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How To Get Rid of Mice

It all starts when you see a shadow move from out of the corner of your eye. Then, you start noticing droppings along your floor, in the pantry, and maybe even on the kitchen counter-tops. You might as well face it. You have mice. Down below we have some easy ways you can rid your home of these unwanted pests.

How To Get Rid of Mice Quickly

Identify the Mouse

The first key to getting rid of the problem, is to identify it. Different mice live in different areas and have contrasting behaviors. Its good to know what kind of mouse has infested your home, so you can know how to deal with them appropriately. The Most Common Types of Mice House Mice

Range from 1/4th an inch - 1/2 an inch Grayish brown/ Grayish black Found all throughout the U.S. Pose a serious structural threat, eat through wet & damaged wood. Nocturnal Just like its name states, house mice like to situate themselves inside human homes. Where it uses all the materials it can find to feed and build nests. You won't catch these guys in the wild. They’ll use shredded material like paper, cloth, and cardboard for nests but will also eat glue, soap and residue. House mice are also known to transmit typhus, salmonella and bubonic plague. Deer Mice

Slightly larger than the average house mouse Can grow up to 5-8 inches Light-dark brown fur, white bellies and feet Found all throughout the U.S. Dominant in rural areas (i.e. outside garages & sheds) Known for chewing through wiring, furniture & insulation Deer mice are known to transmit Hantavirus, which is a potentially fatal respiratory disease. They’ll often be found in outdoor structures, such as sheds and barns, and they can be prevented by sealing up common hiding spots. Keep an eye on small holes, cracks and crevices around your property. White-Footed Mice

Average adult length is 6” to 8” Very similar to the deer mouse, fur is typically darker though. Both have white on feet and bellies. Found in colder regions, such as the Northeast United States and Canada Tend to thrive in bushy, forested areas Omnivorous diet that includes insects, wood, seeds, nuts and fruit White footed mice would rather live outdoors but once the colder weather comes, will easily take their place inside your homes. Also, just like other rodents they can spread bacterial diseases when in contact with food. Furthermore, they are known for spreading lyme disease that they encountered from ticks in the wilderness.

Eliminate Entry Points

Rodent-proofing your home is an effective way to stop mice infestations from expanding or ever occurring in the first place. Defend your home from mice by eliminating points of entry and easy access. This can be difficult due to a mouse's ability to squeeze itself into even the smallest of openings (one-quarter of an inch and up). A good rule of thumb is if you can fit a pencil into a crack, hole or opening, a mouse can get through it. Seal cracks in the foundation as well as openings in the walls, including where utility pipes and vents occur. Steel wool and caulking works great here. Avoid using plastic, rubber, wood or anything else mice can easily gnaw through as sealants. Get weather stripping for door and window gaps and make sure the sweep on your door creates a seal against the threshold when it's closed.

Use Traps

The best way to help get rid of mice in an ongoing infestation is to set mouse traps. It's also a good idea to lay many different types of traps. Use bait traps, multiple-capture live traps and glue traps in conjunction with the wooden traps. This gives you a better chance at catching all of the mice, since some might be keen to certain types of traps and know to avoid them. To many people's surprise, mice actually don't eat cheese, & baiting is key in trapping mice so you need to pay attention to what they are munching on for your best bet on catching them. If you don't know what they're eating, mouse-approved favorites include; chocolate, peanut butter, bacon, oatmeal, dried fruit or hazelnut spread. When you're ready to set the baited trap, tie the bait to the trigger with fishing line or dental floss. This will make sure the mice get what's coming to them without "making off with the cheese." You can also secure the bait with a hot glue gun. Replace with fresh bait every two days. If the food isn't working, you can try using nesting material such as cotton balls or feathers. The next key factor in trapping mice, is the placement of the trap. Place the traps perpendicular to the walls, with the trigger section facing the baseboard. This causes the mouse to run directly into the bait as it naturally scurries along the walls, instead of running over the trap from the wrong direction, triggering it prematurely. Mice don't travel more than 10 or 20 feet from food sources and nesting areas so place the traps anywhere you see mice or signs of mice, such as rodent droppings or "rubbings" on baseboards and walls. Change trap locations every two days or so. Mice are naturally curious so they won't avoid traps like rats will.

