Win The War Against Mice

Rodent season is here and mice are looking for a warm place to seek shelter. These pests carry many diseases and can harm your family and damage your home.  Humans can contract illnesses like Hantavirus and Salmonella. Mice sometimes bring a few “hitchhikers” into our home. Fleas, mites, and ticks are always looking for a free ride provided by rodents. Take a few moments to perform this quick check-up to rodent proof your home to avoid the circus of possible problems. If your home already has a rodent problem, follow the process below to rid them from your residence.

Remember This During Inspection

Mice need three elements for survival; Shelter, a food source, and water. Some mice will only need the diameter of a penny to sneak their way into our home.

Rodent Inspection

While outside, walk closely to the perimeter of your home and look for gaps, cracks, and holes where mice could enter. Check around windows, doors, under doors, foundation, dryer vents, crawl space vents, and holes around gas lines, plumbing, cable, and electrical lines.

Hot Spots & Repairs

There are a few key areas to focus on which always create easy access for mice. Be sure to follow the lines going into the home located by the air conditioning unit. This is one of the most common ways mice sneak inside our home.  If you observed gaps, place steel wool inside the gap and caulk or foam the entry point. Another common hot spot is found with defective dryer vents. These vents are sometimes damaged or missing key parts that shield entry to the residence. Replace the dryer vent if the damage is suspected or caulk outer edges if out of placement. If your garage is attached to your home, be sure to check the overhead garage door to ensure it closes completely. The rubber seal which meets the concrete may need to be replaced if any gaps or damage is seen. Also, be aware of decks which are attached to your home and how they may affect the integrity and structure of the house.

What To Do If Rodents Are In Your Home…

Bad news: If you see a mouse in your home, there are most likely more. The good news is they can be managed and eliminated with a persistent effort.

Step #1: Identify The Size Of Your Problem

What time are you seeing them? Mice usually come out to explore in the evening or early morning when it is dark. If you are seeing them during the day, it is possible that there are many mice inside the home. Also, be sure to inspect for mouse droppings within the home. Look inside kitchen drawers, cabinets, behind stoves, behind refrigerators, behind couches, under kitchen sink, beds, basements, cluttered corners, and anywhere you have seen activity. The number of fresh droppings will give us information about the quantity of mice we are dealing with.

Step #2: Where Are They Hiding 

Try to locate their harboring area. Where are you seeing activity? Mice usually stay close to their nest (within 10-30 feet). Finding their exact nesting area can be very difficult sometimes. It could be behind a wall or even wedged under flooring in a well hidden dark area. Look closely for mouse dropping around the house. The treatment will focus more on the area containing the most droppings.

Step #3: Food Source

What are the mice using as a food source? Do you have a pet? If so, be sure to check the bag for holes and signs of activity. Mice aren’t hunting for only cheese. Some mice will eat anything they find and some are picky. Check all food in your pantry and be sure there is no activity Try to find the food source and discard it or transfer to a strong container or canister. Keep your house clean and remove mouse droppings daily.

Step #4: Get Rid Of Mice

Choose your method of removal: Snap traps, glue traps, live traps, or poisonous bait. When baiting a trap or bait station, be sure not to handle the food. Wear rubber gloves to place bait on the trap. Some research suggests that handling the food during the baiting process will deter rodents from attempting. Begin to place traps in high activity areas. Remove and discard the dead or trapped rodents immediately if possible.

Step #5:  Sanitation

Remove mouse droppings on a daily basis. Do not vacuum up mouse droppings! Vacuuming or sweeping will make particles airborne which can cause disease. Instead create a solution suggested by the Center of Disease Control: 1 part bleach and 10 parts water in a spray bottle. Gently mist the droppings and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Then with rubber gloves, respirator and a paper towel clean-up droppings and place in a sealed bag. Then, discard bag in trash can.

Reinspect your home on a daily basis and look for new droppings. Once mouse droppings are absent in your home for several days you may have the upper hand in the battle. Just remember, that rodents will sometimes avoid new traps and objects they observe in their environment for a few days. Once they get used to seeing these foreign objects they will then explore and become trapped! This is not the case for every situation, but mice can be intelligent and stubborn pests at times. So after a few days of setting and placing the traps, it is not uncommon to see zero activity.

Step #6:  Exclusion 

How did they get into your home? Follow the inspection part above and begin closing up any holes or cracks you see on the exterior of the home and garage. Remember that it will only take the diameter of a penny for some mice to wedge their way into our home. Take advantage of using exclusion materials while sealing up your home. These exclusion materials consist of Steel wool, copper meshing, netting, caulk, weep hole covers and expansion foam.

Key Mice Facts:

• The average adult house mouse is 5-7.5 inches long with tail
• Bait your sticky & snap traps with Slim Jim’s & Peanut Butter
• Wild mice live usually 1 to 2 years on average
• Female house mice will become mature to reproduce at 8 weeks old
• Mice leave their litter at one month old and begin their own path
• Females can have up to 10 litters per year which produces 30 to 60 mice
• Mice can only see somewhat clearly 6 inches in front of them
• Mice are color blind
• Rodents are great climbers and can jump
• Mice can jump up to 12 inches
• Mouse micro droplets of urine can cause allergies in children
• Contaminated dried feces and urine spread viruses
• Once the contaminated dried urine and feces is disturbed it becomes air borne
• Viruses are transferred through small particles in the air which we inhale
• Mice are most active at night unless there is a huge infestation

More Mice Facts:

• A mouse needs water to survive: If water is scarce they could extract it from their urine
• Mice can eat through paper, cardboard, wires, and even some forms of plastic
• Rodents can communicate by urine odors…
• A mouse can pick-up diet information by other rodents when contacting each others feces
• Droppings resemble a dark caraway seed
• Ultrasonic rodent repellers- Studies have shown negative long-term control during usage
• Overestimate your problem and set more traps than you think needed.  There are always more than we think.

 

Best regards,

Dave McCracken
A.N.T. Pest Control

For more information relating to mice and other rodents find out  what is the typical cost of rat exterminator or refer to Illinois Department of Public Health at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/structural-pest-control/house-mouse-prevention-control

A.N.T. Pest Control is a licensed, certified and insured company. We serve New Lenox, Manhattan, Joliet, Frankfort, Mokena, Tinley Park, Orland Park and the surrounding suburbs.