Three Signs That You Have Mice in Your Home, and What to do About it

Do You Have Mice?

This holiday season we hope that all through the house not a creature is stirring not even a mouse. But the reality is winter is here, and those furry little rodents are seeking shelter from the cold.

 

Mice may seem harmless, but they carry diseases such as salmonella, typhus, and rat-bite fever; and if left untreated, will destroy your home and property. As ferocious chewers, mice will chew through your drywall, insulation, and electrical wiring—posing a risk for fire.

Here’s what to look for if you suspect mice are in your home:

Scurrying noises

You’ll hear them at night, since mice are nocturnal. Don’t think it’s the wind or your ears playing tricks on you. Chances are if you hear the scurrying sounds, it’s too late. You’ve got a problem.

Droppings around your house

A tell-tale sign that mice are in your home is the droppings you’ll find in your kitchen cabinets, pantry, boxes, storage containers, bags, and along walls or inside the cushions of furniture.

Signs of damage in the garage, pantry, basement, and attic

Have you noticed holes chewed out of that bag of bird seed in your garage? How about the cereal boxes in the pantry? Be careful to seal up all food, pet food, and garbage, especially the supplies in your garage, basement, and attic. Also, mice will seek out insulation or other materials to build their nests in dark, quiet parts of your home.

Now what? What do you do if signs of mice are in your home?

If you suspect mice are living in your home, first inspect the property to try and find where their entry points are. Do you see holes or cracks in the foundation?

Then, contact a professional pest control company to help you with rodent removal. They will put a plan in action to get rid of your problem and keep your home pest-free. This may involve sealing cracks, weather stripping windows and around the basement foundation, installing door sweeps, and placing screens in vents and chimneys.

Don’t forget to store food in airtight containers and dispose your garbage often. Also, store firewood at least 20 feet away from your home. These are just small ways you can help keep the mice where they belong—off your property.

What do you know about raccoons?

Racoons

The more you know about raccoons, the better prepared you’ll be when it comes to fending them off your property. Did you know they can weigh up to 35 pounds? These nocturnal animals often seek shelter indoors this time of year, and your property presents many opportunities. If left unattended, these varmints will cause damage and spread disease in your home.

Temptations that will lure raccoons

• Trash cans—hose out your trash cans every so often. Tip them upside down to get out excess water. Double bag your trash if you have meat in there and seal it tightly
• Crumbs and food left out on your deck or patio are a surefire way to attract all kinds of wildlife
• Pet food—store it inside the home or in a seal-tight container in the garage
• Any sheltered area—yes, no matter how clean you are, raccoons will nest anywhere. Try shining bright light or creating a noise distraction. The ammonia-scent is another quick and easy deterrent.

Raccoons are omnivores that feed on a variety of food found in and around your home. They will even dig up your lawn in search of beetle grubs, causing damage.Food that raccoons eat include fruits and vegetables, insects, chickens, small mammals, and fish.

Nesting means trouble

Pregnant females will seek out shelter in places that may surprise you. Watch out—they may attack your pets if threatened. Places to check for include: garage, chimney, attic, under decks, any other access point three inches in diameter or larger.

Ways to deter raccoons

• Add a little bleach or ammonia to your trash—the strong odor will keep these critters at bay
• Clean up the areas around your home, including berries that may have fallen from trees on your property.
• Seal your garbage cans tightly
• Cap chimney flumes
• Bring all pet food containers inside, especially at night

Call a professional!

If these simple tips aren’t working for you, never attempt wildlife removal on your own. Leave the trapping and relocation to us. Blue Chip has experience in pest control that uses infrared imaging and cellular monitoring to get the job done right. Call us today for more information!

Cockroach problems?

Get Rid of Cockroaches

Cockroaches are tenacious, disease-spreading pests with quite a few strange survival skills, some of which you’ll be surprised to learn about. When it comes to pest control, don’t underestimate what it takes to rid your home for good of these insects.

Here are a few of their odd behaviors:

Attracted to beer and will eat anything

Watch out, cockroaches are attracted to alcoholic beverages, especially the hops and sugar found in beer. Be sure to clean up well and rinse out beer bottles or cans.

Also, these scavengers will thrive on just about anything, including wallpaper paste, hair, and garbage. Even more unbelievable is that cockroaches can go for as long as six weeks without a meal! At least these scavengers do us a favor by consuming organic waste.

Can live for a week without a head

Cockroaches can live for a week without their heads because they have open circulatory systems, and breathe through spiracles, or holes in their body segments. They eventually die of dehydration, without their mouths to drink, or die from mold.

Cockroaches scurry quickly

It’s hard to believe. But even a baby cockroach the size of a dirt speck can keep up. Cockroaches can run up to three miles per hour, and turn quickly even while in full stride. So act fast!

Call Blue Chip today

What does this mean for pest control? It means cockroaches are difficult to control. To stop an infestation, reach out to a professional pest control company today. You’ll be glad you did. St. Louis-based Blue Chip has you covered.

Removing wildlife from your attic

Getting the Wildlife Out of Your Attic

Watch out—it’s that time of year again when critters begin finding their way into your home. As the weather continues to dip, all kinds of critters will seek shelter in warm and dry places such as your attic.

Be warned, if you happen to see signs of animals living in your attic, you must take action before they create nesting spots and birth their young. Otherwise, they will wreak havoc on your home. Signs include droppings, prints, and damage to your home and insulation. The noise, too, is a dead giveaway.

Blue Chip is always available to help you get this problem under control before you’ve got serious damage on your hands. If you prefer to try doing it yourself, here are a few ideas you can try.

Set up a trap

Place a trap in your attic or spaces where you think the wildlife is living. You can bait the trap with peanut butter or some other type of attractant that has a strong smell. Be sure to check back each day to see if you caught something. When you do catch a critter, you should be able to remove them without harm. Be sure you let them free far enough away that they can’t find their way back. Repeat this until you’ve removed all of the unwanted visitors and gone a week without any catches. By the way, you can purchase traps at one of our 3 offices which have a do it yourself section.

Check your home for entry points

Once you get your attic situation under control by removing the existing pests, you’ll need to close off the entry points they had been using to seek shelter. You definitely do not want to block the wildlife inside your home, so do be sure all of them are evacuated first.

And when you’re sure they’re gone, it’s time to take action so that you don’t have to contend with a repeat performance. This could depend on whether you’re dealing with nocturnal critters or not. For example, squirrels tend to leave during the day and return at night.

You can try sealing off any access points, vents, etc. from the inside using heavy duty mesh material like hardware cloth, or contact your local wildlife control professional St Louis-based Blue Chip to help expedite the process.