Dealing With Mice

I read where if you see a mouse at night, set a trap but if you see a mouse during the day you have an infestation so likely need an exterminator.  Now we have owned six houses not counting our vacation home.  Our last three homes have had in common a very proximity to farmland.  What this really means is when the crops come off the mice come in.  It was common to see mice and voles in the garden and around the yards at our last two houses yet here I haven't seen a mouse other than what we trapped.  Vole live with proximity to river banks.  They seldom get into houses as they don't climb like mice but they can be problematic in the garden.  It is common to see voles scurry across yards or patios to get to the river bank.  In general, you won't see a mouse in the house, only evidence of a mouse in the house.

Our experience was we set a few traps and only catch a mouse or two then no further signs of mice activity more, then it was safe to seal the house well.  Chances are your problem is solved although you still need to keep a watchful eye.  This house was a bit different even though it is a newer house but had sat semi-empty for over six months.  The field came off and the mice came in.  We trapped four mice within one week!  Then I noticed the tell tale tracks of mice on the deck after a snowfall so did not hesitate to call in the exterminator.  He set up six bait stations, 5 indoors and 1 where we saw the mouse run.  Once the bait stations stayed clear of activity for a couple of months he told us to seal the hole the mice were getting into the house.  We haven't had a problem since nor have we seen any signs of activity in or around the house. 

You don't need to see a mouse to know you have problems.  All you need to see is the tell tale signs of a mouse.  If you see droppings, take action immediately.  This is not something you want to ignore.  Set traps and/or bait an exterminator.  Once you are sure there are no mice in the house, seal any problem areas where they are getting in.  Keep the traps and /or baiting going for at least 3 months after sealing the house.  If you see any signs of activity, outside, increase the traps and/or bait stations.  If you see any signs of activity in the house, set more traps then monitor the situation.

Calling in Professional Pest Control

We have never in all of our almost 35 years of marital bliss had to deal with any type of pest control that would involve hiring a professional agency.  Then we bought the house in Florida.  Even though it was only a couple of years old we finally broke down and hired a professional pest control company to deal with palmeto bugs and fire ants.  We bought this house and started moving in the first of September to later uncover a rodent and ant problem.  We started dealing with it ourselves with sealing all food sources, trapping, baiting and sealing all entry points.  Within the last two weeks we have trapped three mice and let me tell you that can easily be a mess.  My husband made the executive decision to call in the professionals.  This was not an easy decision because quite frankly calling in the professionals costs money but if you want the job done right sometimes that is what you have to do.

What to expect:
Professional pest control services will target from attic to basement or crawlspace.  They will deal with any pest problem you have.  They will charge between $300 (vacation home) and $600 or more (permanent residence) based on square footage for regular pest control (eg. ants, rodents, insects).  If you have a problem with skunks, raccoons, or squirrel there will be an additional charge for trapping.  The service personnel will first assess the problem then treat as necessary.  All trapping including bait traps is very, very discrete.  You and your guests won't even notice any signs of pest control anywhere.  They will place bait traps that insects and rodents can take back to the nest where it will kill them off.  The bait traps are colourless and odourless.  If rodents are a problem they set specialized bait traps where rodents will take the bait back to the nest preventing any trapping (aka killing in the home).   They may spray down drains, into the dead space under cabinets, in electrical outlets and behind appliances but you will never see it.  Everything they do is and I can't stress this enough very discrete.  They will bait and spray as necessary outside of the home as well as notify you of any potential pest problems.  From start to finish our experience has been about 2 hours for the initial visit.  They will check any traps and your property upon request if the pest(s) they treated for is spotted again and at regular intervals as part of their maintenance plan.  The maintenance plan will call for regular inspections, resetting traps and putting out fresh bait.  Expect the maintenance follow-up to last between 40 minutes and an hour each time.

Cost:
The cost will depend on the size of the home and what they are treating for.  In general expect to pay between $300 and $600 for an annual guaranteed treatment.   Included in that cost will be quarterly inspections in addition to any emergency treatment required free of charge.  That is included in the initial cost.  Other costs may be occurred as a result of pest damage but in general that is the responsibility of the home owner not the pest control company.

