If you suspect you have mice on your property, time is of the essence as these small rodents multiply quickly and cause costly damage. One of the most common and destructive pests, mice chew through walls, electrical wires, and food containers. Mouse control services from Critter Control will exterminate the entire infestation, restore your property, and protect you from future mouse infestations.
Signs of a Mouse Infestation
A mouse infestation can be tricky to identify because mice prefer to come out at night. Confirming you have mice is the first step towards solving this problem. While you may not see these mice at work, they do leave some definitive signs, including:
- Droppings: Mice leave behind small, dark pellets wherever they travel, such as along walls, in your pantry, on kitchen counters, and under sinks.
- Scurrying Noises: Scratching and squeaking noises coming from your walls or ceilings at night is a sign that mice are busy with their destructive work.
- Gnaw Marks: Mice have incisors that grow continuously throughout their lives. They gnaw through wood, wires, cardboard, plastic, and even metal at times to not only get to food but also to maintain their teeth.
- Odd Pet Behavior: Cats and dogs will stare at a wall, paw under a refrigerator, or even bark when they sense mice are present.
- Smudge Marks: When mice travel along baseboards or walls, they often leave dark smudge marks of dirt and oil along their path.
- Foul Odor: When the urine of mice begins to accumulate, you might be aware of an ammonia smell.
If you’re experiencing any of these signs, a Critter Control inspection will confirm the infestation and the extent of any damage. Then, you will be presented with a custom pest control solution.
How Critter Control Gets Rid of Mice
Mice are difficult to get rid of on one’s own, and it takes a professional to ensure that the entire infestation is gone. Any DIY process might ease the problem, but because of the speed at which mice reproduce, their numbers will grow again quickly.
Depending on the severity of the problem and the location of the nests, Critter Control puts together a custom mouse control plan of trapping and checking until all of the mice are gone. The process can take between one to two weeks to complete. Critter Control then sanitizes the infested areas and proposes exclusionary tactics such as sealing all gaps around windows, doors, and the foundation to lessen the chances of any future infestation.
Home Inspection for Mice
Critter Control has over 40 years of experience in assessing and ridding homes and commercial buildings of mice. The specialist who arrives at your door will conduct a full interior and exterior inspection to find nests, entry points, and damage. Then, you’ll be provided with an evaluation of the locations and severity of the infestation.
Mouse Traps & Mice Removal
Once the inspection is complete, the Critter Control specialist will create a custom plan for trap placement, bait usage, and mouse removal. All methods used align with Critter Control’s commitment to humane mouse pest control.
Mouse Control: Exclusion & Habitat Modification
Mouse exclusion, one of the best ways to prevent mice from entering your home, is our preferred method for eco-friendly mouse control. Exclusions eliminate their ability to gain access. Habitat modification is the process of making your property less attractive to nuisance wildlife and e
Critter Control will identify exclusion and habitat modification tactics specific to your property, and specialists are fully trained to conduct work, such as sealing gaps and covering vents and chimneys. Homeowners can play a vital role as well.
To best protect your property from mice in the future:
- Repair all gaps around windows and doors as well as around pipes, vents, and cables.
- Fix cracks in your foundation.
- Trim vegetation close to your home that can act as a bridge for rodents to access your house.
- Fix all leaky faucets in your home and eliminate outdoor standing water.
- Clear your property of excess brush and debris to eliminate outdoor hiding places and nesting areas.
- Keep your home clean and free of crumbs.
- Store food in tightly sealed plastic containers.
- Keep trash cans tightly sealed.
- Reduce clutter and cardboard in storage areas such as your garage, attic, and basement.
- Schedule an annual Critter Control inspection.
Mouse Control Maintenance Plans
Long-lasting mouse control by Critter Control will provide you with assurance that your home is free of mice that not only cause costly damage but also expose you and your family to health issues that range from parasites such as fleas and ticks to diseases like hantavirus and leptospirosis, among others.
Mice have lived side-by-side with humans for thousands of years. They are not intimidated by our presence. Let Critter Control be your partner in keeping your home pest-free by returning to your home periodically to check on exclusion methods installed, make adjustments, and add any pest control for mice that may be necessary.
Critter Control’s dedication to humane and effective mouse control services and customer guarantee can provide you with the peace of mind you deserve.
