Mice and Children – How to Safely Exterminate Mice

safely exterminate mice-mouse exterminator green bay and appleton wisconsin erdyes pest controlIt comes as no surprise that this time of year mice are looking to come indoors. It’s getting cold and they would like a warm place to rest. However, how safe is it to have a mouse infestation and children in your home together? And next, how do you safely exterminate mice without harming your children or small pets? Let’s start with some basic facts about mice.

Mice can reproduce quickly. You’ve heard it said, “if you see one mouse, you know there are many more.” It’s true, female mice can give birth as early as two months old and are able to have babies at a pace of every 3 weeks. Each female mouse can give birth to typically a dozen babies each time. That’s a whole lot of mice in one year if not properly taken care of.

Mice can carry as many as 200 human pathogens (bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease). Pathogens are spread through touching a mouse that is infected or by breathing in the fumes  from mice urine. Even the smallest amount of mouse urine can trigger allergic reactions. Diseases from mice are also spread through bite wounds and from water or food contaminated by mice waste products and even through bites from fleas and ticks.

It’s easy to see by just these simple facts that mice and children do not mix. So how do we safely exterminate mice and keep our children safe? First off, mouse poison should not be used in your home where there are children and small pets. Poison allows the infected mouse to die in your home. Not only does a dying animal start to smell but mold will also start to grow. This will cause a host of other issues for you. What we do suggest is first find out where the mice are entering into your home. Mice are able to get into a space as small as a dime so be sure to seal all cracks and crevices around your home. Once the areas are sealed it’s time to start exterminating the mice.

We have found that the most effective way to kill the mice that are in your home is by using simple snap traps. Look for common mouse trails in your home (along walls) or where droppings are found to strategically set your snap traps. Once you start to trap the mice, be sure to discard of the mice properly. After the mice have been trapped and exterminated, be sure to cleanup and disinfect your home.

Erdyes Mouse Bait StationThe next thing we suggest is to prevent mouse entry back into your home with bait stations outside. Our bait stations are maintenance free and provide protection year round. Pets and children are not able to get into the bait stations making them safe for your family. Learn more about these bait stations here.

If you are concerned with a mouse infestation and would like to safely exterminate mice, give us a call at 920.455.0373. We are able to inspect your home for FREE, confirm the species of mouse and recommend a course of rodent control treatment to keep your children and pets safe.

7 Tips for Keeping Mice from Entering Your Home-Erdyes-Pest-Control-Wisconsin

7 Tips to Keeping Mice from Entering Your Home

7 Tips for Keeping Mice from Entering Your Home-Erdyes-Pest-Control-WisconsinMost of us prefer not to have mice in our homes and with good reason. Mice can carry many diseases and a mouse infestation could be making you and your family sick. Today’s 7 tips to keeping mice from entering your home will keep you from having a mouse infestation.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and now is the time to plan before fall heads into town to protect your home and family from mice.

Implement these 7 tips to keeping mice from entering your home today.

1) Walk around your home and inspect the outside of your house. Look for any holes or cracks on the exterior of your home. Look where utilities enter into your home and make sure that all holes are sealed with caulk, steel wool or both.

2) Check your vents and chimney openings. Use a fine mesh screen to control mice from entering your home via these routes.

3) Check all window screens to make sure there are no holes. If you find a hole, replace the screen to keep those unwanted critters from making your home theirs.

4) Store firewood away from your home and up off the ground. Stacked firewood is a great place for mice to make homes. You don’t want mice to be by your front door now do you?

5) Dispose of garbage regularly, mice want to eat just like we do so they are always looking to be close to food sources.

6) Store food in airtight containers.

7) Replace or install door sweeps on exterior doors. It takes only a small opening for a mouse to get into your home. Proper door sweeps keep mice from entering through this passage.

Mice reproduce quickly. If you have suspicion that you already have a rodent infestation, but can’t get rid of them, contact Erdye’s for a FREE inspection of your basement, attic or crawlspace – we’ll track down your unwanted guests and come up with a safe, reliable plan to get rid of them.

Mouse in the House? How to Identify Mouse Droppings

Here’s a quick rule of thumb when it comes to mice – if you see one mouse in your house, you probably have an infestation. Why? Because at the rate mice reproduce – a typical female can give birth to a dozen babies every three weeks – that “mouse” doesn’t figure to be singular for very long. An easy way to spot early signs of a mouse infestation is to be on the lookout for mouse droppings.

So infestations can happen quickly, which is why it pays to be vigilant about any possible sign of a problem – because it doesn’t take an actual mouse sighting to know if you’re headed for trouble. To nip a possible infestation in the bud, it helps to know how to identify mouse droppings – and what to do if you find them.

What do mouse droppings look like?

Mouse Droppings
Mouse droppings are generally black and granular in shape, measuring roughly 3 to 6 mm in length. They are about the size of a grain of rice, just black in color.

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