Guarantee:
A reputable pest control service will give you a solid guarantee.  We pay $300 per year for pest control at our vacation home (mainly insects).  If we see anything moving inside the house that shouldn't be moving we just call them and they treat the house again.  We just paid $600 at our permanent residence which is larger square footage and adds in the problem of mice but the same guarantee stands.  Anything moving, call them and they will take care of it with no additional charges.  That is what you are looking for with this type of service.  Get the initial treatment then use whatever follow-up treatments recommended.

Annual vs. One Time Treatment:
In general, once you have a problem with a pest it will come back even if eliminated initially.  Some pests have homing devices where they will return to where they were born but others are simply location selective.  If you border on rural land, farm land or you are in certain pest heavy zones the annual treatment is the way to go.  If you have a transient problem with raccoons or squirrels getting into your home then a one time treatment should solve your problem

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Field Mice Problems

Until our last three houses, we did not have to deal with field mice getting into the house.  Oh good gosh, these little critters are horrid to deal with.  All of our food is protected in glass, metal or heavy plastic containers.  The problem is when the fields come off the mice come in and if there isn't an easy access they will gnaw one so you have to keep a constant vigilance.  All holes, cracks and points of entry must be sealed.  You can bait outdoors providing the bait is out of the reach of children and pets but this really should be a last resort.  The reason being is poisoned mice will poison any predators, something you don't want.  Predators (eg. hawks, owls) act as a natural population check for mice. 

Even though our community is urban there is ample surrounding farmland surrounding the community and pockets of farmland within the community.  Any building regardless of its age within the vicinity of this farmland is fair game for the field mice.  Our new house backs onto a small stretch of a farmer's field that has residential homes on each side with our street ending at the larger field to the west.  Field mice are a problem for all the homes on both sides of the field as well as a couple of churches and school in the area. 

We saw signs of a mouse in the pantry in late December so took the steps to get rid of it.  The mouse was smart enough to get the peanut butter off of all three traps.  We saw no signs of the mouse so figured it was gone.  Then it snowed and sure enough there was a trail of mouse tracks across our deck into the corner where the garage meets the house, precisely where we thought the mouse got in.  My husband reset the traps with cheese, pushing hard into the bait holder.  The next morning we had caught the mouse.  It snowed again two days ago and I noticed mouse tracks in the same area of the deck.  My husband set another trap with cheese successfully catching another mouse yesterday afternoon.  The trap has been reset and we have a pretty good idea where to look for the point of entry. 

Weather is hindering any sealing on the outside but if we can get to the point of entry on the inside by moving the footer insulation, it will be possible to block from the inside.  We will still have to patch that spot on the outside when the weather permits as mice will simply gnaw their way into the house  again.  So far this looks like the only point of entry but we will continue to keep the traps set even after this entry point is sealed up just in case.  I'll be glad when spring arrives so we can do a good check of the house exterior for anywhere field mice can get in!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

A Couple of Mouse Proofing Ideas

I did a bit of volunteer work at our local library today.  One of the ladies, a friend of ours had stopped at Canadian Tire for these rather nice blueplanet totes on wheels.  This is a Canadian made product using 75% recycled content and the totes themselves can be recycled if no longer needed.  They were on sale for $5.99 so I bought four of them.  You see when it comes to mice, I take a very aggressive approach meaning nothing, absolutely nothing in my large, bedroom sized pantry is at risk.  It is protected by glass, plastic or metal.  With just moving here in September there were a few things not as protected as I wanted and besides I am still trying to organize the pantry so the totes were necessary.  As I worked, I eyed up a spot beside my industrial wire food shelving unit.  The space is 17" Wide, 18" Deep and I can basically expand to the ceiling (8') if I want.  This spot would be perfect for a metal storage cabinet with shelves for boxed foods, similar to a locker.  The food would be protected yet it would be a lot more convenient access to the boxed food besides rummaging through storage bins.  I am now looking for something that will work for this purpose.

