Pest control for mice and the tell-tale signs?
The number 1 pest problem in Glasgow these days must be mice.
I say this from first hand experience dealing with mouse pest control infestations on a regular bases through the length and breadth of Glasgow.
One day I can be treating mice in the southside of Glasgow such as govan hill or kinning Park. The other day I can be in the west end in kelvin bridge all the way through to Jordan hill etc trying to fix mouse pest control problems.
By mice I am referring to primarily house mice (mus musculus) but also field mice (apodemus spp).
House mice by their nature like to stay indoors living “inside” buildings. By inside I am referring to them living in cavity walls, sub floor voids and roof voids. It’s rare for them to be nesting directly inside your property -although not unheard of!
Field mice are of course outdoor creatures pushed indoors usually due to environmental conditions.
These conditions could be low temperature weather, an increase in population forcing them to invade areas they’ve never been to before or even building works uprooting them from where they were living.
Both have the potential to spread disease, damage personal belongings and electrical wiring by gnawing on the items in question and of course contaminate foodstuffs by feeding on them and generally frighten the daylights out of most people.
What are the tell-tale signs I have mice in my home or business?
SIGHTINGS
Obviously if you see a live or dead mouse in any part of your house then that is a strong indication that there could be a bigger problem than what you’ve just seen.
DROPPINGS
These are usually the size and shape of a grain of rice, black (sometimes brown) in colour and rock hard most of the time (soft if fresh). Mice are incontinent and can poop up to 50+ times per day leaving droppings along the way. Places to check for mouse pest control droppings include behind kitchen kickboards, alongside skirting and lofts.
GREASE MARKS
These are caused by mice brushing closely against objects such as walls, floors and skirting regularly resulting in dark smears around entry/exit holes.
URINE PILLARS
When you have a heavy infestation urine, dirt and droppings and body grease can combine to leave urine pillars. These are usually small mounds, up to 1cm wide & 4cm high.
SCRATCHING NOISES
You will usually hear these at night coming from voids in the property like in the cavity walls, beneath floorboards and in false ceilings.
NESTS
Mice tend to shred materials like paper, insulation, fabrics etc to make their nests. Mice tend to nest in lofts, wall cavities, under floorboards and behind refrigeration units etc.
SMELL
Mouse pest control urine has a strong ammonia-like smell.
DAMAGED WIRING/PIPES
A mouse’s front 2 teeth (the incisors) grow continuously throughout its life. If mice don’t gnaw on things to wear their teeth down then it can be harmful to their health as their teeth will grow too long obstructing their ability to feed. As a result mice like to gnaw on things. Quite often plumbing and wiring is a target.
If you have any problems with mice feel free to give us a call. Not only do we enact treatments using the highest quality materials and equipment, but we carry out thorough surveys to identify the most likely entry points. The best number to call is 01418460022.
