Mice and rats can pose some of the most difficult pest control problems for homeowners. They can squeeze themselves through extremely tiny spaces and wreak havoc everywhere they go.
At ABC Home & Commercial Services, we have years of experience eliminating and preventing rodent problems in homes or businesses. Here are some tips from our extermination experts on how to get rid of rodents.
Seal up entry points.
By closing off entry points to your home, you can prevent rodents who live outdoors from sneaking inside. Mice and rats can flatten and contort their bodies to fit through spaces that seem like they would be too small. To test whether or not a mouse can squeeze through an opening, see if you can fit a pencil inside. It the pencil fits, the mouse can too. Seal up cracks and holes in the foundation, walls, and molding.
Seal up food.
Mice and rats can chew through plastic packaging easily and turn your favorite snack in the pantry into theirs. If you see evidence of rodents, invest in some airtight food storage canisters. Seal up any dry goods and put all produce and dairy straight inside the fridge.
Don’t forget to seal up pet food too! This will force the mice or rats to look for another food source, and may help you with drawing them to bait in traps.
Set mouse traps.
Traps are one of the most effective methods of mouse and rat extermination. Start with classic wooden snap traps. If those don’t seem to help, you can vary different types of traps, such as bait traps, glue traps, or live-capture traps. Don’t underestimate the number of traps you may need. It can take dozens of traps to capture just one mouse or rat.
Use the right bait.
If you put out food that the rodents don’t really want, it will be impossible to trap them. Try removing their old food source from its original location and using whatever they were eating as bait. Peanut butter, chocolate, or bacon are also favorite rodent treats.
Place mouse traps carefully.
Stick to the areas in your home where you know you have seen rodents or evidence of them when you place your traps. Make sure you place the mouse traps in a way that makes it more likely for rodents to run across them. Align multiple traps in a row, perpendicular to the wall with the rigged section against the baseboard. Mice and rats are more likely to travel along the walls than across an open room.
Still wondering how to get rid of rodents? Call ABC!
If you have tried everything on this list but the rodents persist, put your trust in ABC Home & Commercial Services. We can give you the professional help you need to get rid of mice or rats once and for all.
For pest infestations in your home, count on ABC Home & Commercial Services. We have your summer pest solutions.