The second idea I had as I worked was creating a rodent proof storage area for things like potatoes, onions, squashes and apples.  From experience, rodents will gnaw on the foods if given a chance.  The biggest problem is all of these foods need air circulation so I plan on making a lidded bin that uses carpenter's cloth.  This will allow air circulation for the produce but keep any rodents out.  Watch for that design to come shortly as soon as I make it.  I already know what I want it to look like so putting the plan into action is next.  Even with the best of sealing, rodents can and do get into homes because they gnaw their way through.  The key thing here is as long as any rodent that does get in cannot get any food, it will move on to an easier target.   I intend to make our home a horrid target for rodents :)

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

A Mouse in the House

I dealt with mice on numerous occasions in my childhood home.  Believe me I do not have fond memories of them at all!  I did not have to deal with them again until our kids were adults and we had moved into our fourth house.  The house was sandwiched between a farmer's field and the river.  As soon as the crops came off mice would find a way into the house.  Our fifth house was also sandwiched between a field and the river and although the field was further from the home, copious English Ivy gave a natural habitat for the field mice who made their way indoors each fall. 

Our new house is in town but it does back onto a field.  The crops came off shortly after we returned from our fall vacation in October.  We kept a close eye for any signs of mice getting in.  There were none.  We left on our winter vacation on December 4 returning on December 22 and all looked fine.  Then between Christmas and New Year's I was in the utility room where I thought I saw mice droppings.  The following day when my husband brought up the deep fryer there were mouse droppings under it! 

The rule of thumb for rodent control is to remove the critter, seal so no more can enter and remove all sources of food.  We set out three baited traps indoors, a few bait pouches outdoors and I plugged in all the electronic rodent deterrent devices.  My husband picked up a few more plastic food bins from the doughnut shop for the odds and ends in the pantry that were unprotected. Unlike our other houses, this is a newer house so less chances for rodents to get in to begin with.  We only found one possible entry via a cable but looking at it outside a mouse would not have been able to get in, still we blocked it just to be sure.

We think we sealed the mouse out, scared off by the electronic devices or us making a bit of noise as there has been no sign of a mouse since that day (almost a week ago now).  The traps have not been touched, I've not noticed any new droppings and nothing has been disturbed in the pantry or kitchen cabinet. 

This house will be rather easy to rodent proof.  There are no carpets for food crumbs to hide in and I've been doing daily vacuuming anyway.  There is no rodent friendly vegetation like tall grasses or English Ivy.  We will do a thorough perimeter check of the house as soon as we get a warm enough day or as a worse case scenario in the spring.  Any fine sealing will have to wait until spring as will a roof check since there is snow on the roof but any noticeable hole can easily be blocked temporarily.  The snow actually works in our favour in identifying any possible entry points as their little tracks become rather visible in the snow.  It's a rather small field behind us as well so the rodent population can't be very large to begin with.  Essentially as long as any food in the pantry and kitchen cupboards is in heavy plastic bins, metal or glass containers there shouldn't be a problem.  At least we are now aware that somehow at least one mouse got in. 

What we do have to check and that will have to likely wait until spring to be sure, is there are no possible entry points between the attached garage and house.  I suspect this is how the mouse got in as we could find no obvious entry points around the perimeter.  At any rate we have identified where to look, what to fix if necessary and a bit of a temporary knock-down to get us to spring.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Centipedes At the New House

We first encountered centipedes in our last house.  It was a bi-level house with the main living area mainly below ground with the back opening to the water in what some would call a walk-out basement.  The centipedes were bad because the previous owner was a hoarder so there were ample hiding spots for them to breed.  When we moved in, the clutter was gone so we were left to deal with the numerous centipedes.  I wrote a blog post on how to control house centipedes.  I took a very aggressive knock down then ongoing control approach.  We sold that house in September, buying another bi-level house and weren't even moved fully in before spotting the first centipede.

In fairness, I think since September 1 we have only spotted 3 centipedes in the new house, no where near the number of centipedes at the other house.  It was quite common to see upwards of four or five centipedes daily at the old house.  In all honesty, we should have called in a professional exterminator to deal with the centipede and spider problem at that house.

The lower level in our new home consists of the pantry, bathroom, games rooms and storage under the stairs.  There is an exit door at the end of the hall.  Anytime windows and doors are located near or below the ground level, there is the opportunity for insects and pests to get into the house.  We did a residual spray on the lower level of the new house which was a bit of overkill because the new house has a couple of features that will help to keep any insect controlled without the use of pesticides.  Essentially is does not provide centipedes with what they need to survive but because we have a pool that creates a damper area around the house, we need to stay on top of controlling insects attracted to damp areas.  We also have a sump pump that can attract moisture loving insects.

