Have A Mouse Problem?

Listen, don't be embarrassed. People have been dealing with pests like mice in their homes ever since people started building homes, more or less. If you catch it early, you may be able to head it off with a few well placed traps and some cleaning, and probably some sealing of holes. But once an infestation becomes established, you may just not have access to the kind of tools or knowledge you would need to combat the infestation.

Where to Start?

If you know you have mice but you don't know how big the problem is, start by setting a few traps where you have seen evidence of mice. (Droppings, teeth marks, et cetera.) If you catch one or two and then your traps don't catch anything, you likely didn't have a big infestation. If you keep catching mice regularly, you do have a problem, and you will want to go from there.

You will also want to see how they're getting in. Mice can fit through really small holes, so even if you think it's too small for them, it's best to seal up any holes around pipes, cracks in the foundation, et cetera. There are also a variety of smells that tend to repel mice, you might want to experiment with using those to ward off the areas. Even if you can't close them to your satisfaction, knowing where they are will help the exterminator determine their plan of attack.

What to Know About Exterminators

Different extermination services will have different offerings on how they tackle your infestation problems. In many cases, there will be an initial visit where they don't set traps, but just get an idea of what kind of an infestation you're looking at, and what kind of approach needs to be made.

For controlling mice and other such infestations, they will often (though by no means always) want you to sign a contract for a certain number of visits over a certain number of months. This can add up and be kind of expensive, but it is also to your benefit. Read the contract carefully, of course, but this isn't a bad thing. Mice present hazards, and they take time to deal with. They destroy your food. They can destroy furniture, sometimes even nesting inside of said furniture. They also can chew through wires in the walls of your house, often electrocuting the mouse, but also destroying your wiring and potentially presenting a fire hazard. You want the situation under control and it's often not a one-and-done kind of deal.

If you see mice in your home, contact mice extermination services in your area.