Sanitation

Good sanitation might not be enough to get mice out of your house, but poor sanitation will definitely attract them. Mice can survive on just 3 to 4 grams of food per day, so a few crumbs here and there are all they really need. Vacuum your floors and be sure to wipe down counters, eliminating residue, crumbs and any access to food sources. Store food in glass jars or airtight containers. Don't forget about securing your garbage. Mice have sharp incisor teeth so they can chew through just about anything, even concrete if the mood strikes them, so plastic bags are no match for hungry rodents. In conclusion, to address an infestation, your first move has to be to determine just what you’re dealing with. It’s important to distinguish mice from rats and to identify the specific species that is causing you problems. Once you learn about several common species of mice that are found throughout homes, you can take steps to rid your property of them and prevent more from returning. Still having problems with rodent control? Here at Pestrol we have highly trained & experienced technicians that can cater specifically to your needs! Get a quote for mouse control today!

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The Health Effects of Mice

The Truth About Mice

The fact of the matter is that mice are very elusive and dangerous. Although they seem to be the smaller and cleaner counterpart to a rat, they are more of a problem to deal with. Within an infested home, they can cause serious health issues to the people living there. A common issue is that lot of people think because they got rid of one mouse, the problem is gone. But that's the complete opposite.

How Are They Dangerous?

The main reason why mice and a mouse infestation are so dangerous mainly derive from the diseases they carry. Generally, mice don't bite unless handled so that is not a risk. The biggest reason that transforms mice from a small problem to a big problem is the health risks they bring with them from diseases and parasites. However, there are other risks such as their tendency to chew on wiring in the walls. They will destroy property because their teeth keep growing and in order to manage their chompers, they have to chew on wood and other hard things to keep them filed down. If they end up inside the walls, they might chew on wiring, too. Exposed wiring can cause a short and that can cause an electrical fire behind the walls. Mice can contaminate food and food surfaces. They are a key contributor to spreading diseases and bacteria which can be risky and potentially lethal to humans.

What Diseases Do They Carry?

These rodents carry a variety of bacteria and other disease organisms, which they spread by leaving their feces and urine around houses. Furthermore, mice are capable of dropping up to 25,000 fecal pellets each year, an estimated 70 times each day. So the prevention and prompt removal in case of an infestation is key. Although, this may be difficult as mice typically live within the walls of apartments and homes, so cleaning inside the walls is quite the difficult task. Residents should be aware of the following mouse diseases that are directly transmitted by mice: Hantavirus: This disease is generally a problem when the viral organisms causing Hantavirus are inhaled along with dust particles while cleaning up or when coming into direct contact with droppings and urine where outdoor rodents such as deer mice and white-footed mice have lived and built nest sites. Nest sites for these mice may be inside or outside. One of the more likely places to discover these mouse nests are inside outdoors storage buildings. Early symptoms of Hantavirus include fever, headache and muscle pain. If the disease goes untreated, more serious symptoms such as severe coughing, fluid in the lungs and possible death can occur. Top Diseases Mice Distribute Salmonellosis: This disease often causes stomach upset in humans. Contact with rodent feces or urine in food or on food preparation surfaces are the most common ways to contract this illness from mice. Leptospirosis: Spread through mouse and other animal urine-tainted water, this disease may lead to kidney damage and liver failure without treatment. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis : This condition can cause anything from a fever and headache to brain damage. LCM is especially troubling for pregnant females whose fetus can develop birth defects or possibly die. The sources of LCM is from direct contact with waste or inhaling waste tainted dust, so people cleaning up mouse droppings without protection are at high risk. If you or someone you know are having a problem with mouse control, feel free to contact us today! Here at Pestrol, we have highly trained and experienced technicians that specialize in rodent proofing  your home! Making sure all rats, mice and rodents of the like stay away! Read the full article

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Dry Ice & Rat Control

Dry Ice Rat Control Treatment

Rat infestations are starting to affect cities all around the globe. Although, there is a certain glamour that is attached to New York rats. These rats are remarkable survivalists and can eat anything to survive. They can also live anywhere, whether it’s in plain sight or burrows underneath the ground. This makes these pests extremely hard to get rid of and makes rat control a big problem to exterminators all around. Common questions when dealing with these animals include; how do we prevent them from infesting our property? And, once in our infested, how do we eliminate them?

What is Dry Ice?

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It's called "dry ice" because it does not melt like wet ice. Instead, dry ice converts into carbon dioxide gas. Because dry ice is extremely cold, non-toxic, and completely dry, it is commonly used to ship frozen food, medical products or to cool materials during production when refrigeration is not available. The other major use of dry ice is for dry ice blast cleaning, an effective and environmentally friendly way to clean industrial equipment. Not to mention how effective it is in terms of rat control!

