3 Things You Must Do When You Have A Mice Problem
Have you recently been seeing mice in or around your home? Do you want to get rid of these rodents before the infestation gets out of control? Even though people often think mice are cuter than rats, mice can carry at least as many diseases as their rodent cousins. They can also be every bit as destructive as rats and can be even harder to get rid of, though the task isn't impossible. To have the best chance at eliminating your mice issues, here are some steps that you should be undertaking as soon as possible:
Call in a professional: The first step to any successful mice control effort should be to call in a professional to assess the situation. He or she will be able to tell you whether you're facing just one type of mouse or if there are multiple species. This is important because different mice species can be different enough in diet and habits that efforts to eliminate one may have little to no effect on another type. In addition, regional populations can sometimes vary in diet enough to make things difficult. For instance, field mice often go absolutely nuts for peanut butter, but some populations may be totally unenthusiastic about it. A professional will know what is most likely to work and what isn't likely to work in your area.
Avoid live traps: Using live traps for mice control is often touted as a safer and more humane method of control than traps that kill the mouse immediately. Unfortunately, mice are smart. Unless you release a mouse many miles away, it's possible for that mouse to find its way back to your home, and all your efforts will have been for nothing. If you are able to transport the mouse far enough away that it won't be able to find your home, it will also have trouble locating food, water, and shelter. It will almost certainly succumb to predators or slowly die of exposure. A quick and clean death would be more humane under these circumstances.
Repackage food: Mice can chew through almost anything, given enough time. Cardboard boxes are no barrier, nor are things like plastic or mylar bags. In order to keep your food safe, consider keeping things like cereal in the fridge instead of out on the counter. Put pasta, sugar, and other similar items into some sturdy glass or metal jars with good lids. Plastic containers are usually not advisable because mice have teeth and jaws that may be able to gnaw through the material. By cutting off easy access to food, you'll make your other mice control efforts more effective.
Call a mice control and removal team to get assistance with your mice problem today.