Mouse infestations are common inside our homes. You will also find around fifty mouse exterminators that service the Greater Cleveland area. As a result, there should be many options when choosing a professional to eliminate your mice. Sadly, many pest control companies fall short when exterminating mice. Here are the key factors to consider when hiring a mouse exterminator in Cleveland, Ohio.
Knowledge of Local Architecture
Our mouse exterminators show up at around ten homes per day. No matter what happens, we diagnose and provide the customer with an effective resolution. Most of our initial services take an hour to complete. It is our duty to solve complex and slightly embarrassing problems quickly and efficiently. This requires excellent inspection skills and communication. We find the correct diagnosis while putting the customer’s mind at ease. All within an hour. This takes experience.
In newer homes, mice usually enter along the roof.
Older homes usually require foundation repairs to keep mice out.
Lakewood Exterminating services Cleveland and the suburbs West. The oldest homes are closest to the city. They get newer the further West you go. You will find old stone foundations and cistern basements in Tremont and Ohio City. Once you hit Eastern Lakewood, you won’t find many stone foundations. You get into the realm of terra cotta foundation blocks. This type of construction is common in homes built from 1900-1925. This timeline covers Lakewood and homes in the Edgewater and Westpark neighborhoods.
Mouse infestations in older homes need most of the work completed along the foundation and in the basement. Can you see how even the older homes are treated differently from each other? Then, compare these older homes to the newer homes further West. The construction of these homes is entirely different. Each type of construction poses a different problem with a solution unique to that type of home.
When hiring the right mouse exterminator, you want someone who treats your house for mice. You do not need someone who can catch the mice inside your home. Anyone can catch mice. Not many people have the experience and knowledge to properly treat a home for rodents.
There are vast differences in the architecture of the homes we treat. Our service area includes ranch homes, colonials, Dutch colonials, cape cods, bungalows, tutors, and American craftsman homes. Mice enter and infest different architecture types differently. It takes experience treating all types of architecture to make an expert mouse exterminator. This is the kind of person you want to hire.
Mouse-Proofing Skills
Many pest control companies cannot solve complex pest problems. Customers often hire our company after another pest control company in Cleveland fails to resolve their mouse infestation. What is the deal? You got me. The technicians lack skill, so the companies provide a base level of protection for your home.
You have mice inside your home because there are entry points outside. You do not have a deficiency in mouse traps or rodenticides. Sure, you need to control the mice inside. But what good is this? The company will not solve your mouse problem if more mice continue getting inside.
The ability of Cleveland mouse exterminators comes on a broad spectrum. You have Lakewood Exterminating. The Owner specializes in getting rid of mice from Cleveland homes. The National Wildlife Control Operators Association trains our employees.
We provide top-level mouse control services. Each initial service includes minor foundation repairs. Additionally, we perform whole-house rodent exclusion work for homes in need. Our inspection skills properly diagnose infestations based on the home’s architecture. With this knowledge, we strategically trap and remove mice from your home. It is a holistic approach performed practically.
A good mouse exterminator will pinpoint where mice are getting inside your home.
- On the low end, exterminating companies use glue traps and mouse bait stations. They put lackluster efforts into repairing entry points outside. You get on the hook for recurring service. All the while, contamination continues to build up inside your home.
- On the high end, certain wildlife companies only provide whole-house exclusions. While you may only need a few simple repairs, these companies will ensure you never see wildlife in your home again. While a good idea, the cost is often remarkably high. These companies quote repairing all potential entry points instead of inspecting for the actual entry points. They provide a blanket solution instead of taking the time to solve your puzzle.
From these two extremes, you will find every combination in between. Some companies will not perform any repairs at all. The biggest local pest control company in Cleveland does this. Most mouse exterminators in Cleveland can fill the obvious holes along the foundation. Yet they won’t take the time to crawl under your porch or get the ladder out to inspect. Sure, some homes only require the basics. But is that the kind of service that you want for your home? When choosing the right mouse exterminator for your home, ensure they can list all potential mouse entry points outside. Even if they cannot mouse-proof your home, exterminators should be able to provide you with a report evaluating entry points.
