If you’ve ever heard scratching in your walls, found mouse droppings in the kitchen, or discovered that something has been chewing through your food packages, you’re not alone. House mice are one of the most common pest problems homeowners deal with, especially here in Western New York.
As temperatures begin to drop in the fall, mice start looking for warm, protected places to live. Your home can provide everything they need: warmth, food, water and shelter.
The good news is that there are several things homeowners can do to make their property less attractive to mice. And when an infestation does occur, professional mouse control and rodent control can help identify the problem, reduce the population and address the conditions allowing mice to get inside.
A New Concern for Mouse Control in the Northeast
A recent study from Rutgers University highlights another challenge facing pest control professionals.
Researchers examined house mice and Norway rats collected from urban areas in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. The researchers found that 84% of the house mice tested carried at least one genetic mutation associated with resistance to commonly used anticoagulant rodenticides, while approximately 69% carried mutations known to be associated with resistance.
That doesn’t mean mouse bait doesn’t work.
It does mean that professional rodent control cannot always be as simple as putting out the same bait and expecting the same result every time.
At GB Pest Solutions, we believe effective mouse control starts with looking at the entire situation.
Where are the mice getting inside?
What is attracting them?
Where are they traveling?
Are there food or water sources available?
How much mouse activity is present?
And what control method is appropriate for that particular situation?
Mouse Prevention Starts Outside Your Home!
One of the best ways to deal with mice is to prevent them from getting inside in the first place.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends an Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, approach that focuses on reducing food and water sources, eliminating harborage areas and sealing potential entry points.
1. Seal Small Holes and Gaps
Mice don’t need a large opening to enter a home. Openings around pipes, utility lines, vents, foundations, doors and other areas can provide access.
The EPA notes that mice can squeeze through openings around ¼ inch in size.
Pay particular attention to:
- Gaps around plumbing and electrical lines
- Openings around exterior doors
- Garage door gaps
- Foundation cracks
- Areas around HVAC lines
- Crawlspace entrances
- Gaps around vents
- Openings where utilities enter the house
- Damaged screens or vent covers
- Spaces underneath doors
When sealing openings, use materials appropriate for rodent exclusion. Mice can chew through many softer materials, so simply filling a hole with exposed spray foam isn’t always enough.
2. Don’t Give Mice an Easy Food Source
Mice are extremely opportunistic when it comes to food.
Keep food stored in sealed containers and clean up crumbs and spills. Don’t forget about pet food, bird seed and other food sources that may be stored in garages, barns, sheds or basements.
Outdoor bird feeding can also contribute to rodent activity around a home. The EPA recommends reducing available food sources around the property when dealing with an active rodent infestation.
3. Reduce Outdoor Harborage
Look around the exterior of your home for areas where mice can hide.
Piles of leaves, firewood, clutter, deep mulch and other materials near the foundation can provide shelter for rodents.
Keep firewood elevated and, when possible, away from the house. Keep vegetation and unnecessary clutter around the foundation to a minimum.
The goal isn’t to make your property completely mouse-proof overnight. It’s to reduce the number of places where mice can find food, shelter and protection.
4. Check Your Garage and Outbuildings
Garages, sheds, barns and other outbuildings are often overlooked when homeowners are trying to prevent mice.
Boxes, stored equipment, bird seed, animal feed and other materials can provide mice with excellent nesting areas.
If mice establish themselves in these areas, they may eventually find their way into the home.
What If You Already Have Mice?
If you’re already seeing mice or finding droppings, prevention alone may not be enough. Once mice have established themselves inside a structure, the goal becomes population reduction combined with exclusion and sanitation.
Depending on the situation, professional pest control may involve monitoring, trapping, baiting, exclusion recommendations or a combination of these methods. The EPA recognizes trapping and rodenticide baiting as potential tools for controlling established mouse infestations, while emphasizing that bait products must be used according to their labels and placed where children and pets cannot access them.
The Mouse Bait We Use
At GB Pest Solutions, we use professional rodent control products as part of an overall management program.
Two of the products we utilize for rodent control are FirstStrike Soft Bait and J.T. Eaton Apple Bait Blocks.