How Does It Work

The dry ice is inserted into the rat burrow where rats are living. Then you would cover the burrow as dry ice evaporates, they're asphyxiated, and they die. You may have to go back for a series of applications. Rare occasions rats have been able to escape. But they always return to their home. You would have come back the next day or later. By placing the dry ice underground, it keeps the dead rat bodies underground as well, decomposing and eventually becoming part of the soil.

Why Choose Dry Ice?

As anyone who has dealt with rat control can certify, one problem with traditional exterminators is getting the rats to march to their own destruction. The animals often have an unmatched ability to ignore traps and if it were easy to pick off rats they'd be long gone by this point. Despite years of attacking the problem, New York has been ranked for having the second-worst rat problem in the country. For decades exterminators around the globe have been trying to bring the rats to their inevitable downfall. But here at Pestrol, we can bring it to them! In one 2017 demonstration, dry ice was able to kill 12,000 rats in a single park.

Is Dry Ice Safe?

The use of dry ice is a non-abrasive process, meaning that it won't cause damage to surfaces or equipment. Dry ice is also relatively safe, as operators aren't exposed to grit media or harsh chemicals. It's also not as labor intensive as other forms of blasting. Not to mention it the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), has approved of the use of dry ice in public areas such as parks (for rat control) because it poses no harm to the children that may be playing nearby, or even the birds and their pray that live in the area.

Why Us?

The withdrawal of pests permanently (rodent control) is a practice that we here at Pestrol take pride in. We provide highly effective treatments for your home or business with long term results GUARANTEED! While the trapping of these animals do seem to be effective, studies have shown it to be a temporary fix that will only get bigger in the end. By combining the installation of Pestrol’s trademarked Shield Program in addition to the traditional method of trapping and removing, your home or business will be protected for many years. Long story short, before turning to popular DIY methods of pest control, contact us and take advantage of our free estimates for commercial businesses & our highly experienced/trained technicians to ensure your home is safe and secure from rodents and unwanted wildlife. Read the full article

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Ladybug Retires

Bed Bug Sniffing Dogs

After finding bed bugs for over 7+ years Ladybug gets to enjoy retirement. Ladybug and Pestrol owner Manny Guzman have had many long days in which at the height of the bed bug epidemic they were flooded with calls. We always say this is what happens when you provide exceptional service at reasonable prices.

What is Ladybug?

Ladybug is our first ever bed bug sniffing dog! She is about 10 years of age now, and her only job was to find bed bugs (which she was very good at). A question often asked by customers is, why use a dog?  Well, for one she possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in her nose. This helps her pick up smells. Compared to about six million in us humans. And the part of a dog's brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is, proportionally speaking, 40 times greater than ours. Also, a dog's nose functions quite differently than our own.

Why Choose A Canine Inspection?

Among the many traits and characteristics for which bed bugs are noted, being nocturnal and very elusive tops the list. This attribute often creates havoc with business owners and even presents challenges to some pest management specialists. There are times a business owner will suspect bed bugs are present within the facility, yet no live bugs or eggs have been found or properly identified. Other facilities, such as large hotels and motels, will need thorough inspections of the entire buildings' to identify every infected room. This is where the highly skilled noses of canines come into use!

Are Canine Inspections Effective?

Properly identifying and exposing the bed bug infestation will often call for specially trained bed bug scent detection canine teams. Here at Pestrol, we've come up with the top 5 reasons why people love our canine inspections! All life stages are detected. A properly trained and accredited bed bug canine is qualified to alert to both live bed bugs and live bed bug eggs. This is the only technique that can detect all stages of live bed bug stages by scent. The bed bug canine is highly accurate. The certified canine has a very high percentage of accuracy, often being said to be as effective as bomb sniffing dogs. These bed bug canines show their accuracy by detecting live bed bug scent through mattresses, inside walls and furniture. Furthermore, recent studies show that they have a 97.3% success rate in the locating of bed bugs as well! Fast inspection times. In addition to accuracy, bed bug canines are extremely fast and efficient. They can effectively search entire buildings in very short periods of time. Large hotels can be covered in a fraction of the time it takes to complete a visual inspection, giving owners peace of mind that the facility is free of bed bugs. Protect your image and reputation. Because of their accuracy, properly trained and certified canines are actually recognized in a court of law as a scientific instrument. Your certification of inspection from canine scent detection teams will greatly enhance your reputation and protect your image. The canine team will inspect each room with minimal disruption and leave no mess behind. With their strong scent detection, they remove the need to pull up carpet, remove baseboard and receptacle covers or dismantle furniture, all of which protects your image and reputation. Reduce the costs of treating a severe infestation by early detection. Because of their accuracy, a bed bug canine team can identify one bed bug just as easily as it can detect a severe infestation. This early detection means treatment will not need to be as extensive as it would for a more severe infestation, saving you money. This also helps reduce any time or expense from disruption of business.