Do not buy that garbage that you will always have mice because your house is old. Most homes are old. We service plenty of newer homes for mice, too. And do not let technicians tell you that their mouse poison will make mice go outside to seek water. That is not true. The success of your mouse control efforts depends on the ability of your exterminator to locate and repair wherever mice are entering. This does not mean stuffing steel wool in a hole behind your stove or under the sink. Ensure your mouse exterminator knows local architecture and can make patchwork repairs to your home. Mouse-proofing skills are critical!
How The Mice Will Be Removed
Surprisingly, mouse trapping takes some skill. Traps need to be set in the proper places. Mice need to be tracked.
- The best place to set up control measures is back to where the mice enter the home. To do that, you need to be able to find their entry points. We have discussed not all mouse exterminators have the skill to do this. It all ties together.
- The second-best place is to lay traps/ bait on their pathways. This is usually the trail between their nest and their food source.
- The third best place is at the food source or kitchen. If you have mice in the kitchen, you want traps there. But mice will generally be nesting in the unfinished areas of the home.
- Your exterminator should be tracking the mice as far back to their nest/ entry points as possible and doing most of the work in that area.
Then, it comes to how you will get rid of the mice inside your home. There are two options: mouse traps and rodenticide. Mouse traps require more maintenance than rodenticides. Rodenticide is a food bait matrix that has a pesticide in it. Most rodenticides are blood thinners. Rodenticide is also called mouse bait or mouse poison. These require less maintenance and can kill a large population of mice quickly. You cannot retrieve the bodies with bait as opposed to trapping. Both options have their uses.
Lakewood Exterminating likes to perform the inspection and then discuss control options with the customer. The larger companies want you on a maintenance program. They will set up some glue traps and check them each visit. Glue traps are only around 30% effective. In our opinion, this isn’t a valid control option.
Otherwise, many Cleveland pest control companies use mouse bait stations inside. While these are highly effective, this is not something you want on a continual basis. When the entry points are not repaired during mouse control services, new mice will find pheromone trails left behind by the old mice. These scent trails tell other mice that there is food/ shelter inside. New mice will follow these trails inside. They will eat more of the bait and poop until they die.
Over time, contamination with feces and carcasses builds up. It is a never-ending cycle of infestation, contamination, and control. Sure, your pest control company gets you on the hook for ongoing service. But what do you get? A bunch of poop and stinky dead mice? Maybe some houseflies? Baiting mice has its advantages, especially when they are infesting areas where traps are impractical. And a few dead mice in your walls are way better than a group of living mice. You just want to use it in conjunction with sealing their entry points.
What You Should Be Getting From Your Mouse Exterminator
There should be clear goals in mind with your mouse exterminator. They should first gather as much relative information from you. A detailed interior inspection will locate areas of activity. This should be more than you pointing out where you see mouse poop. Then, the technician should evaluate areas of your home where wildlife could potentially be entering. Plans should be made to repair these areas as soon as possible. Then, control measures should be used to remove the mouse infestation.
Sometimes you need a raisin if mice are licking the bait off the trap. Our mouse exterminators know all of the tips and tricks.
Many homeowners do not set mouse traps correctly. As simple as it may seem, there is an art to it.
As you can see, there are key factors to consider when hiring a mouse exterminator.
- More than anything, you need someone who puts your best interests first. It is challenging to erase mouse infestations from your home. They leave behind pathogens, allergens, and contamination. Have your mouse exterminator assure you that a resolution can be found.
- They should also be confident enough to be a calming influence. It is unsettling to have critters defecating throughout your home. A good mouse exterminator will make dealing with mice a pleasant experience.
Mouse infestations do not develop overnight. As a result, it can take some time to achieve control. A reasonable timeline for results is two weeks after the entry points have been repaired. Mice are inquisitive. They explore new objects and get caught easily when traps are appropriately placed. So, if your mouse problem is lingering, you should explore other options. Please use our contact page to set something up.
