Oklahoma weather can be very turbulent at times. Some days you are hot and the next day you could have cold weather. We’ve seen snow storms and then 70° weather the next day. Because of this volatile weather, it’s often that rodents find themselves caught in the middle. In light of this, it can cause issues with our homes and businesses when it comes to mice and rats. Keeping her home, restaurant or business free from mice and rats is the top priority for TermMax Pest Control. This article is going to discuss the many ways of protecting your home, your business or your restaurant from rodent infestation.
GENERAL MICE INFORMATION
Mice and rats are common in Oklahoma much like the rest of the United States. These small mammals seek three different things when bad weather hits. They’re looking for harborage, food and water. When the weather gets very cold, that pushes a lot of our rodent population into homes and businesses. They are looking for somewhere warm to stay. Once they find a nice warm place, they will build a nest and begin setting up a family. And if there is one thing true about mice and rats, it is that they have huge families. Your Broken Arrow pest control company will have more information and ways of dealing with these pests.
Female mice tend to stay pregnant. They can actually become pregnant before they have the current litter that they are carrying. They can reproduce year-round, and have a large litters. Rats are pretty much the same. The second thing that mice are looking for is food. They have a very acute sense of smell. They will search and find your pantry or kitchen areas and seek out the food found there. Plastic bags and other containers are no match for their teeth. They will chew through many different substances in order to get to food. In fact mice actually have to chew to survive. Their teeth continue to grow throughout the length of their life. If they do not chew on something, their teeth will become overgrown and they won’t be able to eat properly. They will starve to death.
HOW MICE CHEW
Because of this, it’s important that they find something to chew on, and they will. Whether it is chewing a new hole through a wall or some container that’s holding food, they will find a way to keep their teeth groomed and their bellies full. The third thing that mice and rats are always out looking for, is water. In many cases mice and rats will find their way outside and find mud puddles or other sources of water. Mice will also glean moisture from the food that they eat. Keeping standing water out of your home is an important part of making sure that mice and rodents don’t make a home out of your home. But of all three of these, water is the hardest to keep from mice. Call your Broken Arrow exterminator today.
In Oklahoma, the ground is constantly moving. Our buildings are always settling and therefore there are always new cracks and gaps in our foundations and brick work. Mice and other pests will find these gaps and use them to enter and exit your home. If a mouse can get his head through a gap, then he can get the rest of his body through. Rats are also no different. In most cases, if a mouse can find a hole the size of a dime, it can get its body through that gap. With a rat, if it finds a hole the size of a quarter, it can also get itself completely through that gap. Because of this, it’s important to keep cracks, gaps and holes sealed up as best as you can.
KEEPING MICE OUT
This process is known as the exclusion. It excludes these rodents from getting inside your home. If you have a Tulsa exterminator come and service your home, exclusion should be part of that service. There are many different materials that can be used to fill gaps in your foundation. One of the most common ones is steel wool. Mice cannot chew through it. In some cases, when the holes are large, mice will push the steel wool through the hole, making a path for themselves. This, at least, will let you know where mice are coming in from. Once you know where mice are coming in from, traps and baiting can be much more effective.
SENSES
Mice have a limited sense of vision. They actually can’t see very far ahead of them. But what they lack in vision, they can make up for in smell and feel. Their sense of smell helps them to find food and other things that they need to survive. Their sense of feeling helps him get around. They use their whiskers to feel what’s ahead of them. Often they will run up against walls, feeling the wall with their whiskers as they run. By doing this, they can move very fast.
They also can hear quite well as well. These animals find themselves at the bottom of the food chain. And because of this they have to have ways that they can protect themselves. They’re very small, and easy prey if they can be caught. But they’re also very fast. And they reproduce extremely quickly. Most mice, if they find themselves at two years of age, have lived a long and full life. But in captivity they can live close to 10 years without the influence of predators. Mice are very resourceful indeed.
ELIMINATING MICE FOR GOOD
If you’re having issues with mice, rats, rodents or any other pests then it’s probably try me time to call Tulsa pest control company. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with pests. We service the greater Tulsa area including Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa, Bixby, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Prattville, Turley and much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!