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Do It Yourself Pest Control- How to get rid of mice in your London home

DIY Home Pest Control - Mission Possible

As the weather gets cold one of the most common pest problems almost every London home and business owners have to deal with is domestic mice. Domestic mice don't want to be out in the cold any more than humans do.
These pesky pests will use their teeth to chew their way through your home. Mice can chew on water or gas pipes, soft concrete, rubber, plastic, insulation, wood, and aluminium. Mice can be very flexible and can squeeze their bodies to get into any crack or gap to get inside. In fact, they can enter through gaps in windows, doors, ceilings, or even sewer lines.
If drainage pipes are not sealed properly, domestic mice can enter homes through sinks or bathtub drains Once they are inside they will start to breed which will result in a full infestation soon.
 
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Do-It-Yourself Pest Control Facts

Are Small Mice Really That Dangerous?
Many people consider mice as cute and innocent, but the reality is they can cause serious harm. Mice are known to spread many nasty diseases such as Salmonella and Listeria- to humans through their urine, feces, and bedding. As they scurry around, they carry bacteria and dirt with them, transferring them directly to your countertops, cupboards and anywhere else they travel. For the past 30 years, the experts from Archers Pest Control have helped thousands of London home and business owners to get rid of mice infestation and any other type of pest infestation.
 
Every statistic for the last 30 years and more shows that 80% of London home-owners prefer to perform DIY pest control and only 20% prefer to seek help from professional London pest control companies. As we all know, the Internet is the most powerful tool and you can easily find any information that you are looking for. In fact, an online search for “ how to get rid of rats” or “homemade bed bug repellent” will give you pages of results.
Some of the methods could be helpful, but unfortunately, some of them might not be. Thanks to our knowledgeable and certified pest control experts from Archers Pest Control we start our first blog of “ Do-It-Yourself - Pest Control.
In today's blog, the experts from Archers will share with you the secret of the successful  Do-It-Yourself- Mice Control. Here you will find everything you need to know about do-it-yourself pest control but couldn't get anyone to tell you. The information contained in this guide is collected from the veteran pest control technicians working with Archers Pest Control for more than 20 years. This is good news if you rather do the job yourself and not have to pay a professional London pest control expert. In our helpful guide, you will also find step-by-step videos and pictures of how to perform the mice control with confidence.  Keep in mind this is not an easy task, without professional advice, as the following information must be taken into account before attempting to take action.

Run through this step-by-step guide for how to get rid of mice infestation, and they will be gone! 

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Domestic Mice Infestation

For domestic mice infestation, there are many signs to look for. You might see gnaw marks on your furniture, some food packaged can be chewed. Also, a common sign of mice infestation is noticing odd odours where mice might be nesting. Keep in mind that even a single mouse can indicate a larger infestation.  Mice can invade homes and businesses looking for shelter and food. Often they can be found hiding behind walls in your kitchen, garage, basement or attic. Mice are craft and smart critters but with the right tools and of course, the right techniques mouse control can be very easy.

 

Step 1
The first step of the process is identification. So how do you know if you are dealing with domestic mice rather than some other rodent such as rats or squirrels? Looking at their size is the first clue. Domestic mice typically measure around 2 to 3 inches while the brown rats for example can grow up to 10 inches. Mice also have large ears and pointy noses. In case you have problems spotting the right rodent themselves you can also look at their droppings. Mice droppings are smaller than the rats and with pointed ends.
In fact, mice droppings are more plentiful in quantity. A single domestic mouse can leave behind between 70 and 80 droppings while the brown rat will leave about 40. If you are having difficulties identifying mice activity the exterminators from Archers Pest Control recommends using UV powder for tracking. When mice infest the kitchen or the attic, one of the first things you need to do is to find where they are coming from and what routes they are taking to get some food or shelter.
The UV tracking powder is making this task easier and Archers Pest Control exterminators are always receiving positive results on customer premises. Keep in mind, before placing the UV tracking powder you have to wear a dust mask and gloves! Place the powder in the area where you suspect the mice activity.

