No matter if you’re new to your Maryland home or have been living there for years, it’s never good news when you learn you might have an infestation of mice.
Maybe you found mouse droppings in a bathroom corner or found suspicious nibbles taken from kitchen pantry items, the situation can send chills up your spine because you know where there’s one mouse, there’s usually many more.
When you know you have unwanted, hidden pests lurking about in walls, basements, and other dark places, you want to excavate them as quickly as possible. You might even get some advice from neighbors and local home improvement store personnel.
But DIY mice control can be trickier than you think.
Let’s review some tips and tricks to help you kick these rodents to the curb once and for all.
How to Get Rid of Mice
First of all, there’s a lot of information out there about DIY rodent control.
While you might think you can trust everything you read, when it comes to mice, you don’t want to waste time trying tactics that are just going to delay control and give mice more of a chance to keep breeding and causing issues in your home.
While we live in a time when do-it-yourself is empowering, some DIY projects can be a little more difficult than others -- mice control being one of them. Here are the reasons some rodent control strategies may not be working for you when you attempt them on your own.
Mice Trapping Techniques
Trapping is a pretty common method to get rid of mice. But they don’t make it easy for you to catch them, do they?
You might think if you stick some cheese in a bait trap, they will fall for it. However, not only do touching traps and baits leave your smell on them, making them unattractive to mice, here’s another revelation for you: mice don’t prefer cheese.
You might also be placing your traps incorrectly -- like putting them in the center of rooms or doorways. Mice actually prefer to travel near walls, so your traps won’t catch a mouse.
Finally, one bait or trap isn’t as likely to catch a mouse. What’s better is multiple traps properly placed and baited along a typical mouse’s “route.”
Use Mice Control Products Correctly & Safely
Many mice and rodent control products contain anticoagulants. These can be dangerous for other pets in your home.
If you install a bait station improperly, you could risk your other pets getting into the bait.
Knowing exactly what type of products you're using and how they impact other animals and people in your home is important when you’re trying to get rid of mice.
Address House Entry Points for Rodents
If you catch one mouse, you might pat yourself on the back. But, unfortunately, one mouse caught is usually a sign of more around. Mice tend to travel in family groups. So knowing the degree of infestation you’re dealing with is vital to proper control.
Many times, people neglect one key point of DIY mouse control: sealing entry points.
The mice are getting into your home somehow. If you don't manage these areas, they will keep coming inside. You have to identify points of entry and seal them to stop your infestation from continuing to bring in new unwanted guests.
Act Quickly When You See a Mouse in Your House
So, mice are fast producers. A female mouse can have anywhere from 5 to 12 babies in a litter, and she can have 5 to 10 litters a year. That’s quite a few mice you have to tackle.
On top of that, mice leave droppings and urine that can completely destroy and contaminate an area of your home. They can also carry diseases. Let’s face it, rodents are gross.
This means if you take a misstep in your DIY mice control strategies, you’ve just enabled those critters to continue adding droppings, urine, and baby mice to your home. That means more mice to control. And the cycle continues.
You’re busy with work and family responsibilities. So while your best intentions might be to tackle your mouse problem right away, you may likely not get to it for another week or so. Then you have to learn the best strategies to combat the mice. This learning curve could add more time before you can act.
Get Rid of Mice For Good
You have access to food, water, and a safe, warm shelter for nesting. That’s why mice love your home. They aren’t even picky; it’s not like they’re going to go find a better house to live in. This means they aren’t going to go away by themselves.
We hope these DIY rodent control tips help you tackle your problem. As you review all of this data, the job might seem overwhelming. Or maybe your already full plate is making you dread adding this additional to-do to your list.
Let Natural Green Systems help with your pest control in Central and Southern Maryland. We can identify, repair, and seal cracks and holes mice are using to enter your home with caulk and copper mesh; mice hate copper mesh. We can also find and remove nests and safely and properly set up snap or glue traps or bait stations. We can inspect your home and assess the type of infestation you have, using a variety of strategies to eliminate your mouse problem for good -- fast!
Ready to stop the mouse madness in your Central and Southern Maryland home? Request a free quote today. We’ll review our options together so you can make the best choice for you. Then you can sit back and enjoy your home -- rodent free!
Image Source: mouse eating
