Thoms Pest Services Blog

Are Mouse Traps Enough for a Rodent Problem?

Written by Admin | Jan 31, 2013 5:00:00 AM

Are you setting mouse traps and catching mice or not catching mice at all? Sometimes mouse traps are not enough to eliminate mouse populations in your home. In most cases where is there is one mouse, there are more mice.

How do you tell if you have a mouse problem?

  • Mouse Droppings: Mouse feces are approximately the size of a grain of rice, dark and pointed at both ends.
  • Noises: Rats and mice can be surprisingly loud. Sometimes they can scratch, but if you hear fast running, particularly if it goes up and down walls, then you've got rats or mice!
  • Gnaw Marks: Mice gnaw to maintain their teeth length by gnawing on your structure or wiring creating a fire hazard.
  • Entry Points: Mice seek shelter in our structures during the colder winter. Mice get inside through holes and cracks the size of a dime! Looking around pipes and electrical wires is a great place to start!

 

Why do mouse traps not always work?

Mice are smart. Mice have a keen sense of smell and may be repelled and avoid traps if they smell a human odor or dead mouse smell.

 

Mousetraps are not placed in the correct areas. Setting mouse traps takes precision and thought. Placing mouse traps in mice runaways along walls (where they feel secure) is much more effective than placing in an open room.

 

There are not enough traps for the infestation. Setting a few mouse traps may certainly catch mice, but that is if the traps are placed in the right areas and enough of them. Mice are prolific breeders. A female house mice can give birth when they are only two months old, and they are able to have to up to a dozen babies every three weeks.

 

You are not a professional. The average homeowner does not have the knowledge of a Clifton Park pest professional who understand mice behaviors and mice habitat. Understanding mice is important in controlling a rodent problem, as mice are extremely clever and can quickly outsmart homeowners.

 

Advantages to rodent bait stations

  • Effective control of large populations when trapping would be impractical.
  • Using weather-resistant baits in tamper-resistant bait stations provides long-term control.
  • Bait stations provide a protected and enclosed place where rodents feel more secure.
  • Rodent can be picky and will not eat spoiled food. Bait stations keep rodenticides fresh and palatable.
  • Bait stations are secured so a child or animal cannot move, shake or open them.
  • They may be better accepted by rats allowing them to gnaw on something.

 

Mice infestations, no matter how small or large, are not a do-it-yourself fix, simply because they are difficult to catch and they are so unsanitary that a professional pest control company should be the only ones handling them.

 

Mice infestations no matter the size should seize attention. rodents are inside your home, they spread disease, leaving droppings and urine behind, while destroying your home and putting your health at risk. It is important to prevent rodent infestations before they start or at the first signs of a mouse in the house. Rodent removal is serious and Thomas Pest Services is licensed in getting rid of rodents, contact us via phone at 1-877-518-2847, via the web for a free estimate, or on Facebook!