Step 2
The second step of the process is inspection. One of the most frequent questions we get is how do I know I have a mice infestation? Basically, mice have very oily fur so one of the things to look for is smear marks along the walls and skirting boards of your property. Also, keep a nose for any odd odours. Mouse urine and droppings leave behind a very strong scent.
Look carefully for holes or tears in your food packaging in your pantry and cupboards. Inspection starts by looking inside your home. You have to check underneath cabinets in the kitchen or bathroom and behind the appliances such as fridges, stoves and washing machines. Also, check the attic and the basement. Containers and clutters against the walls help mice feel safe as they travel.
As a matter of fact, mice will never travel further than 10 to 30 feet from their nest. So if you are seeing mice activity in certain spots note these areas. You can also use UV tracking powder in these areas.
The mice control experts from Archers Pest Control also recommend prioritizing the indoor treatment. Once mice find their way to your home they won't leave. However, you should also check the outside of your home to investigate how the mice are gaining access to your property. Check for any cracks, crevices, or voids that mice can use to get in. Make sure windows and doors are closing properly.
Checking the voids around plumbing and vents. Mice actually can enter holes small as a ballpen. So don't ignore these openings. Now when you know what and where to look you can start the treatment.

Before Starting The Treatment
Be sure to wear proper personal protective equipment. Gloves are especially important when handling traps and bait stations. Not only for your safety but also human scent could be left behind the traps or stations and will make them less effective.
 
Starting The Treatment
Sanitizing your property is essential. Make sure you wipe down all kitchen appliances and cupboards. Put away and seal all pet food and other dry food. Clean the floors and declutter your attic and basement. Once everything is cleaned it is time to seal any openings on the exterior. This step will prevent additional mice from entering the property and ensure that the mice that are already inside your home have no alternative food sources outside.
The pest exterminators from Archers Pest Control recommend using materials like copper mesh as it is a flexible metal material that can be easily stuffed into any voids and holes. Also, rodents won't be able to chew through it. After you cleaned and prepared the area you can start the baiting and trapping.
One of the most effective ways to get rid of mice infestation the exterminators from Archers suggest using the combination of mouse poison bait blocks and traps. By using snap traps and mice bait stations we cast a wide net to catch as many mice as possible.
 
How To Set Bait Stations
Place the bait stations along the walls about 8 to 10 feet apart where you have seen the mice activity.  The bait stations also need to be placed out of the reach of children and pets. Use eradication bait blocks with mouse bait stations. The bait station will house the mouse poison and will provide mice a safe place to consume the bait. Put one block of the mouse poison block and after place the bait stations along the walls and skirting boards.
When placing the stations place them so that the station's holes are up against the walls. Mice rarely travel in open areas and instead travel along walls so by placing the stations like this you can provide them a safe and easy way to enter it. Don't forget to check the station every 7 to 10 days to monitor for any activity.
Along with the bait station, you have to use snap traps. These traps could be found in every DIY shop near you. Easy snap traps are easy to arm, sanitary and have a unique pole bar design that allows you to dispose of mice without touching them.
 
Bait Placement Tips From The Experts
Our London mice exterminators generally recommend using between 5 to 10 snap traps for most average households. Set the traps every 5 to 10 feet along walls and skirting boards where you have noticed mice activity and out of the reach of children and pets.
If you want your treatment to be successful our pest control experts suggest actually bait without setting the traps for a few days.
This is a key step that most people often overlook when using traps. Leaving unarmed traps for a few days will gain the mouse trust. Avoid using cheese because as a matter of fact, mice prefer something sweet and sticky like peanut butter.
One more reason why our technicians are using peanut butter is that it can't be easily grabbed and run off once the trap is set. Smear some peanut butter on the trap trigger plate and place your straps without setting them. Check them regularly to see if mice are taking the bait. Once they are continuing to take the bait of the trap you can then set it.
Usually, the bait blocks take between 10 and 14 days to fully eliminate the mice. Once you stop noticing any mice activity it is time to block the holes inside your home. It is not recommended to seal the gaps before eliminating the mice from your property as they might die behind walls, in the basement, or attic and can cause bad odour in your property. In case you can notice an unpleasant odour and you think it might be from a dead mouse use mice odour sachets to get rid of the smell.

Recommendation To Best Way To Block Up Rodent Holes.
The last step of the mice control is blocking all entry points. Make a thorough inspection inside your home and find all of the potential entry points. Make sure you check under the kitchen and bathroom sinks where pipes enter the walls,  air-conditioning units, behind washing machines, and refrigerators,  under kitchen cupboards, and also check for broken windows and vents. 
The Archers Pest Control expert's recommendation is to seal any gap larger than ¼ inches. The materials that our mice exterminators are using are caulk, expanding foam, and the most important wire wool. In order to fill the gaps properly is a 3 step process. The first step is to fill the gap with the wire wool.
After that, you can use expanding foam to fill the gap. The foam is used only as a filler for the wire mesh. Foam is used by our technicians only for filler or backer. The foam should be sealed. Use caulk to seal any small gaps and crevices.

Below you can find our video tutorial of how to properly block mice entry points. 



 

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