Mice are annoying pests. They’re persistent and can easily invade both homes and businesses, causing damage and spreading disease. Understanding why they keep showing up even after removal efforts is a crucial part of permanent pest control. In this blog, we’ll talk about why reinfestations happen and what you can do about them.
Why Reinfestations Happen
It can be frustrating to see mice show up after a pest control effort has been made. Reinfestations can happen for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common ones include:
Like many creatures, mice are attracted to easily accessible food. If food is left out, crumbs are not cleaned up, or garbage is not properly sealed, mice can find it and eat it. They can thrive on things such as pet food, pantry items, and bird seed.
Mice make their nests in warm, quiet, hidden areas. Ideal nesting sites are made in clutter, voids in walls, and overgrown or messy outdoor areas with many places to hide. Mice can reproduce very quickly. A female is capable of having up to 10 litters a year, with 5 to 12 pups in each litter. If a few mice are left behind after an extermination effort, they can quickly repopulate.
Mice are fast, good at jumping, and excellent at climbing. If there is a hole somewhere on the outside of a building big enough for mice, they can get inside.
Sometimes, pest control measures may not be thorough enough to be effective. For example, if traps are not placed in good locations, or set correctly, or bait is unappealing, or control methods are removed too soon, mice can avoid capture and survive.
How You Can Stop Mice from Coming Back
Here are a few things you can do to ensure mice stop coming back to your home or business:
1. Stop Mice from Getting Inside and Seal All Entry Points
Check your home for any gaps and cracks that mice could enter through, especially around doors, windows, utilities, and the foundation. Seal any gaps with weather-resistant materials. Mice can climb and squeeze through holes as small as a dime, so be thorough with your repairs.
2. Keep a Clean Environment
Maintaining cleanliness is important to stopping mice. Follow these tips and you can help reduce the risk of reinfestation:
3. Use Effective Trapping and Baiting Techniques
When trying to get rid of mice, you can use a combination of traps and bait stations. Make sure traps and bait stations are placed in areas where you have noticed regular mouse activity, where mice might smell food, and in areas that are quiet during the day, such as behind furniture along walls, near food sources, and in closets. Use different types of fresh bait on traps. You should check the traps and bait stations regularly.
4. Get Professional Pest Control
If the infestation persists, you should consult Poulin’s for a professional pest control service. We can provide an assessment and use an integrated pest management approach to eliminate mice and prevent future infestations.
Call Poulin’s Pest Control Today to Get Rid of Mice
If you have mice, Poulin’s Pest Control is your friend. We offer professional mouse control services for homes and businesses throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. We are proactive, focusing on removing the things that keep attracting mice and addressing them for you. To get rid of your pests, please give us a call today.