|
While good sanitation will seldom completely control mice, poor sanitation is sure to attract them and will permit them to thrive in greater numbers. Pay particular attention to eliminating places where mice can find shelter. If they have few places to hide, rest, or build nests and rear their young, they cannot survive in large numbers. A key to successful long-term mouse control is the limitation of shelter and of food sources wherever possible. Trapping works well when mice are not numerous, or it can be used as a follow-up measure after a baiting program. When considering a baiting program, decide if the presence of dead mice will cause an odor or sanitation problem. If so, trapping may be the best approach. Removal of mice should be followed by taking steps to exclude them so that the problem does not recur. Exclusion is the most successful and permanent form of house mouse control. "Build them out" by eliminating all gaps and openings larger than ¼ inch, through which mice will enter a structure. Stuff-It makes a good temporary plug. Seal cracks in building foundations and around openings for water pipes, vents, and utility cables with metal or concrete. Doors,windows, and screens should fit tightly. It may be necessary to cover the edges of doors and windows with metal to prevent gnawing. Plastic screening, rubberor vinyl, insulating foam, wood, and other gnawable materials are unsuitable for plugging holes used by mice. Because mice can survive in very small areas with limited amounts of food and shelter, their control can be very challenging, especially in and around older structures. Most buildings in which food is stored, handled, or used will support house mice if the mice are not excluded, no matter how good the sanitation. Because house mice are so small, they can gain entry into homes and other buildings much more easily than rats. As a result, house mouse infestations are probably 10 to 20 times more common than rat infestations. Effective control involves sanitation, exclusion, and population reduction. Sanitation and exclusion are preventive measures. When a mouse infestation already exists, some form of population reduction such as trapping or baiting is almost always necessary. Outdoor House Mouse Mice Exclusion Methods The first thing to do is to make sure that there are no holes that the rodents can get through. Check all plumbing and electrical entrances, doors, folding garage doors, etc. Also check behind gutters, around chimney and plumbing stack flashing, and in the case of raised or pier and beam homes, make sure that they cannot get access under the foundation or skirting or through screened vents. The point is that any hole on the outside of the house can give rats or mice entrance. If the hole is not big enough, the rats or mice will gnaw it to make it bigger. Rats must constantly gnaw and sharpen their teeth to keep them filed down. Rats teeth grow an average of 7 inches per year. This is why they constantly gnaw and chew. For more ideas on the control, check out our main page here: Auckland pest controls
Related Articles -
Pest control Auckland, pest control northshore, pest control east Auckland, pest control south Auckland, pest controller, pest controllers, pest contr,
|
