The battle with mice in The Woodlands is real. When you start to have trouble, you may throw everything but the kitchen sink at those tiny rodents with no success. Why is it so hard to get rid of mice, and why is it so hard to keep them away? There are primarily two reasons. First, mice are extraordinary animals with skills and adaptive abilities that allow them to avoid danger and get around treated areas. The second reason has to do with mouse treatments. Residents use all kinds of things to get rid of mice or to keep them out. Many of the methods and concoctions used don't have any impact on mice. But, even when effective products are applied, they can fail for a lack of knowledge. Join us as we look at how to detect a mouse infestation, why mice don't go away on their own, and some of the ways effective rodent pest control in The Woodlands can fail. 

How To Identify A Mouse Infestation In Your Home

Before we discuss how to control mice, we must first talk about how to find them. Detection is not only important for determining that you have a mouse problem but also to know when they're gone. Mice can live in your home without making any detectible noises. If your mouse control falls short, an inspection will help you prevent those rodents from continuing to make you sick and damage your property. Don't wait for mice to make noises in your walls. Go looking for them. Here are some suggestions.

Mice In Kitchens

You can expect to find evidence of mice in your kitchen. Mice love kitchens. There are a few quick and easy ways to check for mice. Look under your kitchen sink. It is common for mice to explore this dark and humid space inside homes. If mice are active, you should see black droppings. You may also find droppings in the backs of your kitchen drawers. Unfortunately, the places mice hide in your kitchen aren't usually this easy to check. It's hard work to examine places where mice might hide in your kitchen but it is worth the effort. Pull your oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator out of their sockets and inspect the walls behind. If you have a mouse infestation, you will find a tiny hole, grease marks on baseboards, and black droppings. Clean the areas so you can check later to see if the activity continues. Since you're doing this hard work, go one step further and patch that hole while you're at it.

Mice In Pantries

You can expect mice to leave the same evidence in your pantries. Look for holes, grease marks, and black droppings. Along with these signs, you may also find footprints on shelves, holes in food packages, tiny hairs on surfaces, or you may detect the scent of urine.

Mice In Attics

Your attic is a secluded and warm location for mice to live. If mice are living in your attic, you'll find evidence. Look for black droppings on your insulation. Use a flashlight to explore gaps and recesses for nests. Inspect stored furniture and cardboard boxes for holes, grease marks, and urine odor.

Mice Around Your Home

Inspect every void that is accessible. Opening a panel in a wall and examining hidden places can reveal lots of evidence. You may even see a mouse.

There are more ways to detect mice, but you get the idea. Mice roam in dark areas, go in and out of wall voids, and squeeze into tight spaces. You need to roll your sleeves up and work hard to detect mice before and after you attempt to get rid of them.

Why Mice Won't Go Away On Their Own

Whether you see, hear, or smell an obvious sign of a mouse infestation, or you go looking for evidence and find it, it is critical to understand what the mice are doing in your home. Mice aren't just passing through. They get inside structures and make babies—lots of babies. A female mouse can create 20 to 60 offspring in a year. Out of all those babies, more females will emerge, each with the same ability. If food resources allow, you can have a house filled with mice in less than a year.

Once established in your home, house mice aren't going anywhere. They do well in structures and prefer your wall voids to open spaces outdoors. If they continue to find food, they'll continue to live with you. So, all you have to do is get rid of the food, right? If only it were that simple! Daily life in most homes is busy, and there are activities we all do that provide food for mice. Some we do without realizing it. During food prep and meal creation, food debris, oils, grease, and other things can fall to the floor or in hidden places. Mice will target unprotected food in your pantry or kitchen cabinets. Trash can supply a meal. An apple in a wastepaper bin is more than enough food for a mouse. Crumbs in your couch, a candy wrapper left under the couch by a child, and a dirty plate on a coffee table may all provide a mouse with a meal. It is hard to keep mice from finding food in your home.

Why Mouse Traps Aren't Enough To Get Rid Of An Infestation

Now that you understand a few important facts about why mice don't want to live elsewhere and how they reproduce quickly, it is time to talk about mouse control. Inevitably, you'll turn to mouse control to solve your problem. You may attempt to do it yourself or contact a licensed professional. The go-to method for getting rid of mice is mouse traps. But there are many ways mouse traps can let you down.

Catching mice is not easy. A mouse-trapping program requires strategic placement, appropriate baiting, and an evaluation of the trapping program. Without training, residents in The Woodlands have varying results. Some people don't catch a single mouse. They find unsprung traps with bait completely removed or sprung traps with no mouse inside. In some cases, they find traps unsprung and bait untouched. These are not the worst outcomes of a DIY trapping program. Catching a mouse or two—and thinking your mouse problem is solved—is the worst result.

When addressing a mouse problem, you need to use other methods. We mentioned above that using a foam sealant for mice is a good way to deter their activity. You may also use glue traps for mice to monitor activity. If you are able and willing to do the hard work and apply a multi-pronged solution, you can solve your mouse problem. But laying traps down will not likely solve your problem on its own.

The Most Effective Way To Get Rid Of Mice For Good

A licensed pest management professional can do the hard work of rodent control for you. But more than this, a professional brings training and experience to the table. It isn't easy to keep mice away or to get them out of your home once they've gotten inside. 

• Professionals perform an inspection to locate mouse activity and evaluate conducive conditions, such as indoor and outdoor food sources, moisture, rotted wood, foundation cracks, and hiding places.
• Professionals create a treatment plan based on their findings. The plan will take into consideration where mice are nesting, what routes they're taking, and what treatment methods will work best.
• During your treatments, your technician will use skills and training to tackle hard tasks, such as exclusion work, setting traps, and applying other rodent-monitoring products.
• Professionals use caulk, metal flashing, copper mesh, and hardware cloth to seal holes. These products are professional-grade and offer long-lasting results.
• Professionals set and bait traps according to industry protocols that account for the behavior patterns of rodents. Proper deployment of traps ensures the greatest chance of success.  
• After the initial service, your professional will return and perform another inspection, checking traps and other devices and searching for warning signs of continued rodent activity.

Are you in The Woodlands? The service professionals at All-Safe Pest & Termite do all the above to tackle even the most difficult mouse infestations. After service, you won't have to wonder if any mice are still inside your home. You also don't have to worry about keeping mice out of your home. We offer ongoing pest control service. Even our entry-level residential service package provides coverage for rodents. Reach out to us today and ask us about Safe Select Pest Control or Protection Plus Pest & Termite Control. When you have ongoing pest control for your home, you get protection for more than rodents. Your service will stop termites, fire ants, spiders, several common household pests, and more. Our thee-step process uses field-tested methods and trusted products to provide the greatest level of protection between service visits. You're in good hands with the All-Safe Pest & Termite team!

Had my initial setup and install today, and everything went very well! Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Feel so much better after making the switch to All-Safe!!

K. Cloud

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