My Relationship to Lady Bug - a Note from Manny Guzman

We got Lady Bug in the heat of the bed bug epidemic. Upon the initial encounter with her, the mentality was clear. She is a work dog and there is work that needs to be done. We were scheduled constantly for bed bug inspections & after long work days she would come home and just lay in bed. At first, I never looked at her as more than a work dog. She had a job and we both knew it. But as time passed my family and I started interacting with her more and after seeing how well she acted with us, it grew on me. Slowly she started becoming more than a work dog to me. Eventually she had become more than a pet to me. She was family. After a handful of amazing years working along side Ladybug, I had decided it was time for her to retire. Now her days consist of endless playing outdoors and with the kids, sleeping and eating dinner along side the family.   Although Lady Bug is retired, we still provide canine inspections with our bed bug dogs. If you or someone you know has bed bugs, don't hesitate! Get your bed bug treatment plan ASAP! Read the full article

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A Brief History on Bed Bugs

          Bed bugs were thought to have been eradicated in the 20th century, but according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), they are back. The number of bed bug encounters and reports have increased by 500%, which means they are back with a vengeance in the 21st century.

The Different Kinds of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs belong to a species group known as Heteroptera Cimicidae. They include sub types such as Cimex Lectularis (the common bed bug), Cimex Hemipterus (the tropical bed bug) and LeptoCimex Boueti (bat bug). Bed bugs, bat bugs, poultry bugs and swallow bugs all belong to this family of pests and are seen in various parts of the world. When it comes to their biology, these bugs all have similar characteristics. They are all visually the same, except for minor differences that you wouldn’t be able to tell by simply looking at them. They have similar structure like those of common ecto-parasites; their bodies are also divided into head, thorax and abdomen.

Problems They Can Cause

In the United States, different types of bed bugs are mainly seen in college dorms, nursing homes and hospitals, residential areas, hotels, offices, day cares and even in schools. Every Pest Control company in the U.S. has reported some type of encounter with bed bugs on an annual basis. On the contrary to popular belief, this problem is not just in dirty motels or cheap apartments. But even the highest rated five-star hotels in the United States have reported having such infestations all across the country. Different types of bed bugs found across the country are known to impact human lives owing to the mental, physical and economic consequences they have. While most types of bed bugs only cause a mild rash in humans, the more severe infestations are known to have led people into severe allergic shocks. Additionally, the bites of these ecto-parasites are also known to cause secondary complications and skin infections which include impetigo, lymphangitis and ecthyma.

Where Can They Be Found?

As with all types of bed bugs, the species found in the USA also has three main life stages and throughout all of the stages, none of them can fly. Due to this inability, bed bugs rely on passive modes of transportation. The Cimicids family has characteristic specialized organs to support their blood feeding diet. The bugs use these organs to attach to their host at nighttime and feed upon them for up to 10 minutes. The surprising fact is that most adult types of bed bugs can survive without a blood meal for up to a year! This is what causes these bugs to be such a pest, when they sense they’re in danger they can hide until they feel safe. The common bed bug can be predominantly found in North America and Europe. Common dwellings for the pest include; human homes, bird nests and bat caves. This is because they offer shelter and warmth, as well as a source of nourishment. They are not evenly distributed within their environment, instead they focus on small refuges, which in homes include; crevices, cracks, even behind the wallpaper/within the walls. The next bed bug that is common in the United States, is the tropical bed bug. As their name suggests, are seen in tropical or warmer regions including southern states of USA as well as countries in Asia and Africa. Their feeding and shelter habits are the same as the common bed bug, and under ideal conditions their eggs may hatch in just 10 days. They also will do everything to avoid confrontation with the light. The final kind of bed bug you will commonly find in the U.S. or Europe is the bat bug. They’re most commonly found in the place’s bats like to rest, such as attics or chimneys. Although, if the bats take off for a new home or die out, bat bugs will move downstairs and can show up in mattresses and beds. Instead of wandering into the sunlight on the backs of humans, bat bugs (as their name implies) will rather stay in their caves, thriving by feeding on sleeping bats. In today’s world, bat bugs can be found just about anywhere a nest of bats are (which is to say, pretty much anywhere in the known world). They don’t nest on the bats themselves, but they are known to ride on them from place to place. Unfortunately, if the bats leave the area for any amount of time, a hungry bat bug will settle for a human meal that’s close by. Their bites and behavior are identical to those of a bed bug, making them just as annoying when they start feeding.

