Mouse In The House

YOUR GUIDE TO MICE REMOVAL

If you’re struggling to get rid of your mice problem, you can tackle the infestation with traps and bait stations or let the experienced professionals at Evans Pest Control provide extermination.
If you hear scurrying under your furniture or scratching in your walls, or you’ve noticed chew marks on your cereal box or droppings in the corners, you have a rodent infestation on your hands, likely mice. This can be serious, since mice can introduce fleas and lice, contaminate food, damage furniture and books, and create fire hazards by chewing through electrical wiring. You can try to get rid of these pests on your own using old fashion mechanical traps and baits, but that can be difficult. That’s where the professionals at Evans Pest Control can help.
Evans Pest Control uses combinations of mechanical traps and safe chemical baits that are effective but also understands mouse behavior patterns, and Evans uses scientific methods for detection, elimination, and prevention.
To get an estimate from Evans Pest Control for your mouse problem, call (267) 582-2687, or fill out the form below, and we will contact you.

PHILADELPHIA MOUSE EXTERMINATOR

Pest control specialists like the experts at Evans Pest Control seal off entry points, identify the species of mouse, and use mechanical traps and devices or rodent baits, or both, to fully eradicate the mice infestations in homes.

IDENTIFYING MICE

To eliminate the mice in your home, you’ll need the right size trap—a rat trap will not be too good. Looking at their body shape and size will help you tell them apart. Young rats’ heads are larger compared to their bodies, while adult mice have proportionally smaller heads. Both types of rodents chew up wood, but rats leave a much larger bite mark.
There are three different types of mice that tend to make nests in homes: the house mouse, deer mouse, and white-footed mouse. They have different behavioral patterns, so you will have to adjust your pest control technique based upon what you have. Deer mice are the most common mouse in Philadelphia
All three types of mice range in length from about five to seven inches long including their tail, with house mice being a little smaller. House mice are gray or brown with a tail longer than their body. Deer mice are gray/brown or reddish brown with white bellies and feet. Their tails are less than half the length of their bodies. White-footed mice are nearly identical to them but are a little larger. House mice like to live near residential areas and stay close to their nests, rarely venturing far from their nest. Deer mice and white-footed mice travel farther for resources such as food and shelter.

SIGNS YOU HAVE MICE

Spotting just one mouse is no big deal… or is it? Mice are highly social with other mice and live in groups, and breed fast, so you may have many more mice visitors than just the one you noticed. Inspecting for the following signs can help confirm you have a large mice problem in your house.
• Droppings in kitchen cabinets and under appliances
• Scratching sound in the walls
• Scurrying sound under furniture
• Shredded paper found under furniture
• Chew marks on bags of food
• Tiny footprints in dusty areas
• Odors (from mouse droppings, and urine)

HOW TO GET RID OF MICE

There are things you can do to remove and prevent mice infestations. Cats help a lot to keep mice away, but if you do not have a cat, then you can set up mechanical snap traps and baits and follow the steps below to dissuade mice from staying around.

 
SEAL FOOD SOURCES

• Wash dishes immediately after using them.
• Wipe down countertops.
• Enclose all food in airtight containers.
• Sweep the kitchen floor or tile.
• Make sure garbage is secured and taken out regularly.

SEAL POINTS OF ENTRY

Mice are excellent at squeezing into very small cracks - even openings that are just a few centimeters across. Rodent-proofing your home will keep any new mice from entering. Eliminate access points like cracks in foundation and wall openings, especially where the wall meets utility pipes. Be sure to use sealants like caulk and steel wool. Mice can chew through wood, plastic, and other common building materials. You can ensure your door is sealed tightly with metal weather stripping.

DEPENDABLE SNAP TRAPS

Trapping is your best bet for catching and eliminating mice - baits work more slowly and can be dangerous to handle if you’re not a professional. Wooden snap traps can take care of most mice infestations, the dependable mouse trap used for generations.

HOW TO SET UP MOUSE TRAPS

Before you prepare traps, clean your area of food, and food smells. If there are food crumbs around. It is important to make the trap the primary food source.
Next, place a dab of peanut butter or a piece of cheese or chocolate in the trigger plate. Here is a tip - tie a piece of thin string to the trigger to keep the mice from carrying the bait off and not getting trapped.
Next, place the traps. Place them in an area where you suspect there is a lot of mouse traffic, with the trigger against the wall—directly in the mouse’s path. Set traps in areas where there is the most activity, along walls, and behind appliances.
Mice are smart! Mice learn to avoid one type of trap, so you have greater chances of trapping them by using different traps like glue traps, and live catch traps. Refresh the bait every couple of days.
Reuse traps! Reuse the wooden snap trap once you catch a mouse in it. Mice are drawn to the scent of other mice and will be more likely to investigate a trap if another mouse has been there. Remove the dead mouse, bag it up, and place it in an outdoor trash can, and add new bait to the trap and reset it.

LIVE CATCH TRAPS

Live catch mouse traps can capture mice without harming them. The traps are well-ventilated and have spring-loaded doors that close and lock once a mouse enters. Mice enter the trap, get the bait, and trigger the pad. These traps you should check regularly so that you can get the mouse out.

GLUE TRAPS

Glue traps are handy because they can kill multiple mice in one go. Place food in the center of the trap, and place the traps behind furniture, in corners, and against walls. After one mouse gets trapped, more will come to see what’s going on, getting trapped as well.

MORE ADVANCED – BAIT STATIONS

Bait stations may utilize rodenticide in sealed packages, usually in plastic or cellophane. The mice chew through the package, eat the bait, and die. These chemicals can be dangerous to people and pets. Evans Pest Control sells DIY bait stations and are often used by professionals.

HOW TO PREVENT MICE

Making your home less accessible to mice can persuade them to stay outside. Make sure you keep your lawn and shrubs trimmed, so that mice can’t hide in them. Also, keep firewood no closer than 10 feet from your house. Mice like to use these firewood piles as shelter in winter and tend to get into your home from the cover built up close to your house. Evans Pest Control is just a phone call away, so be sure to give us a call and talk to a pest professional about your mouse problem.