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The most common mice in the U.S. include:
- Deer Mouse
- White-Footed Mouse
- House Mouse
The house mouse is the most common in populated areas. These creatures are small, slender rodents with large ears, sensitive noses, and small eyes. Their fur is typically dusty brown or dull gray on top, with lighter shades along the chin and stomach. Rodents have hairless tails that are long and scaly, and their feet are well-equipped for grasping, burrowing, and climbing. What they lack in eyesight, they make up for with their other senses and continually explore their environments to memorize the locations of food sources, hazards, safe hideaways, and escape routes.
Any areas with sufficient food sources and hiding places make good habitats for clever and adaptable house mice. Capable of living in a wide range of climates, they are commonly found in farms, houses, and businesses. House mice have been found in corn fields, fast-food restaurants, the open arctic tundra, and underground coal mines over 1,800 feet below the surface of the earth. In the wild, house mice tend to burrow underground, while in human habitations, they often reside in walls, furniture, or appliances. Their nests are made of shredded fibers, paper, or cloth and are constructed in dark, sheltered locations where people seldom go.
Yes, house mice are one of the most common types of infestations, as they are always ready to take advantage of the food, water, and safe shelter your home or commercial building provides. Throughout the warmer seasons, they scamper through the bushes in your yard, but they most often look for a warm place to nest as the weather turns colder in fall. Since they can squeeze through a gap as small as a dime, almost every home and business is vulnerable.
The EPA estimates that mice cause $20 billion annually in damages to homes, businesses, and farms.
- Structural Damage: Mice will gnaw on wood, insulation, drywall, and electrical wiring. This can cause an electrical fire as well as damage to the structural integrity of the building if the infestation is severe.
- Food Loss: Mice contaminate food with their urine and droppings, causing a financial loss when it needs to be replaced.
- Damage to Possessions: Mice will gnaw on furniture, cardboard containers, and personal belongings to build their nests. If you have keepsakes, heirlooms, or other personal items stored in your basement or attic, their replacement might not only be expensive but impossible.
- Reputation Loss: If you own or run a business such as a restaurant, hotel, or retail establishment, a mouse infestation could irrevocably harm your business’ reputation.
Through coming into contact with their urine, feces, and hair, several serious diseases can be contracted, including hantavirus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and even plague.
Mouse-proofing homes can be extremely difficult, as the rodents are small and dexterous. The best way to prevent mice from entering is to secure food in rodent-proof containers, seal up obvious gaps and cracks along building exteriors, and maintain a sanitary household or business area. Since mice reproduce year-round, populations can grow quickly if not controlled or eliminated. Your Critter Control specialist will be able to identify where and how your property is vulnerable to a mouse infestation and can put exclusion tactics and habitat modification techniques in place.
DIY mouse control works to a certain extent. It will lessen the infestation, but there are some issues to be addressed.
- Any bait or rodenticide used needs to be placed cautiously, as there are risks to people, pets, and/or customers.
- Baits and rodenticides often leave mice dying within your walls, creating a terrible stench that will last for weeks.
- It is nearly impossible to gauge if the infestation has been thoroughly removed. Even one or two mice left in your home or business can quickly grow back to a full-blown infestation again.
- DIY measures do not adequately address the long-term exclusion methods needed for adequate future prevention.
Snap-style mouse traps, multiple-catch treadle door traps, and glue boards can be effective methods you can use to catch mice. However, glue boards are inhumane as they leave the mice to suffer a slow death. Not only do Critter Control specialists have up-to-date tools and extensive knowledge regarding mouse behavior, but they are also educated in humane methods of house mouse removal that keep you, the homeowner, safe.
Pest control experts use a holistic approach to getting rid of mice that includes assessment, removal, exclusion, and restoration. This thorough approach ensures the entire infestation is gone, the infested areas have been restored, and a program is put in place to help prevent an infestation from occurring again.
- How to Get Rid of Mice
- Where Do Mice Hide?
- How to Catch a Mouse
- Dead Mice Removal
- How to Identify Mouse Nest
- Mice in the House
- Mice in Attic Removal
- Mice in Pantry
- Mice in Crawl Space Removal
- Mice in the Walls
- Mice in Yard
- Mice Problems
- Mouse Poop & Droppings
- Mouse Noises
- Mouse Tracks
- Mouse Traps & Bait