Need Help?

If you spot what you think is a bat bug or a bed bug, you should call your pest control professional as soon as possible. A trained technician can assess the situation and determine whether you might have bat bugs or bed bugs in your home. If you do have bat bugs, you’ll want to make sure your technician implements steps to account for the bats or leftover guano (bat excrement) that may be in your house.  And if it turns out you have bed bugs, you’ll still need to work with a pest control specialist to customize a treatment plan. Have you seen an insect that might be a bat bug or bed bug? Don’t panic. Your trained Pestrol technician can help you set up a pest control plan that suits the needs of your home. Click here to get help today! Read the full article

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How to Tell If You Have Bedbugs

Let’s be honest, bed bugs are a nasty and uncomfortable problem. The signs and symptoms of bed bugs can be hard to detect at first, and even trickier to treat. To the untrained eye, bed bug bites can be confused with those of other biting insects. Click here to see how we, as professionals, would find/treat a bedbug infestation! Below are some easy steps we’ve given for you to follow to see if you have bed bugs at home. Red, Itchy Marks People don't often consider bed bugs until they've left their mark. The appearance of flat, red welts in zigzag lines or small clusters is a key sign of bed bugs on humans. Bed bugs can also leave their bites in straight rows and, while they don't spread diseases to humans, their bites are quite irritating and scratching them can lead to bleeding and infection.

A Buggy Bed The first sign of a bed bug problem is obvious: the bed. After bed bugs feed on humans, they'll leave behind blood stains resembling small rust spots. These will usually be found near the corners and edges of the bed. Bed bugs also shed their skin, or molt, several times as they mature, so you may find their oval brown/yellow exoskeletons during your search.

Inspect the Room Using a flashlight and a stiff, flat-edged object like a credit card or paint scraper, check around beds, mattresses, and other areas where you suspect you might have bed bugs. Look for actual bugs, eggs, feces, or molted skin as evidence of an infestation. Be sure to look in the cracks, crevices, and folds of fabric and furniture. You may also want to wear protective gloves during this inspection. Bed bugs are attracted to warmth. The number one hiding place for bed bugs is in mattresses and beds. Inspect your sheets for blood spots bed bugs may have left behind. Be sure to thoroughly inspect the seams, tufts, and folds of your mattress in addition to any corners or crevices of your bed. Bed bugs also like to linger where humans sit or lay idle for long periods of time. Couches, recliners, and even office chairs are popular hiding spots for bed bugs. Don't forget to look beneath furniture, where fabric meets the legs of the furniture, and between seat cushions. Bed bugs will also hide around the perimeter of a room. The edges of baseboards and carpet should also be inspected.

Spotting the Bed Bug Themselves This is harder to do than you’d think, though, since these parasites do a great job lurking out of human sight. They’re nocturnal by nature, feed strategically at times when you’re most likely to be in deep sleep, and even though they can’t jump or fly, they can move quickly. They’re most likely to be hiding out somewhere close to where you sleep but can live anywhere, including phones, purses, clothing, and furniture. But you don’t have to go in search of them – they will come to you. You are their source of nourishment, after all. And catching even one of these buggers will help you verify for certain whether you have a bed bug infestation. Actually seeing the full-grown, apple-seed-sized adult bed bug itself with your own eyes is the gold standard of bed bug identification, and it’s the sign that you need to contact real help.

Got bed bugs? It happens to the best of us. But don’t worry – bed bugs do take some time and effort to kill, but it can be done. Find out how we can help to get rid of your bed bugs. If you don’t notice any of the signs right away, it is always safer to get a second opinion. It is important to contact a professional who's knowledgeable and trained in bed bug control to inspect your home and determine the best treatment methods.

Get Help Here!

If you know a friend or a family member that may have bed bugs, don’t hesitate! Share this page with them, for bed bug infestations are no laughing matter! Read the full article

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Feeding bed bugs. 

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