Have you experienced major problems with rats or mice and are not sure whether your pest control professional has succeeded in eliminating them fully? This is a common problem in many homes and knowing how to eliminate all the rodents is important if you are to enjoy a clean and safe environment. But how do you know whether your mice elimination efforts have borne fruits?
How can you prove that a mouse lives in your house?
There are some tips that will help you know whether your house is infested with mice or rats and help you take the appropriate action. These include:
Presence of fresh droppings: – After getting rid of mice, it is important to clean the house thoroughly and eliminate any droppings present. This will help detect when there is a fresh infestation of rodents in the house. Moist and dark droppings in the cupboards, drawers, corners, food packages, or store are a sure sign of fresh infestation. Always inspect these areas to see whether you can detect any fresh droppings as a sign of new infestation.
Bad odour – Rodents normally leave a trail of odor which can help you detect their presence. Always check the behavior of your pets including cats and dogs to see whether they are pawing at certain areas in the house. Such behavior should not be ignored but instead, you should inspect the area to see whether there are any strange activities or marks left by rodents. Large infestations will be followed by a stale smell or fresh droppings.
Gnawing: – Mice are known to gnaw structures and food packages and this can help you detect their presence in the house. In case you find lighter gnaw marks on your wooden structures or foods, it is a clear indicator that rodents have not been eliminated fully or there is a new infestation. If you are not sure whether the gnaw marks are fresh, try leaving a piece of food along the path at night and see whether it will be there the following day.
Tracks and runaways: – Mice and rats normally leave distinctive tracks and runaways if they are active inside your house. You can identify them using a flashlight to see whether there are urine stains, footprints, droppings, or smudge marks. If you are not sure whether the tracks are fresh, try spreading a thin layer of baby powder or wheat flour along the path and the rodents will leave some footprints when they walk along the path.
Strange noise: – Listening keenly can help you identify whether there is a mice-presence in your house. The noise is likely to come from the ceiling, wardrobe corners, or drawers either as the rodents flip through papers or communicate among themselves.
Nesting: – The presence of dried plants, shredded fabric, or papers in a certain corner could be a sure sign that your house is infested by mice. Rodents normally use these materials to make their nests and in most cases, you will find fresh droppings around their nests.
In case you find any of these signs, it is important to call for professional pest control to prevent an increase in the mice population which could prove a major nuisance. Rodents should be eliminated earlier as they have the capacity to multiply rapidly.
