Mice may be active year round.  Although, in the winter, there tends to be additional pressure from mice due to the fact that outside food sources become restricted and homes provide comfortable shelter.  When trying to eliminate mice from a location, there are typically two methods that may be implemented either independently or jointly.  Those are namely, trapping and baiting.  There are pros and cons to each approach.

Let’s discuss trapping first.  One of the best benefits that is derived from trapping mice is that when you catch one, you may then immediately discard it.  Traps may contain such items as food, like cheese or peanut butter, and also things like cotton balls or other fabrics which would be used as nesting materials.  Some of these items may be tied to a snap trap using a piece of string or thread to enhance the triggering mechanism.  One of the downsides to trapping is that if you are dealing with multiple mice you may catch a portion of the population, while the remaining mice avoid your traps.  The downside to trapping is that it can require a bit of patience and persistent  management, as you monitor your traps, replace bait items, and reset traps.  If you have one or two mice, and are able to quickly trap them and be donw with it, then that is an ideal scenario.  It is difficult to know the exact number of mice infesting a structure.  In my experience, estimating mcie populations it is more of an estimate like, a light, medium or heavy infestation based the length of time the infestation has persisted, the number of daily sightings and traffic observed, the amount of food they are getting into, and the amount of excrement they are leaving behind in an area.

Now, the topic of baiting.  Baiting is nice for a number of reasons.  Once bait is introduced into the environment, assuming that it has an attractive food matrix, it requires very little manaagement.  Place the bait and wait.  Almost all bait placements should be implemented throught the use of tamper resistant stations to prevent poisoning accidents with children and/or pets.  Places such as attics and some crawl spaces may not require bait stations, if there is no chance that children or pets will have access to those areas where loose bait is introduced.  Baiting can resolve many issues in as little as 24 to 48 hours.  Baiting requires and is enhanced by making sure that all other food sources are eliminated from the environment, so far as possible, so that mice are forced to take the bait.  Another benefit to baiting is that after the infestation has been cleared up, baits may stay down, so as to control reinfesting problems after the original problem has been resolved.  Baiting does have it’s downside.  The most frequently asked question regarding baiting is, “where are the mice going to die”.  The truth is that the mice will die somewhere in the structure.  The normally die in the wall voids and subfloors, but can really end up dead anywhere they are located when the lethal dose of the bait finally takes its toll.  There is no control over where the carcass will end up.  Most of the time people simply experience an absence of activity after a successful baiting strategy.  Then the follow up question tends to be, “will the dead mouse create an odor problem”.  The answer, maybe.  If a mouse dies in a wall void or sub-floor, there is normally no odor detected.  Variables such as temperature, moisture levels, concentration of the number of dead mice, location of the carcass in the structure are all things that can affect whether an odor issue is detectable or not.  A mouse typically decomposes in about a week or two should an odor problem arise.  Even if people did nothing, there exists a good possibility that a mouse might die a natural death anyway in a home since mice typically live up to a maximum life span of one year.

Author – Carl Wilson

Extermiman® is able to get raccoons out of your house.  The two most common scenarios we encounter are raccoons living in your chimney or attic.  You may have tried some techniques and failed with them or you are concerned about the safety of yourself and family when considering possible contact with these wild animals.  Extermiman® can capture or evict raccoons from your home.  Call today for a free consultation and estimate.  801-296-5960

As a new customer you will receive 10% off any initial service with Extermiman.  Call us at 801-296-5960 to receive a quote and free consultation.

Please use this reference code when calling in:  ad10

Extermiman® can get rid of your bed bugs in one treatment.

Professional companies that eliminate bed bugs usually choose one of three methods to eliminate bed bugs.  Those are chemical, thermal (heat), or cryonite (freezing).

Extermiman® does use chemical control as our primary preferred method to eradicate bed bugs.  Chemical control is typically 50% of the cost compared to thermal and cryonite.  It is interesting to note that heat and freezing treatments will still sometimes rely on some level of chemical control to permeate spaces such as wall voids or other areas where those technologies cannot reach or penetrate.

Extermiman® uses a combination of chemistries to facilitate fast action, flushing properties, every stage kill, overcoming resistance  and very good residual control.  Many companies rely on one chemistry to control bed bug problems.  If a company tells you that it is going to require follow up treatments to eliminate your problem, they are likely relying on one product (chemistry) to deal with the problem.  They also likely lack the insight and expertise to quickly arrest and eradicate the problem.

Bed bug control can be somewhat expensive compared to other common pest problems.  For a home that needs 1 to 4 rooms treated a person could expect to pay anywhere from about $275.00 to $575.00.  With heat and freezing treatments you can expect to pay about double those amounts.

Mosquitoes are starting to surge and surge well just as it has been predicted with the heavy rains this year.

A recent article by KSL addresses the increased “tree hole” mosquito problem.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16210879

If you need help with mosquito problems on your personal property Extermiman can assist with solutions.

Mention that you found us online with the following promo code and receive 10% off any of our pest control services.

Promo code: fb10

The following photographs were taken by Extermiman® owner Carl Wilson on May 28th, 2011.  The black smudge marks are the excretions that bed bugs leave behind after they have had a blood feeding.  When searching for evidence of bed bugs, these smudge marks are a good indicator that bed bugs may be present if no live insects have been discovered.

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Signs of Bed Bugs

Extermiman® can find and remove dead animals in your home.  The complexity of the job may vary based on where the critter has died in the structure.

Extermiman® is able to deliver solutions for the control of several ornamental insect issues including but not limited to:

• Adelgids
• Aphids
• Bagworm
• Beeltes
• Borers
• Cankerworms
• Galls
• Lace Bugs
• Leaf Eating Caterpillars
• Leafhoppers
• Leafminers
• Mealybugs
• Ornamental Webworms
• Rust Mites
• Sawflies (Broadleaf & Pine)
• Scale
• Spider Mites
• Spittlebugs
• Tent Caterpillars
• Thrips
• Weevils
• Whiteflies

Mention that you found us online with the following promo code and receive 10% off any of our pest control services.

Promo code: ext10