As fall and winter arrive you may find yourself staying indoors more often and bundling up to stay warm. Unfortunately, you're not the only one who is looking for warmth during these cold times.
Animals are affected by the change in weather too, and not all of them can survive the harsh winters and the changing conditions. The wintery weather may hinder their eating conditions or even freeze them. So as you sit in your nice warm heated home, the animals are searching for their own warm shelter and are looking for any possible way to sneak in to yours.
Unless you want to open your doors to the wilderness and run your home as a wildlife hotel, then you should immediately start sealing up your home and pest-proofing it.
Who Might Come Knocking
There are many critters living in your backyard. We share this land with the animals, but we like to keep our homes our own private property. In Georgia you are likely to have a vast array of bugs, wildlife, and other pests cohabiting in your backyard.
You might look out your window and see birds, squirrels, and bugs. Though they are beautiful and organic, we would like to keep them in their natural habitats, which is never indoors.
Signs of a Mouse Infestation
Mice are cute, small, and fluffy, an infestation is a serious problem and should not be taken lightly. If you notice any of these signs in your home you may have a mouse infestation:
⢠Droppings: All living things have to get rid of waste somehow. Mice have very noticeable droppings that are a sure sign that you have a mouse infestation. Mouse droppings are small and pellet shaped with pointed ends. Larger droppings will indicate more mature mice, and smaller droppings will indicate more juvenile mice.
⢠Gnaw and Rub Markings: Mice and other rodents love to chew on things. From furniture to wires, there's nothing they won't chew on. You may also notice small scratch marks or oily rub marks where mice have been adventuring.
⢠Sounds: If you're hearing any scurrying or scratching around in the walls, pipes, or other foundation you may have a rodent or mice infestation. Most rodents are nocturnal so you will often hear them more than see them.
⢠Urine Odor: If you've been noticing a foul musky odor it could mean that you just need to shower, but it might also mean that you have an infestation of mice. The larger the infestation the more pungent the urine smell.
You may also notice stains, nests, and strange behavior from your pests if you have mice in your home.
How Serious a Mouse Infestation Can Be
Yes, they look cute and cuddly, but they can be very dangerous.
Mice love to chew and gnaw on things. If they get in your home they could gnaw through crucial building foundation, boxes of food in your pantry, and wires. Chewing on wires can lead to electrical fires that could burn down your home.
Mice also carry a variety of diseases and other bacteria. Even their excrement and dander can trigger allergies and asthma flare ups.
Mice also reproduce very quickly and can create a problem that hastily gets out of hand.
How to Get Rid of Mice in Your Home
If mice do get in your home, here are the steps you can take to get rid of them.
Find their entry point and seal it.
This is the crucial first step, and it must be done first. Even if you get rid of all the mice, but don't find the entry point, they could still get back in. So make sure you seal up any cracks, crevices, holes, or openings. Mice can fit through an opening as small as a quarter of an inch. You should avoid using any material that mice can gnaw through easily like plastic or rubber.
Give Mouse Traps a Chance.
This might seem medieval, but it can be an effective means of ridding your home of mice. All you need is a little dab of peanut butter, or another mouse favorite, on each trap and they will be eliminated one by one.
Try Bait Stations.
Bait stations are sealed packages that contain meal or pellets. They come in easily penetrable wrapping like plastic, or paper. This allows the mice to chew through and eat the poisonous bait. We do not recommend the use of these dangerous baits as they could poison your loved ones if handled improperly, leave the dangerous products to the professionals.
Take Back Your Yard.
Tidy up your yard by removing debris, trimming back overgrown vegetation, and filling any potential burrowing holes. It is easier to spot rodent activity if your yard is clutter free.
What More You Can Do
The best way to treat any pest problem is to have a pest management professional take care of it. They know how to identify, treat, and prevent future problems for each specific household. A pest management professional will have the right tools and knowledge to make your pest worries a thing of the past. At Breda Pest Management you can expect an all-inclusive Wildlife guarantee that covers you for any damages that pests do to our work.