First, the centipede population is not big enough to be of concern.  The quick knock down will more than likely solve the problem.  The house is only 17 years old meaning it is considerably better sealed than the old house.  Sealing keeps insects and pests out of the house because there is less cracks for them to get into the house.  There is no carpeting in the new house.  Did you know that centipedes actually lay their eggs in carpeting?  This greatly reduces the breeding areas for centipedes.  I vacuum the hard flooring almost daily as part of my dust control which will effectively remove any centipede eggs that may be laid in the house.  Any damp clothing or cloths are hung to dry before going into the laundry hamper.  This is just good practice anyway even if you don't have insects that are attracted to moisture.  It prevents any molding issues too.  Finally, the lower level of our new house (unlike our old house) has an abundance of natural light.  This discourages insects like centipedes that prefer darker hiding spots.

In short, I don't anticipate any problem with centipedes at our new house.  I doubt we will see more than a couple in the year, likely in the spring and fall during the wet seasons.  The nice thing is we already know how to deal with centipedes!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Bed Bugs

No we do not have bed bugs!  I thought this would be an interesting posts because across Canada there have been more reports of bed bugs with Simon Fraser University dormitories being recent in the news. Bed bugs have been growing in frequency in the developed world since 1995.   In fact one report I read said bed bug incidence had increased by 5,000 per cent world wide.  So what are bed bugs, how do you get them, implications and how do you get rid of them?

• what are bed bugs -  Bed bugs are small mainly nocturnal, parasitic insects of the family Cimicidae that feed off of warm blooded animals.  Their preferred habitat is indoors mainly in beds hence their name or other places that people sleep (eg. couches).
• how do you get beg bugs - We live in a very mobil society that unfortunately helps some bugs and other critters get from point A to point B by hitching a ride in suit cases, travel bags, fruit and vegetable containers, in camping equipment, wheel wells, car trunks and so much more.   That means if you stay at a motel that is infested with bed bugs while traveling you could accidently bring them home with you in your luggage.  Bed bugs can enter your house via use furniture that came from an infested dwelling.  Pets can also be host to bed bugs that hitch a ride into your home.  In general multi-unit dwellings like motels, apartment buildings, condos and dormitories are more prone to any insect infestations simply because once introduced to one unit the insects can easily move and become established in other units. 
• prevention of bed bugs - If you have been traveling shake out all the clothes in your suitcase outdoors and set the suitcase out in the sun to air dry.   If you buy used upholstered furniture leave it outdoors, clean and vacuum well before bringing indoors.  Both are good practices to prevent other insect hitch hikers from entering your home in addition to bed bugs. 
• implications of bed bugs - Bed bugs feed off of human blood so that means bites that can be itchy, swollen and become infected especially in children.   
• how do you get rid of bed bugs - Some bed bugs can be eliminated by dropping the indoor temperature below freezing but in general this is not an effective solution.  Bed bugs can survive about a year without feeding as well.  So that eliminates one of the main ways of controlling indoor insects.  Mattresses should be covered with a zippered plastic or hypoallergenic mattress cover that does not allow bed bugs in the mattress to get out so they will eventually die off.  Wash linens in hot water and dry on hot setting to kill any bed bug nymphs or eggs.  Vacuum, vacuum and vacuum on the bed, in, under and around the bed including the frame and anywhere else bed bugs can hide.  Each time you vacuum you will get bed bug eggs as well as bed bugs at various stages of life lowering their population simply by vacuuming.  The more you vacuum the less bed bugs.  There are specialized pesticides for bed bugs but bed bugs are developing resistance to pesticides compounding the problem.  There are natural predators like centipedes but they are not an effective solution for bed bug infestations. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Spider Control

When we moved here in 2007 we expected critter problems so they came as no surprise.  The house is in a rural location on waterfront property which exposes us to a few more critters than if we were living in a urban setting.  It did not help that much of the property was over grown providing the perfect habitat for many critters  and while we have done a lot of ripping out there are still plenty of hiding spots for critters.  We have dealt with centipedes, millipedes, pill bugs, earwigs, spiders, black ants, yellow jackets, wasps, mice, voles, skunks, rabbits and racoons.   Critters tend to controlled by natural predators so unless a critter becomes a problem indoors or presents the risk of physical harm to humans my philosophy is to leave them be.   

