The sight of mice and rats in one’s house can be both unpleasant and outrightly embarrassing. Mice and rats are associated with poor hygiene, rot and a state of negligence. But this isn’t always the case. Mice and rats can also infest a very well furnished and maintained home. This is mostly common during winter or the cold seasons when these rodents are forced to look for warmer shelters. Nevertheless, these pests remain to be a nuisance and a health hazard, especially in large numbers in this case call mice control immediately. However, dealing with these rodents is manageable considering the following pointers;
Develop a habit of keeping food in sealed containers.
Rats and mice are well known for their uncanny ability to destroy tons of food within a short time. They also have a habit of going back to the same food spot over and over again until it’s exhausted. By putting your foodstuff in sealed containers, you in the process cut off their daily supply. Sooner or later they will be forced to look for other sources.
Seal off all possible entry points to the house.
Conduct a thorough search of all entries that the mice use to move and out of your house. Most likely you will encounter holes and crevices. Seal these using balls of steel wool to discourage them from chewing the newly set barricades off. If you live in a brick or stone house, patches of plaster or mortar will usually come in handy in keeping these rodents at bay.
For added efficiency, get rid of all nesting areas in the house that rats tend to infest. Such include unused cardboard boxes, drawers, trash etc. By eliminating these hiding places, the rodents are forced to look for other places, thereby driving them out of the house.
While at it, make sure they are no tree branches touching the roof or the walls. Mice have been known to gain entrance to houses by climbing off twigs right into the attics.
Learn how to use mice traps effectively.
If you plan to use traps to control mice, place them unbaited near some of their common hiding areas. This way, they slowly get used to seeing the traps so that when you decide to place the baits they get trapped unsuspectingly. Peanut butter and chocolate blocks are some of the most effective baits for luring in such cases.
Also don’t place poison baits next to the mice hiding places lest they shy away from them. Place them considerably a little further away from their suspected hiding areas to draw them out.
Rats and mice are habitual creatures, once you’ve learned their habits then eliminating them becomes quite easy. Usually, the key to any effective rodent control routine management practice is to always be on the lookout for signs of infestation. After that, make a point of acting swiftly before the rats have a chance of multiplying and colonizing your home. As long as the rodent population is kept in check, the damages or nuisance caused will also be at its minimum.