Effective Solutions to Your Mice Problem

You may have woken up in the middle of the night due to soft munching sounds coming from somewhere, and discovered “Mickey” nibbling on your collection of scented candles. In cartoons, mice look quite cute, but in real life, they can easily have you screaming your lungs out. The risks they present are real, as well as the damages they create in your house.

House mice nibble on everything—from electric cords, to garbage, and yes, your collection of scented candles. That’s not the only thing they do, though; most of the time, they urinate and defecate all over the house. If you have young children that like to crawl around, they can easily come into contact with all of these.

A mice problem should be tackled right away to reduce the risks they present. Cleaning your house is the first thing you can do to get rid of the droppings and pee, as well as the “attractants.” If this isn’t enough to banish the rodents, there are other effective solutions that pest control professionals highly recommend.

Trapping is one, and it’s a traditional method of catching mice. There are different kinds of traps out there; some just cage in the rodents (which is deemed the most humane), some hold them in place (such as those glue boards), but there are also those that can physically impair the mice (such as electrocution traps and snap traps). Go with a trap that you’re most comfortable using and place them in strategic locations with bait, such as a small piece of bread or cheese. The key to using traps is to identify the areas that the mice frequent.

You can also choose to use those rodenticides especially if the mice usually just stay in specific locations in your house. It’s best to use these with great care or caution as rodenticides are toxic to humans and pets. They are quickly effective, though, so be sure to check where you applied the rodenticides after several hours—you may need to get rid of a few dead bodies already and clean the area completely.

Once you’ve gotten rid of all the mice in your house, make sure they never come back. Close all entry points and get rid of all attractants; don’t let trash linger in the bins and keep food in sealed containers so the rodents won’t catch whiff of them.

It may also help to use strong scents that repel mice, such as peppermint; add it to your home’s cleaning agents so not only do you freshen your home with a peppermint scent, but you repel mice too.

And lastly, we would like to dissolve of the common myth that getting a cat or two will contribute to your pest control for mice. Felines can predators to mice, but you can’t expect the little critters to avoid your house if you have cats roaming around. They will be attracted to cat food smells encouraging their presence. Most cat’s are careful pets, and once they have become domestic pets, you typically won’t see them hunting and killing wild animals like mice. If you have a mice problem or suspect there are mice in your home, find a local pest control company that services your neighborhood to help get to the bottom of the problem. 

Source: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7483.html