Spiders by an large are beneficial critters that should allowed to remain in your gardens providing there is a low risk of being bit and the spider is not toxic.  Indoors spiders are wonderful indicators of drafts that should be sealed because they spin their webs where their egg sacks can be kept cool.  Outdoors spiders keep insects in check.  In most cases manual removal of the spider and any egg sacs is enough to solve any spider over population problems when combined with sealing them out of the house.  Regular web removal outdoors will help control them as well.

I've been using the spider identification chart to help identify some of the harmful spiders here.  Pictured is a golden orb-weaving spider that while large (about the size of a quarter) is non-agressive and non-toxic to humans.  I have identified several problem spiders around our house with the worst ones being the brown recluse spider and house spider both aggressive and toxic spiders.

I blogged about the funnel spiders on my gardening blog.  While these are non-aggressive, low risk of a bit spiders this year they are presenting a problem just in their shear numbers.  These spiders are toxic which could be very problematic with three little grandchildren running around.  All of the cedar hedges and English boxwoods are covered with these spiders.  I've only seen a couple indoors though so that is a good thing. 

Manual removal of these fast moving spiders is impossible although sweeping down the hedges helps somewhat.  Given their numbers I am going to spray the hedges to do a good but not total knockdown.  A total knockdown of spiders outdoors is virtually impossible and not desirable anyway.  All I'm looking for is a reasonable knockdown that will lessen the chances of any spider bite problems.

Insecticides are something I prefer not to use if at all possible.  Insecticides when used indiscriminately knock out all insects and arachnids including the beneficial ones like pollinators and the golden orb-weaving spider.  I garden organically so don't want any overspray getting onto my vegetables or into the soil.  I also don't want insecticides making their way into the natural body of water where they can do a lot of damage. 

I'm using two specific application insecticides.  The first is Bio-Mist by Green Earth.  This product is safe for use on vegetation and can be used to do a rapid knockdown aroung the perimeter of the house if necessary.  It kills on contact without a residual effect.  I will be using this on the cedars and boxwoods to lower the funnel spider population.  SpiderBan® by Wilson® is a targetted indoor/outdoor spider killer that kills on contact as well as a residual effect.  This product has a low mammalian toxicity but is highly toxic to fish and bees.  It will kill spiders on the house and has enough of a residual effect to continue killing any spiders that come into contact with the surfaces sprayed with this insecticide will continue to be killed.  This insecticide is specifically useful for treating outdoor surfaces like siding and brick as well as indoor cracks and crevices.  While most residual insecticides will give the residual time frame Wilson® does not but from experience this product will give a good 6 month effect.  I will be using SpiderBan® to treat only the house and garage directly on the buildings.

When we moved here we called a pest control company for the spiders.  They quoted us a price of $250 for outdoor spraying only.  I decided to look for a way to do this ourselves.  The ideal applicator is a pressurized pump sprayer.  You mix the concentrate with water in the sprayer then put the lid on and pump the handle until it is very stiff then tighten it down.  The contents can then be sprayed under pressure through the nozzle by pressing the red lever (middle of hose).  At under $25 a pressurized pump sprayer is a low cost, low tech, mecanical way to apply pesticides.  If you use natural pesticides (eg. vinegar), chemical herbicides (eg. Round-up), chemical insecticides (eg. SpiderBan) or natural insecticides (eg. soap solution) you will want 4 of these sprayers well marked with their intended uses so you don't make the mistake of spraying a chemical insecticide on your organic vegetable garden.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Palmetto Bug (Waterbug)

Palmetto Bug

May 25, 2010

On the last day of our vacation I spotted what I thought was a Palmetto bug on the outside of the lanai so snapped a picture to find out what we were dealing with.  Despite the house being empty for a year and a half it was surprisingly free of any signs of insect infestation.  There were a few tiny flies that were dead on some of the windowsills which would be quite normal even if the house had been open.  Other than that the only other bug in the house was again what I thought was a live Palmetto bug in the toilet but I was half awake so didn't think much more about it other than flushing.  When we arrived home I decided to do a bit of research.

