Mice Control
How do I know I have a mouse problem?
You may see, hear or smell a mouse problem or see other evidence such as burrowing in insulation or soil or see the droppings. They are commonly heard in loft spaces and will travel in the wall cavities to all parts of the house, especially to areas where food can be found. Mice are occasionally seen during daylight hours. You may hear them in the loft, particularly at night when it is quiet. Many people wonder what they eat in a loft space, they will eat spiders, woodlice & other insects as well as any airborne seeds blown into the roof space.
Why should they be treated?
Mice are extremely adaptable, changing their behaviour to fit in with the environment they are in. House mice consume food meant for humans or pets. They contaminate food-preparation surfaces with their faeces, which can contain the bacterium that causes food poisoning (salmonellosis). People are more tolerant of mice than rats although they can carry the same diseases as rats and are more likely to transmit such diseases, as they are bolder and more curious, coming into closer contact with food, cutlery, work surfaces, etc. Their constant gnawing causes damage to structures and property. Rodent damage to wiring has been known to start fire. The house mouse is considered one of the most troublesome and economically important pests in the UK. House mice live and thrive under a variety of conditions in and around homes and farms?
Preparation Prior to Treatment
It is important to keep food stuffs out of reach of mice and keep hygiene to a high standard. It is very important that people are aware of the disease hazard that they can cause. If you suspect they have been on work surfaces or in drawers containing cutlery or foodstuffs then these must be washed before use and all foodstuffs destroyed.
Treatment
Effective mouse control involves sanitation, mouse proof construction and population reduction. The first two are useful as preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction is almost always necessary. Reduction techniques include trapping and poisoning. Trapping will only reduce a mouse population, rarely eliminate it completely and as they breed so quickly elimination is the desired result. Poison baiting is the quickest way to deal with a mouse infestation. The right type of bait has to be used or the mice, or not all the population, will eat it. The bait has to be put in the correct places, mice are territorial and if the bait is not in a mouse’s territory then it will not take the bait. Mice are generally harder to control than rats, being fussy feeders and surprisingly more resistant to poisons than rats or other rodents. Mice do not need much food and extract all the moisture from the food they eat. Our technician will make at least 2 visits. On the 2nd visit he will pick up the bait & any available bodies for disposal. The treatment is guaranteed to eliminate the present mouse infestation as long as any advice given on proofing or other matters is adhered to. We cannot guarantee any mouse infestations that come in after this infestation has been dealt with. This may be more of a problem in terraced type houses/flats.
What we need you to do after treatment.
After the treatment has finished the Mice usually die in their holes but they will not smell as the Calciferol in the bait makes the bodies mummify. To prevent re-infestation block up any obvious holes around pipes etc but proofing against mice is difficult as they can get through a gap of 1 cm. Removing vegetation growing on or near to the house may help. Feeding birds increases the mouse population making incursion into nearby buildings more likely.