under every few days
Plague areas
In Bernalillo County, the city says plague cases have come from the East Mountains, the western Sandia foothills and North Albuquerque Acres. Homes there benefit most from keeping rodents away from the house and fleas off pets. See plague, fleas and pets.
Questions
How often are monitoring visits?
It depends on the provider and the property. Quarterly and seasonal schedules are common. Ask when you talk to them.