Mice In Del Rio Are Hard To Keep Away From Your Home

How bad can one little mouse be? Most people don't think of mice as a big pest control problem until they become a big pest control problem. We hope you don't wait for mice to become a big problem! Join us as we look at how to keep mice away naturally. We'll start by discussing mouse identification and why it is often difficult to identify mice. We'll discuss why mouse detection and prevention are critical to health and well-being. Then, we will dig into some easy-to-follow mouse prevention tips. If you like to do things yourself, you'll find some great tips here for effective mouse maintenance and management. If you would prefer to have a licensed and experienced professional deal with mice on your property or you need them to get rid of mice in your home, remember that you can jump over to our contact page at any time and contact us. You can also give us a call. The professionals at Gold Star Exterminators are always happy to help you with pest control in Del Rio—and we have the experience to give you the best results. With that said, let's get into our subject for today. Here's what every Del Rio resident should know about mice and how to get rid of mice naturally.

It is hard to keep mice away from Del Rio homes because they are commonly misunderstood. The first misunderstanding is that mice and rats are entirely different animals. They don't breed with each other. In fact, rats eat mice, so you won't have a mouse infestation if you're seeing rats on your property.

As you work to keep rodents away from your home, it is important to distinguish between rats and mice. While they share many behaviors, mice are harder to keep out because they are tiny rodents.

If you only catch a glimpse of a mouse in dim light at dusk, which is the time of day you're likely to see one, you may have trouble telling it apart from a rat. Here are a few tips to help you figure out what you saw.

• Rats are larger than mice. The body of a mouse is around 2 ½ to 3 ¾ inches long, with a tail that is about the same length.
• Mice tend to have pointier snouts than rats. Keep in mind that black rats (also known as roof rats) have a somewhat pointy snout for a rat. Norway rats (the brown ones) have blunt noses which are useful for digging in the ground.
• Mice have perkier and larger ears than rats.

Rodents are nocturnal animals that prefer to stay hidden from view if they can help it. Often, you won't see them. You may find evidence of rodent activity, such as black droppings. When you find droppings near your home, consider the size. Mice have fecal matter that is slightly smaller than a grain of white rice. The fecal matter of rats is twice that size.    

How Dangerous Is It To Have Mice In My House?

It is hard work keeping mice away from your home, but it is worth the effort because they can present a threat to health and property. They are also dangerous pests to have in your Del Rio home. Dangerous? Yes. Consider these common mouse problems.

• A mouse can have as many as a hundred seed ticks on its little body, and ticks are known to transmit diseases to humans. Lyme disease is a growing concern. It is a disease that can lead to life-long health issues and health complications. Alpha-gal syndrome (also referred to as red meat allergy) is another tick-borne disease that has chronic symptoms. These and other diseases spread by ticks are a danger to public health.
• Mice chew on wires. They can't help it. Mice are continually chewing on things. When a mouse cuts a live wire, it is not only dangerous to that little mouse, it is a threat to your family. A severed wire can spark a house fire.
• Mice chew holes in building materials, and exterior holes can allow moisture into your home. If enough moisture gets in, mold can take root. Black mold can spread and create a health concern.
• Mice climb in unsanitary places. In these dirty places, they can pick up salmonella, E. coli, and other microorganisms that are associated with human illness. As a mouse moves about in your home, it can spread these invisible organisms.
• Mice leave their droppings and urine as they explore. They also leave waste materials where they sleep. As they sleep and move about in your home, their waste material and the hairs on their bodies are a source of contamination.
• Certain mice are a risk for Hantavirus. Always wear protective clothing and a ventilator when cleaning up mouse droppings in your home.

It is not good to have mice exploring your attic, pantry, kitchen, bathroom, or any other area of your home. They spread contamination and parasites and create other health concerns. They also breed quickly. As the number of mice in your home increases rapidly, so does the threat.     

Natural Ways To Keep Mice Away From Your Home

It is essential to keep mice away from your home, but it isn't easy work. Mice are relentless when conditions are right. The goal is to make the conditions around your home unappealing to mice. Here are a few natural ways to keep mice away.

• Remove bird feeders. Seeds of all types are a dietary staple for mice. If you have bird seed on the ground near your exterior walls, you'll invite a mouse problem.
• Rake up nuts underneath trees that produce nuts. Mice can eat nuts just like squirrels. Their tiny incisor teeth make short work of a nutshell.
• Use fencing material to protect berry bushes and vegetable gardens. When installing your fencing material, insert it at least a foot below the ground to prevent mice from tunneling underneath.
• Install metal flashing on the trunks of fruit trees. A mouse can scale the trunk of a tree. It does this by clinging to the bark. A band of sheet metal will create a slippery surface that mice can't pass over. 
• Remove ground clutter. Mice use objects on the ground to help them navigate. They'll reach out for objects with their whiskers and run along objects on the ground with one side of their bodies touching. A clutter-free yard is resistant to mouse activity.
• Trim vegetation in your landscaping. Mice want to hide in vegetation. Remove these hiding places, and you'll deter mice.
• Address potential nesting locations. Block access to structural voids by installing hardware cloth. Mice will want to get underneath your back deck, porch, patio, or stairs. It is a good idea to keep them out.
• Address smells. Mice are drawn to the scent of decaying organic material. A trash receptacle that is kept clean and covered is less likely to attract mice.
• Address hiding places. Mice love wood piles. If you stack a pile of dead branches near your home, mice may hide in that pile and start looking for ways to get into your home.
• Address moisture. Mice are drawn to areas where water is available. If you have a clogged gutter, broken sprinkler, or leaking spigot, mice will notice.

Do you see how it works? Mice are drawn to food and water resources, hiding places, and potential nesting locations. It is hard to stay on top of these things, but it is worth the effort if you have the stamina to keep up with things. Unfortunately, residents often turn to an easy fix and purchase traps or bait. While these offer a solution, they are rarely implemented correctly. When mouse control products are deployed incorrectly, unwanted and unfortunate results occur. If you need the extra protection these products provide, the best way to keep mice out of your house is to have a licensed professional deploy and maintain them.  

How Do I Get Rid Of Mice In My Home For Good?

It pays to have a professional address mouse infestations because one of the worst outcomes of mouse control is not knowing that you still have mice. Those little rodents are quiet and sneaky. They can impact your health and damage your property without providing any warning signs of continued infestation. If you're in Del Rio, contact Gold Star Exterminators for rodent control. We'll perform an inspection of your property and track those critters. We'll evaluate conducive conditions on your property, and potential routes mice are taking to get inside, and we will systematically stop your infestation. Mouse control is a scientific process. Our technicians have the training and experience to deploy traps, tamper-resistant bait stations, and other control materials to arrest your infestation, and we can help you keep rodents out of your home for good.

Do you have questions that were not addressed in this short article? No problem! We're happy to answer them for you. Give us a call and speak with one of our service professionals. 

Gold Star has been spraying our house for a few years now and I can't express how much it has helped.  I was spraying Demon WD myself and barely made an impact on the scorpions and spiders.  after they started doing it, we have very few sightings now.  Great company.

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