Hi there, my name is Harvey. Welcome to my site. I am here to talk to you about pest control. There are so many different pests in my area. We have spiders, ants, house centipedes and moths that seem to congregate together at various times of the year. In other parts of the world, there are even more pests waiting to enter the homestead undetected. I would like to share pest control practices everyone can use to keep insects out of their homes. I hope you will visit my site often to learn all you can about pest control. Thanks for visiting.
Talking About Pest Control
Getting Rid Of Those Unwanted Mice
Carlos Douglas
When mice are looking for a cozy place in which to build nests for their families, they may decide that your house is a nice place to start. Once settled inside, they begin the daily chores of looking for food and nesting material. Their numbers increase quickly, so if you see one mouse in your house, you likely have several more hiding elsewhere. Here are the signs that you have an unwanted mouse family in your home and how to get rid of them.
Large Families Mean a Big Demand for Food
Each female in a mouse colony can produce up to a litter of six pups every three weeks. They can increase the population by nearly three dozen mice each year. Once a nest is established in your house, members will be in constant search for food. They will make their way into drawers, cabinets, cupboards and closets looking for food to feed all of the hungry mouths back at the nest. This is why it's important to begin eradicating mice as soon as you spot signs of them.
Signs of Mice in the House
Mice can crawl through very small openings and can jump great heights to get to food sources. You may see signs of mouse activity anywhere from floor to ceiling. Regularly check kitchen cabinets, book shelves, and the top shelves of clothes closets. Make sure to check on the tops of shelves and cupboards for signs. Mice prefer dark and quiet places, so start your search in those areas.
Look for such signs as:
- dark rice-sized droppings
- chew marks on paper, cardboard and wood surfaces
- linen that has been shredded on the edge for nesting material
- dirty paw prints across the floor
- dark yellow or brown urine stains on the floor
Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests
When you first spot the signs of mice, begin setting out traps to catch individuals. If you make a big enough dent in the initial population, the colony may move out of your house to find a safer location. However, if the colony has already become large, by the time you spot any signs, it may be too large for you to handle it yourself. It will be time to call in one of the local pest control services to get rid of the mice.
Some tips for trapping mice yourself include:
- Place several traps along suspected routes the mice use to get to food.
- Wear gloves when setting traps, so you don't leave a scent on them.
- Dispose of any dead mice in traps as soon as the trap has been sprung. Other mice will avoid the area as long as the dead mouse is present.
- Always wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after handling a dead mouse. They can transfer parasites to you.
- Keep putting out traps as long as you are catching mice. Move the traps slightly when you stop catching mice in that location for several days.
After removing traps from an area because of a lack of any signs, continue to check the area for activity. Mice will return to an area that they favored after a few days have passed. Contact a business, such as Emory Brantley & Sons Termite and Pest Control, for more information.
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