Positive Pest Control provides timely and effective rodent control. We strive to swiftly & safely control these pests that threaten your home or business. We have found rodents to be highly adaptable creatures and can be extremely difficult to exterminate.
They tend to be rapid breeders and populations can grow quickly under the right conditions. Further, rodent infestations can cause considerable damage to infested buildings and local agriculture. These pests are also known carriers of many diseases that can infect humans.
Witnessing droppings, fresh gnawing and tracks are indicators of rodent activity. To achieve effective mouse control involves proper sanitation, mouse proof construction and population reduction. When a mouse infestation exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping and poisoning.
Mice can survive in very small areas with limited amounts of food and shelter. Unfortunately, no matter how good sanitation is maintained, most buildings where food is stored, handled or used will sustain house mice if not mouse-proofed. Having good sanitation is unlikely to eliminate mice, however poor sanitation is sure to attract them and will permit them to thrive in greater numbers.
Having good sanitation will reduce accessible food and shelter for existing mice and in turn make baits and traps more effective. Further, to establish mouse proof construction you have to eliminate all openings preventing them from entering your home.
All places where food is stored, processed or used should be made mouse-proof. Dried grain and meat products should be stored in glass jars, metal canisters or other resealable airtight containers. Be sure to seal any openings larger than 1/4 inch to exclude mice.
Steel wool mixed with caulking compound makes a good plug. Patching material needs to be smooth on the surface to prevent mice from pulling out or chewing through the patching compound. Also, seal cracks and openings in building foundations and openings for water pipes, vents, and utilities with metal or concrete.
Doors, windows, and screens should fit tightly. It is recommended to cover the edges with metal to prevent gnawing. When only a few mice are present in a building, trapping is an effective control method. Trapping has several advantages, it does not rely primarily on hazardous poisons, it allows the user to make sure that the mouse has been killed and it allows for disposal of the mouse carcasses, therefore avoiding dead mouse odors that may occur when poisoning is done within buildings.
Bait your traps with peanut butter, chocolate candy, dried fruit or a small piece of bacon tied securely to the trigger. Set them so that the trigger is sensitive and will spring easily. A good area to place them are close to walls, behind objects, in dark corners and in places where evidence of mouse activity is seen.
Mice usually travel close to the walls; place them so that mice will pass directly over the triggers. Traps can be set on ledges or on top of pallets of stored materials if mice are active in such locations. Mice seldom venture far from their shelter and food supply, so place traps no more than 10 feet apart in areas where mice are active.
Another form of traps is glue boards. Glue boards catch and hold mice attempting to cross them in much the same way flypaper catches flies. Place glue boards along walls where mice travel. Placing glue boards side by side will be more effective than placing them individually.
Be aware not to use them where children, pets or desirable wildlife can contact them. Glue boards lose their effectiveness in dusty areas unless covered and extremes of temperature also may affect the tackiness of the glue.
Glue boards are sometimes used to catch a mouse that is wary of snap traps. Another option available is poison baits, otherwise known as rodenticides. Rodenticides are poisons that kill rodents. They are usually found in hardware stores, feed stores, discount stores, garden centers and other places where pesticides are sold.
Securing any openings within your home is the most effective method of control. Rodent baits should be used only to supplement these methods. If there is a repeated need to use baits, it is likely that sanitation and mouse-proofing should be improved. Lastly when disposing of dead rodents or when cleaning items contaminated by rodents, be sure to wear intact rubber or plastic gloves.
Put the dead rodent in a plastic bag; the bag should be placed in a second bag and tightly sealed. Dispose of rodents in trash containers with tight-fitting lids. After handling rodents, resetting traps and cleaning contaminated objects, thoroughly wash gloved hands in a general household disinfectant or in soap and warm water. Then remove gloves and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water.
When all else fails, be sure to call a pest control professional. We at Positive Pest Control will eradicate your pest problem safely and efficiently.
