Our kitchens and pantries can be attacked by a very prolific pest. Rodents can get into your home, feed upon the food that you eat, and contaminate food surfaces and other areas. Mice can leave urine, droppings, and other contamination along areas where they travel. It’s important that if you think you’re having a rodent problem in your home, restaurant, or business, you address it. Contacting a good Tulsa Exterminator can help.

Let’s take a look at mice and how they operate. Mice are small rodents that can make their way into and around homes and businesses. They are prey for many different predators, so they rely on speed and their senses to detect danger and reach cover quickly. Mice have well-developed hearing and smell, and their whiskers help them gather information about nearby surfaces as they move.

Mice often travel along walls and other edges rather than crossing open areas unnecessarily. Their whiskers can help them sense surfaces as they move through darker environments. Although mice do not see the world the same way humans do, it is more accurate to say that they rely heavily on their other senses rather than simply describing them as having extremely weak vision.

Rodent activity can create sanitation concerns. Droppings, urine, gnaw marks, nesting material, and damaged food packages can all be signs that mice are present. The CDC provides information about recognizing and controlling rodent activity around homes. Food that has been contaminated by rodents should not be consumed, and contaminated areas should be cleaned using appropriate precautions.

Mice can also reproduce quickly when food, shelter, and other conditions are favorable. A female house mouse can produce multiple litters in a year, and litter size varies. This means a small mouse problem can grow if the animals have continued access to food, water, shelter, and nesting areas. Rather than relying on a fixed number of offspring from one female, the important point is that early control can prevent a small infestation from becoming much larger.

Getting control of mice usually requires more than simply killing the animals you happen to see. Trapping can remove active rodents, while sanitation and exclusion help reduce the food and entry points that allow the problem to continue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides guidance on rodenticides and their safe use. Any pesticide or rodenticide should be used according to its label.

If you’re having a problem with mice, contact a good Tulsa Exterminator to evaluate the situation. TermMax Pest Control can inspect for signs of rodent activity, help determine where mice may be entering, and recommend an appropriate control strategy. If you have a rodent or other pest problem, give us a call so we can help get things back on track.