Residential Pest Control

Mouse Control from Ehrlich

Get Rid of Mice in Your Home

Mice can cause all sorts of problems in your home; they commonly cause lots of damage to walls, wiring, and furniture, and they can carry some serious diseases – so it’s important to get rid of a mouse problem as soon as possible.

Ehrlich are experts at getting rid of mice - and at helping you to prevent further mice infestations.

We offer you a convenient mice extermination service with:

• Next Day service guaranteed – your problem will be dealt with quickly.
• Times convenient to you – no need to wait in for us!
• Ehrlich Technicians who are experts - they’ll deal with your problem in a fast, efficient, and friendly manner.
• Peace of mind - we’ll make as many visits as needed to ensure the mouse problem is completely resolved.
• Expert advice - to help you prevent future mice infestations.
• Safe pest control techniques using the latest equipment – you don’t need to worry about the safety of children or pets.

Call us for free NOW at 1-800-837-5520 for advice or schedule a free inspection.

As prevention is better than cure Ehrlich have compiled a list of facts and tips to help you keep your home free of mice. But if you already have a mouse problem, or have tried to treat a small infestation yourself and found DIY products haven’t completely worked, then you need to call a professional - contact Ehrlich for expert advice.

How to Get Rid of Mice

You might think mice are fairly harmless – and many people believe that rats are a bigger problem – but actually mice are much more common and cause a lot more damage. Because mice breed rapidly and continuously a small problem can turn into a big problem very quickly, so dealing with infestation should be a priority. You’ll find out more about how to get rid of mice here, but first let’s understand why it’s important to act quickly:

• Mice are unsanitary and mouse droppings have been identified as potential asthma triggers in children.
• They will contaminate food and other materials through the droppings they leave behind – causing waste and spreading bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
• They can multiply quickly and will do significant damage to your home and furniture through their gnawing activities.
• Not only are mice destructive they have even been implicated in causing house fires after chewing through electrical cables.
  Between the potential health issues, having to replace ruined food, clothing, books, and many other common household items, and possibly having to repair walls and fittings, you definitely want to eradicate mouse problems straight away.

Signs of Mice – Do You Have a Mouse Infestation?

Generally mice won’t be seen during the day as they are nocturnal – so quite often a homeowner is more likely to see the evidence they leave behind rather than the mice themselves.

The typical signs of a mouse problem are:

• Droppings – mice leave small, dark droppings particularly along walls, in cupboards or under sinks.
• Dirty Smudges on floors or skirting board. Mice tend to run alongside walls as they don’t have great eyesight. You might also notice small patches of urine.
• Distinctive Smell – mice leave an ammonia-like smell that will be particularly strong in more enclosed areas such as in cupboards.
• Damage – mice have teeth that grow continuously and will gnaw on wood, plastic, cables and other hard materials to keep their teeth shorter. They will also steal softer materials for nesting.
• Scratching Noises in the walls or ceilings as mice scurry around. You might also hear them squeaking or gnawing.
• Nests – mice build nests with shredded material such as newspaper and fabrics. These will tend to be in hidden places such as behind fridges. Nests will often contain young mice.

TOP TIPs

• if you’re not sure you’ve got an infestation, lay some talcum powder or plain flour along the edge of the floor by the walls or on surfaces close to where you think the nest might be. You’ll notice tracks in the powder within a few days if the nest is close.
• if you can hear mouse activity in the walls this can be a good indicator of where the nest is; mice tend to stay as close to the nest as possible even when foraging for food.

Identifying Your Mouse Guests – Types of Mice

It’s helpful to know which species of mouse has invaded your house – this may be useful when setting baits or traps. Your expert Ehrlich Technician will try to establish this as part of the mouse extermination service – call 1-800-837-5520 for help & information.

Comparison of common mouse characteristics:

• Head and feet are proportional to the body in house mice.
• A house mouse’s tail is as long as head and body combined, while field mice have long tails and meadow mice have short, furry tails.
• Back, feet, and belly are all the same color in house mice; other species have a dark coat on their backs with a while or silver underside.
• House mice have flat upper incisors; harvest mice have grooved upper incisors.

How to Mouse Proof Your Home – Preventing Mouse Problems

Mice like to live where there’s warmth, quiet, and a source of food.

• Don’t let them in.

The first line of defense against mice is to seal your home. Any holes that are larger than a quarter of an inch will allow mice to gain access – they can squeeze through incredibly small gaps, and will quickly chew through all sorts of materials to create larger openings. Therefore it is important to seal all openings with steel wool or caulk (not wood, plastic, or expanding foam that they can gnaw through!).