FirstStrike contains the anticoagulant active ingredient difethialone and is a professional-use rodenticide. J.T. Eaton Apple Bait Blocks contain diphacinone, another anticoagulant rodenticide.
These products have different formulations and active ingredients, which gives a professional pest management company options when developing a control strategy.
However, the recent Rutgers research is an important reminder that rodenticide resistance is a real consideration in Northeast house mouse populations. Researchers concluded that different types of rodenticides should be alternated when appropriate and that integrated pest management strategies should be emphasized. That’s one reason we don’t believe effective mouse control should simply mean putting bait down and walking away!
Why We Prefer Snap Traps Vs Rodenticide for Indoor Use
We generally do not recommend using rodent bait inside homes for mouse control. When a mouse consumes bait, it can potentially die in an inaccessible location such as inside a wall, ceiling, crawl space, or around plumbing and utilities. This can lead to unpleasant odors and create an additional problem for the homeowner when the carcass cannot be located or removed.
For indoor mouse control, we prefer using high-quality snap traps whenever appropriate. We may recommend and install tin cats (multi catch trap) for commercial buildings. When a mouse is caught, the trap can be safely removed, the mouse can be disposed of in the garbage, and the trap can be reset and replaced. This allows us to directly monitor the results of treatment without leaving hidden mouse carcasses behind. For homeowners dealing with mice in the house, mouse infestations, or signs of rodents indoors, targeted trapping is an important part of an effective and responsible pest control strategy.
Why Professional Mouse Control is Different
Finding a few mouse droppings doesn’t necessarily tell you how large the problem is. Mice can spend much of their time inside wall voids, attics, basements, crawlspaces and other hidden areas. You may not see the mice themselves even when activity is occurring inside your home.
A professional mouse control service can help identify:
- Where mice are traveling
- Where they may be entering
- Areas showing signs of activity
- Potential food sources
- Nesting areas
- Conditions around the property that may contribute to the problem
- Appropriate control methods for the situation
The goal isn’t just to eliminate the mice that are currently inside. The goal is to make your home less attractive and less accessible to mice in the first place.
Don’t Wait Until You Have a Mouse Problem
Fall is an especially important time to start thinking about mouse prevention.
As temperatures fall, mice begin searching for protected locations where they can survive the winter. If your home has an accessible entry point, they may find it.
Taking a little time now to inspect the outside of your home can save you a lot of frustration later.
Walk around the foundation.
Check underneath doors.
Look around utility penetrations.
Inspect garage doors.
Look for gaps around pipes and vents.
Clean up clutter around the foundation.
Store food and animal feed properly.
If you are already seeing signs of mice, don’t ignore them. A couple of mouse droppings today can turn into a much bigger problem later.
Local Mouse Control You Can Trust!
If you’re dealing with mice in your house, mouse droppings, scratching sounds, or other signs of rodent activity, GB Pest Solutions can help.
We’re a local, family-owned pest control company serving homeowners throughout Western New York. Our approach is focused on identifying the source of the problem and developing a practical pest management plan rather than simply treating the symptoms.
We offer mouse control and rodent control services for residential properties and can help identify potential entry points and conditions contributing to rodent activity.
By choosing GB Pest Solutions, you will receive a professional pest control service designed to help protect your home from seasonal invaders before they become a problem. Since 2018, We’ve been proudly serving homeowners throughout Genesee County and Monroe County, including:
- Batavia
- Bergen
- Byron
- Chili
- Churchville
- Brockport
- Spencerport
- Hamlin
- Hilton
- LeRoy
- Stafford
- Caledonia
- Elba
- Oakfield
- Holley
- Other Locations may be available
The best mouse control strategy is a combination of prevention, exclusion, sanitation, monitoring and appropriate control methods. You don’t have to wait until you’re hearing mice scratching in the walls to do something about them. A little prevention now can go a long way toward keeping mice outside where they belong.
GB Pest Solutions — Local. Family Owned. Customer Service First.
Contact us today to schedule an inspection or treatment and enjoy your outdoor spaces safely this season!
585-330-8816