Why DIY Mouse Control Can Fail

September 20, 2016

In: Residential Pest Control  |  Rodents

When you start to hear bumping and thumping in your walls, it is only natural to take action. It is even worse when you go into the cabinet or pantry and find a box that has a hole chewed in it. Mice are miserable pests to have around. But, before you take matters into your own hands, here are some reasons why DIY mouse control can fail.

• Poisons are better at hurting your children, your pets, and yourself than they are at getting rid of a mouse infestation. Most mice won't find the poison, or eat enough of it to die. If you do kill a few mice, you are not likely to get more than half of them. What is most likely to happen is the mice will pick the poison up and track it around your kitchen and pantry areas. But, even worse than this is when mice die inside your walls. This can cause a nasty smell and draw in other pests--making your problem even worse.

• Mouse traps are the best way to kill and remove mice from a house, but most people don't know where to put them or what bait to use.

• When traps are put in the wrong place, they aren't going to catch anything. Mice are skittish creatures that will often run with their side touching a wall. If mouse traps are put in the middle of a room, they aren't going to be effective.

• A single mouse trap put under a sink or in the back of a drawer may catch a mouse. But, more often than not, those clever and skittish mice will avoid the death blow of a single trap.

• If you use the right bait, and place your traps in the right places, you can kill some mice. But, many people quickly realize that this doesn't make the mouse problem go away. It just gives you a nasty chore to do when you get lucky enough to kill a mouse.

• Until you address the entry points mice are using to get in, and bolster other areas mice can chew through, you'll be killing mice indefinitely.

• Using DIY methods to kill mice can't even be considered a band-aid. Trapping or killing mice in a home doesn't do anything to protect a home from the illnesses mice can cause.

If you're dealing with mice, get professional assistance. A pest specialist will address the root of the problem and make sure your home is free of mice. If you live in our Massachusetts or Connecticut service area, give us a call. For over 100 years American Pest Solutions has been offering pest control solutions. We'll make sure those mice are gone. Completely gone.