• Remove sources of food.

Be careful not to attract mice with food – where possible, store food in glass or metal containers. Regularly clean under stoves, refrigerators and cupboards. Keep your trash in a strong bin with a lid. If you have pets, keep their food area tidy.

• Cleanliness is good.

Cleanliness in general will help – keeping clutter to a minimum will reduce the options for nesting sites, and while good sanitation won’t get rid of mice in itself, dirty and messy areas can attract mice.

Getting Rid of Mice - Eradicate the Current Mouse Population

Homeowners have a range of options to consider when getting rid of mice – all with their own pros and cons. Ehrlich provide a complete mice pest control service for infestations of any size, and we recommend you call in the professionals before the problem gets too big (which can happen very quickly with just one breeding couple able to produce over 100 mouse offspring in a year).

If you’re worried about a mouse infestation, don’t hesitate – give us a call at 1-800-837-5520.

There’s a whole host of mouse catching devices and systems you can try:

Repellents

• Mint - mice are said to dislike mint, so growing mint in your garden or having a potted mint plant in your kitchen might help. You can also try using peppermint extract - with water in a spray, or add some to your mop bucket.
• Ultrasonic Devices – these work by emitting a sound that mice and other rodents don’t like but which can’t be heard by people. However, there’s lots of reports that these devices don’t work very well as mice simply get used to & ignore the uncomfortable noise, and even the Federal Trade Commission has stated that they are ineffective.

Traps

• Snap Traps – these are the mouse traps everyone is familiar with. They work by attracting mice with a small bait and then killing them with a swift blow when the bait is taken.
  • Tips for using them – use several traps close to each other, place them close to walls with the trigger plates facing towards the wall, and for the first few days bait them without setting them so that the mice get used to taking the bait with impunity.
  • The drawbacks to these mouse traps are that they don’t always kill the mouse (so you might have to finish the job quite often), and they can be very messy.
• Live / Catch Traps – these traps are bigger and don’t harm the mice. Mice are lured in with bait, and the door locks behind them so they can’t get out. However, mice have been known to quickly learn how to beat the system. Even when they are successful, you have to get rid of the live mouse yourself.
• Electronic ‘Zapper’ Traps – similar to catch traps except once inside the mouse is given a fatal electric shock. You’ll need a large stock of batteries, and the traps themselves can be quite expensive to buy.
• The Homemade Bucket Trap – a common trap you can make yourself (there are plenty of instructions to be found on the internet). Basically mice are lured by bait which is held on a roller above a bucket full of water. As the mice attempt to fetch the bait, they slip into the water and drown. Again, you’ll have to remove the dead mice, and the traps can start to smell quite quickly.
• Glue Boards – also an inexpensive trap, glueboards can catch several mice at the same time.
  Some people don’t like them because the mice die of stress or starvation. They can catch other animals by accident so keep them away from pets and children, and again you will have to dispose of the mess.

Poison

There are many mouse poisons on the market, and it’s best to use them in conjunction with bait boxes so that pets and children can’t get at the harmful stuff. The biggest problem with poisons is that mice can travel a fair distance between eating the poison bait and it taking effect. This means you may find decomposing mice in hard to reach places.

Pets

• Cats – cats can and do catch mice, but they will tend to play with them, which can cause a mess. Whilst owning a cat may prevent an infestation, normal pet cats or even mousers (cats trained to catch mice) are not likely to be able to get rid of a mouse infestation on their own.
• Dogs – perhaps surprising, but some dogs are excellent at catching mice.
• Birds – owls, particularly barn owls, probably shouldn’t be classed as pets but they can be encouraged to nest in your garden. They will make short work of any mouse population outside your home.

The Ehrlich Service Guarantee

Although many homeowners struggle with do it yourself mouse control remedies, the results are often less than satisfactory. Small problems can develop into large ones all too quickly and this is when you need to seek out the services of a pest control professional.

Ehrlich technicians are skilled, experienced professionals – they are state certified, licensed applicators and are required to participate in regular training programs to maintain their expertise. They understand the habits of each species and use that knowledge when developing a control program for your home. They also have respect for you, your home, your family and your time.

At Ehrlich Pest Control, we pride ourselves on fast, responsive service every day. We are always available 24 hours a day for any emergency pest concerns that may develop and all appointments are scheduled at times that are convenient for you our customer. If you would like further advice or to arrange a free inspection, call us free at 1-800-837-5520.