Many house owners mistakenly think extermination jobs are as simple as laying a few mousetraps on the kitchen floor. But they couldn’t be more mistaken – pest control is a series of strict procedures to ensure that the rodents are out of the property without causing further harm to the family and the environment.
So when is the right time to hire an exterminator for mice infestation? Mice reproduce at overwhelming rates, which is why it’s important to eliminate the infestation at the first sign of rodent activity in the house. Pest management professionals have the right knowledge and equipment needed for effective rodent exclusion work.
House mice might be small in size, but the damages they cause are a huge headache for many homeowners. But instead of calling a rodent exterminator immediately, some homeowners attempt to handle the exclusion work by themselves first using store-bought mouse traps or rodenticides.
Mice infestations have varying levels of severity, which affects the property owner’s decision to call pest control services. However, it’s important to remember that mice reproduce quickly. Even if you manage to catch a single mouse, there’s a huge chance that more rodents are hiding anywhere at home.
Mice are elusive creatures that are only active at night. They also move quickly, which is why they’re quite hard to catch. But there are other ways to confirm if there is an ongoing mice infestation in the property, such as:
If there are mice in the house, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll notice an unpleasant smell at home. These rodents leave droppings and urinate everywhere, which leads to a lingering scent of ammonia around the house. They also leave a musky odor whenever they rub their filthy bodies on the floors and along the lower part of the walls.
Even if the musky ammonia smell manages to escape your nose, pets still help locate the nests around the house. They have a strong sense of smell that allows them to detect mice presence. Check the areas where the pets start pawing in if they never did it before to see if there’s a mouse nest.
Mice are known carriers of different diseases – most of which are transmitted through their droppings. Rodent droppings are quite similar in appearance, but they have subtle differences that exterminators look for when identifying the specific pest in a home.
Mice produce tiny droppings that measure around an eighth to a quarter inch. They’re dark-colored with tapering ends that resemble grains of rice. An individual mouse produces around 50 to 75 pellets per day.
Mice droppings are typically found in areas where there is the most mice activity – darker and more droppings mean that you’re getting close to their nest. Another area where there might be evidence of mice activity is under the sink. Mice often find leftover food and water near the sink, which is why they frequently visit that site.
Mice build nests once they get inside the house to take care of the young pups. A single mouse nest houses around one to two dozen mice, depending on their age and the presence of other mice in nearby nests.
Mouse nests are typically made of fabric, furniture stuffing, paper, and other soft materials. Some mice even carry twigs and leaves from outside to add to their nest. Look around the storage room in the house to see if there are any damaged containers or boxes that these rodents might have attacked to get nesting materials from.
Homeowners are likely to find nests in quiet and hidden places around the house like the closet, linen drawer, basement, behind appliances, vents, attics, sinks, and crawl spaces.
Responsible homeowners must have a good eye for noticing signs of mice infestation before it becomes a bigger problem. They should call an exterminator when they find telltale signs of rodent activity, such as droppings, foul smell, grease tracks, chew marks, and stolen food around the house.
It’s not easy to spot a live mouse scurrying around the kitchen in broad daylight because they’re shy creatures that avoid humans. If you come across a mouse in plain sight, it’s another sign that the infestation is getting worse. Most of the time, mice are only forced to go out when there’s not enough space in their nests.
Most homeowners attempt to deal with the problem by themselves first because they believe that exclusion work is easy. They also think that paying for pest control services is not worth their money. However, catching mice and preventing them from returning to the property isn’t an easy task.
The moment these creatures are found roaming in the house, there’s a huge chance that there are already too many of them for homeowners to handle alone. Professional exterminators know when to use specific rodent control methods and how to utilize the tools for each situation. They’re trained to handle rodent exclusion work without harming the family, the environment, and the property.
Many homeowners want to save a few extra pennies, which is why they’ll try anything to handle a mouse infestation by themselves first before calling a professional exterminator. But here are a few reasons why it’s still better to leave the job at the hands of pest management professionals:
Groceries have shelves full of rodenticides that many house owners buy to get rid of the mouse at home. However, these rodenticides are typically created with harsh chemicals that are harmful to pets, humans, and the environment. In 2019 alone, there were 8,734 cases of rodenticide poisonings recorded in the US.
Professional rodent exterminators only utilize rodenticides as a last resort. When they do, they only apply the least amount needed to effectively get rid of the mice on the property. They also make sure that the rodenticides are environment-friendly to ensure the safety of pets and humans.
DIY mice control isn’t an easy task if you don’t have the right tools to utilize or the knowledge to use them. Different kinds of mousetraps and rodenticides are harmful to humans, pets, and the environment if mishandled.
Pest management professionals are trained to perform different exclusion work and pest control methods. They know which types of traps work best and when rodenticides must be applied in all kinds of properties.
Calling an exterminator as soon as possible helps homeowners cut down costs. Most DIY exclusion work doesn’t guarantee a mouse-free home – you’ll likely call professionals to get rid of the mouse when the infestation worsens sooner or later anyway.
When you pay professional exterminators to eliminate the infestation at home, you’re also paying for their knowledge about exclusion work and the tools they use to guarantee a rodent-free home. Most of their treatment packages already include costs for the inspection, treatment, and preventative measures.
Mice reproduce at staggering rates – a female mouse produces up to 10 litters per year with an average litter size of 6-8 pups. The infestation grows in severity over time, which is why it’s crucial to call exterminators immediately. Otherwise, you’re only putting the family in grave danger.
These rodents continue to steal and contaminate food, defecate, and urinate around the house. They’re known to weaken the building’s foundation, cause leaky pipes, and start house fires by chewing through different materials they sink their teeth on. Mice are also known carriers of diseases, such as salmonellosis, rat-bite fever, leptospirosis, plague, and many others that lead to fatalities.
Calling a pest management professional is non-negotiable when the house is infested with dirty rodents that threaten the family’s health and safety. It’s crucial to recognize the early warning signs of a mice infestation to contact an exterminator before the rodents start causing more damage.
PermaKill Exterminating offers complete rodent exclusion services that your house needs. We’re a family-owned business in New Jersey dedicated to providing scientifically proven treatments to get rid of the mouse at home and keep them from returning for a long time.
Visit our website for more information or call us at (973) 584 – 6414 to experience reliable rodent extermination services.
Learn more: 6 Eco-Friendly Pest Control Options
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