Recently we have seen a significant increase of mice activity throughout homes in Wagga Wagga. Although the most recent mouse plague is a few years behind, we are not expecting plagues anytime soon, however the numbers of these winter pests are on the increase.
Why do mice appear in winter?
The reason why we refer to mice as winter pests is because this is the time of year that they are looking to move from outdoor environments such as surrounding farm and bushland and move into a nice warm environment, close to food and water sources such as your home. The average home is a fantastic place for mice or rats to live in during winter.
We attended a property in Tatton and came across a mouse infestation that is very typical of what we see this time of year. In the picture below you can see why a typical Wagga roof void is perfect. Particle insulation is perfect nesting material, mice live to burrow down into this insulation material to make their nests and produce young. You can see, hard against the ceiling joist is a burrow, there is also some droppings nearby on the left. Rodents in the roof can be very problematic. Urine can stain ceilings, rodents need to gnaw constantly and as a result can start fires and there isn’t much food in your roof so they will come into your home in search of food.
Once in your home, not only is there available food and water but there can also be other nesting opportunities also. As you can see, once we moved some stored goods from an area inside we found other areas where they were nesting. Stored items provide an ideal harbourage for these small rodents that are extremely well adapted to exploit such areas.
How do I know if I have a rodent problem?
Many home owners that think they have a mouse problem usually tell the pest manager ‘I’ve a mouse running around’ or ‘I’ve only seen a couple’. The fact is, there is very rarely one or two. You need to remain vigilant and look for the signs.
Look for droppings. Droppings are a good indicator of activity and activity levels. You may not see droppings in areas such as roof voids or in amongst stored items. You will see them in open areas. This particular home even had droppings on a window frame. Look for gnaw marks on food packaging, food containers, conduit and cables. Look for nests that may be hidden in areas of stored goods that are rarely used or moved. Listen at night when things are quiet, you might hear sounds of activity, pets may become excitable for no apparent reason. But most importantly, if you see what you think might be droppings (as pictured above) or actual live mice, call a Professional Pest Manager.
A professional will not just put some bait down and take your money. A professional will assess and inspect to find entry points and advise you of what you need to do to stop them entering. Be fully aware of the size of the problem and activity levels or numbers of mice ensuring that the right products are used in the right places to maximise the speed of control. And most importantly a professional will follow-up. Mice control is not a one visit fix, more than one visit will be required due to their habits. Amalgamated Pest Control will ensure your mice are gone from your property and warrant the service, if they come back, so will we.
Don’t ignore the signs. Not noticing the signs or not acting allows the problem to spiral out of control as mice produce around 6 per litter and are sexually mature in as little as 6 weeks. Which means that the mouse you see today could be dozens in the very near future.
Still concerned?
If you need any help or advice on rodents, or have a problem now. Make use of our fantastic Winter Special, call Amalgamated Pest Control Riverina for a Guaranteed Gone solution.