Rodent Awareness Week Brings Focus to Rodent Prevention

Rodent Awareness Week at Batzner Pest Control - Rodent control services by Batzner Pest Control serving Southeastern Wisconsin

Rodent infestations become a major problem in Wisconsin in fall and winter.

What makes rodent infestations so dangerous?

Rodents pose a number of health risks to you and your family. The spread of food-borne illnesses like Salmonella is probably the most alarming, as rodents contaminate surfaces throughout the house and will look to get into your kitchen cabinets and food prep areas. Their skin, saliva, and urine can also aggravate allergy symptoms.

In addition to spreading disease, bacteria, and allergens, rodents can cause electrical fires by gnawing through your home’s wiring. All of the problems associated with rodent infestations are amplified by how quickly they reproduce. A few mice in your attic can turn into a full-blown infestation in a very short period of time – each female mouse can give birth to between six and eight offspring every three weeks!

What should homeowners look out for?

Because of the potential dangers and the speed at which they can occur, homeowners need to be extremely vigilant when preparing their homes for the fall and winter. Here are some tips from the NPMA on how to rodent-proof your home this year:

  • Use weather strips on doorways and windows
  • Replace broken windows
  • Caulk around utility/service pipes
  • Repair openings in the building’s foundation
  • Screen all vents
  • Seal additional small cracks with copper mesh (steel wool will rust and deteriorate over time).
  • Around the house exterior, rake away any weeds or shrubbery as they provide safe passage to pests
  • Mulch, in particular, should not be used near the foundation, and any overhanging tree branches need to be cut down
  • Do not store firewood within the immediate vicinity of the house

Once these preventative measures have been taken, the NPMA advises being on the lookout for these indicators of rodent infestation:

  • Droppings: Droppings are typically found in kitchen cabinets and pantries, along walls, on top of wall studs or beams, and in boxes, bags and old furniture.
  • Noises: Rodents often make scurrying sounds, especially at night, as they move about and nest.
  • Gnaw marks: New gnaw marks tend to be rough to touch and are light colored.
  • Burrows: Inside, rodents often nest in various materials such as insulation, and are drawn to dark and secluded areas.
  • Damaged food packages: House mice prefer to feed on cereals and seeds, while Norway rats prefer meat, fish and dry dog food.

If any of these signs of rodents are found, contact us immediately! Remember, a small issue will become a major problem in a short amount of time. You can reach us at (262)797-4160 or on our website.

Walk MS Charity Event

Walk MS is a charity walk series with the goal of connecting individuals and raising funds to change the world for those affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Batzner recently had the opportunity to contribute during their event held at Frame Park in Waukesha. As you may know, stinging insects are at their worst during the early fall, when their nests are fully matured and their natural food sources are declining. This results in a high number of foragers seeking out artificial food sources – like the sugary sports drinks and sweet snacks abundant at charity walks!

To make sure the nearly 100 participants were able to support the cause in comfort, Batzner was happy to provide stinging insect control along the route through the park. This, combined with the contributions of other groups and the energy and enthusiasm of participants, helped to make the day a great success. $41,690.52 was raised, which will be used to fund promising research to stop the disease and restore function that has been lost, with the ultimate goal of ending MS forever. It will also be used to support local programs to help people living with MS achieve the highest quality of life possible.

Walk MS’s 2016 season is over in Wisconsin, but those interested in donating or participating in next year’s events can visit their website for more information on how, why, and where to support ending MS for good!

Named Six-time Top Workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

We are excited to announce that we have once again earned a spot in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Top Workplaces list! Winning this award for the sixth time in seven years demonstrates Batzner Pest Control’s dedication to providing complete satisfaction not only to customers, but to employees as well.

It is an extra honor to receive this recognition in the year of our 70th anniversary. Despite the recent rapid growth of the company and its expansion into new markets, it has retained the family feel that has made it a great place to work since 1946.

If a family atmosphere with a strong work/life balance and well-rounded compensation and benefits package sounds right for you, don’t hesitate to contact us today!

New and Improved – Mosquito Reduction Program

Learn more about Batzner’s 2017 Mosquito Program.

I think most people would agree that the worst part of summer in southeastern Wisconsin is the mosquitoes. No one likes being driven out of their own back yard on a beautiful summer night because the bugs are too bad; unfortunately, though, that may be happening quite often this summer. We received above average amounts of rain last spring and heavy precipitation already this year, and the National Weather Service is predicting a hotter than usual summer- basically the perfect conditions for large populations of mosquitoes.

Batzner can help you combat the swarms and protect you from the annoyance and diseases brought by mosquitoes with our Mosquito Program. Our new approach is more effective due to a change in our application method. We utilize a mister rather than a spray, which allows the product to coat the undersides of trees, bushes, and other shady areas, all of which are key breeding and hangout spots for mosquitoes. By targeting these areas, we can drastically reduce the number of mosquitoes around your yard.

The program includes two scheduled treatments over the course of the summer and additional callbacks if necessary. Each application has a residual effect for 60 to 90 days, and is applied to targeted areas rather than the entire lawn to provide less chemical exposure to you and your family. We also do a more intensive specialty treatment for weddings and other outdoor events.

We are very excited to show you what a relief our new Mosquito Reduction Program can provide, contact us today to make sure that your outdoor property is safe and enjoyable this summer!

Lupo Named PCT Technician of the Year

Batzner is proud to announce that our own Scott Lupo has been named the 2014 Pest Control Technology Residential Technician of the Year. Lupo, a Master Service Specialist and 17-year veteran at Batzner, was selected for the award based on his excellent customer service track record and volunteer commitments.

You can read the full story on PCTonline.com. Learn more about Scott and his dedication to providing legendary service in the video.

Customer Spotlight: Camp Hometown Heroes

This summer, Batzner had the opportunity to work with a great organization, Camp Hometown Heroes. Camp Hometown Heroes provides children and siblings of fallen U.S. Military members with a free week at its summer camp. In addition to typical fun camp activities like swimming, archery, and arts and crafts, campers have access to trained pediatric grief counselors, as well as the company of others who understand exactly what they are feeling. The combination of being able to openly discuss their experiences while having great times and making life-long friends has helped many cope with the tragedy of losing a loved one.

I spoke to Deb Paschke, the Co-Director of the camp, about this year’s session and what else can be done to support their mission. “The biggest development was that for the first time we were able to split the campers into two separate weekly sessions, which allowed more individual attention to be given to each child,” explained Deb. The success of this approach gives a positive outlook on potentially expanding further.

However, providing such a valuable service to even more children in the future is only possible with increased support from both companies and individuals. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to help out. No matter what line of work you are in, we recommend inquiring if there is anything your business can provide that would be beneficial. For companies like us, donating our services has a direct effect. For businesses in other industries that might not be as related, Deb recommended having office competitions to see who can raise or donate the most.

Individual opportunities for volunteering can be found at www.hometownheroes.org and on their Facebook page, as well as posts about needed donations for camp essentials (sleeping bags, bug spray, etc.). We here at Batzner highly recommend visiting both to learn more about this amazing organization!