Mice at Night Could Mean Infestation in the Morning
January 17, 2012
Freeloaders. All of them. When the weather turns cold, rats and mice move in without even checking to see who was here first. So rude. Especially since they multiply like, well, like rats and mice. I tell you, it’s getting more crowded in these Southern California attics, basements, and crawl spaces than Bolsa Chica Beach over spring break.
Now you may wonder how it’s possible in this day and age of clean living for an average single-family home to become infested with (ugh) rodents. But as someone who knows firsthand about infestation, cleanliness doesn’t necessarily dictate which homes rats and mice move in to. (Unless, of course, someone in your family leaves a half-eaten pizza under a bed for weeks, in which case you may end up sharing living space with rodents, ants, and cockroaches. And as you well know, they all refuse to pay rent.)
So imagine my surprise when one night I noticed a lonely little mouse creeping across the back deck of my house. At first I thought it was just a dust bunny floating on a breeze, but when I saw it pick up a errant saltine cracker I knew it was either a rodent scouting for a new home or the cockroaches had been working out again.
Here’s the thing, in the winter rodents move into over 21 million homes across the U.S. That’s a lot of real estate. If the housing market could see that kind of turnover for people, the economy would be in better shape than a beauty queen (or a cockroach) with a gym membership.
I mean, come on. It’s not like rodents don’t come with a lot of baggage. And I’m not talking about the kind with designer initials stamped all over it. Rats and mice can bring really serious diseases into your home, like hantavirus, salmonella, and even fleas, which technically aren’t a disease, as much as they are a painful nuisance to people and their pets. (And if you think rats and mice are hard to get rid of, try evicting those pesky fleas once they’ve settled in. It’s like attempting to boot out that obnoxious neighbor who prefers your place over his because you have better snacks and a home theatre system with big screen, satellite TV.)
Plus, rodents are notorious for destroying property, and that’s where I draw the line. Nobody gets to cause “lived-in” damage to my home but me. No question, that mouse had to go.
I immediately buzzed around the house looking for any points of entry he might use. I found a few and decided the next day I’d get my brothers to help me patch those holes (my family are masters at woodworking). I’d also get everyone to help with:
- Cutting back tree branches that hang over the house
- Moving the firewood pile away from the house
- Checking the screened vents
- Making sure items in the garage are sealed in plastic
- Getting rid of any garbage or food (including pet food) that might be lying around
And if all that doesn’t work, well, then I guess we’d have to call in a professional. Fortunately, I have a connection in that department. But we’ll try these preventative measures first, and THEN if we have to, we’ll bring in the big guns.
Either way, stay tuned. I’ll keep you posted.
AAAK! Cockroaches!
January 2, 2012
The mere existence of cockroaches is a topic of interest and wonder for many within the scientific community since few species still found today have been in existence longer. Fossils have been discovered that date the ancestry of this species back 354 million years, long before even dinosaurs inhabited the Earth. Throughout global floods, worldwide famine, and devastating cosmic events the cockroach has not only survived but flourished even in the most difficult of environments.
Although there are over 4,000 species of cockroaches throughout the world today, only thirty of them are known to interact with humans and earn the notoriety of being pests. Of these, the most common found within US households is the American cockroach (Periplaneta Americana) and its smaller cousin the German cockroach (Blattella germanica). Although fully capable of surviving outside and away from people, these species prefer to cohabitate our living quarters because of the ample food and shelter our homes provide. Of the many unique features that lends to the cockroach’s survivability is that they eat just about anything and are capable of digesting almost anything that contains nutritional value.
Cockroaches prefer living near water and will normally seek out dark places with high humidity. Within a home, this usually includes beneath kitchen and bathroom sinks, underneath refrigerators, or even within walls. Like most insects the cockroach is nocturnal and will normally only seek out food during the evening hours. Since their diet is so vast they are often associated with the spread of dangerous bacteria and disease within their waste or by shedding their skin near human food products.
Through the use of pheromones within the body this species is able to signal other nearby roaches to the presence of danger or food. This greatly limits the risks that a single cockroach must endure and it is this group type of mentality that has ensured their survival throughout the ages. With a single female cockroach producing over 150 newborns each year, this species can prove to be very difficult to eliminate once established within a residence or building.
When attempting to remove cockroaches from your home or office, it is important to first eliminate any sources of easy access to nourishment. This includes placing pantry items within plastic storage containers, cleaning dishes and taking out trash immediately after meals, and removing any pet food left out during evening hours. The next step would be to limit the amount of hiding places around the home such as clutter within closets, underneath sinks, and throughout basements.
While the above methods can reduce a cockroach infestation, stronger pest control methods may be required, which of course Admiral Pest Control can help you with. Remember that ultimately even Mother Nature herself has been unable to stop the cockroach over millions of years; destroying a cockroach infestation will take a bit of time and professional help.
"New" 4 Seasons Program
- Exterior Treatment
- Interior Treatment Upon Request
- Snail Treatment
- Free Termite Inspection
- Mosquito Harborage inspection
- Inspection for Rodents
- Inspect termite monitors