The bug in the toilet and outside the lanai were Palmetto bugs.  The Palmetto bug aka Waterbug is also called the American cockroach.  They are frequent house pests in the southern United States.  Palmetto bugs reach a length of about 2 inches.  They can walk across ceilings and fly.  Palmetto bugs will not hurt you unless trapped in something like a shoe then they will bite.  They may fly at your face mistaken you for a tree if trying to get to safety.  Great just what I need!  The solution to Palmetto bugs is much the same as any other insect that invades the house.

• remove all sources of food and water
• block and seal all entry points
• manual removal
• in the case of large infestations do a complete knockdown with a residual pesticide
• clear any encouraging vegetation (habitat) from around the perimeter of the house
• hang damp clothing and towels rather than leave them on the floor

In the case of Palmetto bugs it is advised to keep all drains plugged when not in use.   Since the vacation home will be closed up when we are not there or when rented out keeping the food area meticulously clean won't be a problem.  There won't be any food in the cabinets the bugs could get into either.  I will take the precaution of sealing the toaster in a large sealable bag as well, a trick I learned when dealing with the large black ants here.  We don't have any potted houseplants so that removes that source of water.  On our next trip I will put out a few of the sticky mouse traps.  I don't think it is really necessary but it won't hurt when the house is closed up just in case.  I will also be going around the house to caulk any cracks or openings these bugs could get in. 

Again this is a fairly new house (2007) so this is not going to be a big task and I certainly don't think there is any real infestation but the time to deal with this is the first time the pest is spotted.  I think the area to focus on is the lanai as we know the small gecko can get in.  Geckos will catch and eat Palmetto bugs so the lanai to some degree is protected with out little guy.  From experience if the patio door between the lanai and kitchen is not closed then anything that gets into the lanai can get into the house.  So I will focus on sealing the lanai then check for any other areas that need sealing.



Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Dealing With Ants

Ants can be a problem regardless of where you live.  The most common area you will find ants in the home in the kitchen so that in itself is problematic.  Luckily I have not had to deal with ants a lot although at this house we do have the big black carpenter ants.  As with any pest I look to the root of the problem then deal with it from there.  Ants are looking for a great location close to a food source to build their colony.  If you remove their habitat and food source they will like any other pest move on.  The first step is identifying the ant.  The second step is keeping things in and around the home meticulously clean. 

•  remove all food sources - All food should be put into ant proof containers.  Think heavy plastic or better yet glass jars.  
• ant trails - Ants leave a scent trail for other ants to follow.  It is very important to wash away any signs of this trail.  Observation will show you where the trail is then wash where the trail is good with Pinesol or Simple Green.
• vaccuum - A single crumb is enough to feed an ant colony for days so vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.  Use a hand held vacuum but get any food crumbs up and out of the house.  If you spot any ants they are fair game for the vacuum cleaner as well.
• problem solve - Find the point of entry and correct the problem.  Use spray insulating foam to seal around outlets and put plastic caps in the outlets to prevent any entry.  Caulk and seal every possible source of entry.  If you have carpenter ants you need to find the source of the wood rot (moisture) that is attracting them.  Destroy the nest and correct the moisture problem.  Any remaining ants will move on.  
• ant bait/sprays - You may need to set out a few ant baits but they should be out of the kitchen area and where children can play with them.  Seriously though ant bait is not an effective way of dealing with ants.  It is a temporary solution at best.  You need to correct the problem then destroy the nest.  Rather than use poisonous to humans bait use the sweetener packaged in the blue packets.  It is a neurotoxin that will kill off ants.  Another effective method is boiling water but only do this for ant hills very close to your house that are causing problems.  Ants are actually very beneficial critters so it is good to keep them outside while preventing them from coming indoors. 
• natural treatments - Bayleaves, cinnamon and mint oil are all rumoured to be effective treatments for ants when placed along their trails.  Cornmeal is said to be effective by some but other report it just attracts ants.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010