Everyone has pests in their home at one time or another in their lives. Some are easier to get rid of than others. Calling in a specialist pest control company generally means you are more likely to find a long-term solution than just spraying a bit of insecticide yourself.

Ants are a plague in many homes. Finding the nest and pouring boiling water onto it may be very satisfying, but it won't get rid of more than a few thousands of the millions of ants in the nest.

Wasps nests can be dealt with easily if they are in the ground. It is simple enough to watch where the wasps are going into the soil. Then you just buy a puffer bottle of powder from the hardware store, squirt it around the nest entrance and the wasps carry it in. What if the nest is up a tree, or under the roof of the house. Do you really want to be up a ladder being stung by thousands of angry wasps? Forget it and call in the professionals.

Mice often come indoors in the fall, when it gets cold outside. The first sign that you have mice may be rustlings under the furniture as the mice build their nest from scraps of paper you drop. If you wait, matters will only become worse, packets gnawed and small black mouse droppings in your kitchen. Mouse-traps may work, but are you expert enough with a mousetrap that you are not going to set it off and break your finger. Do you really want to remove a mouse with a bloody broken neck from a trap before breakfast?

Rats are a fact of life if you live in the country. You can sit outside at night with a rifle, or you can find someone who will rid you of the infestation by putting down poison on a regular basis. If you shoot one rat, another one will move in to take its place, so while shooting them may be satisfying and good target practice it does not get rid of the problem permanently.

Pest control companies are very discreet and can be hired over the Internet, so your neighbours needn't know you have unwelcome visitors. After all it's not the kind of thing anyone likes to advertise. They will even lead away any stray unicorns.

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They might be cute, or they might be big and ugly, but their incessant need to chew is not helping your home. Rodents can do serious damage to your woodwork, wallboard, insulation and siding. The mess they leave in your kitchen cupboard is frustrating, sure, and with the costs of food going up you can't afford to fork out for your furry friends' dinners as well as your own.

Tackle the rodent issue as soon as you spot signs of their encroachment - don't wait until you find yourself leaping onto a chair to avoid that rat racing across the kitchen. At that point, you'll be waging a war rather than just defending your borders.

Popular Rat Catching Devices:

Black Hole Rodent Trap

Rat Zapper

Havahart 1020 Two Door Cage Trap for Mice and Rats 10 x 3 x 3

If you've copped on to the presence of critters early enough, you may be able to use non-lethal force. It may be a matter of blocking their entrances and encouraging them to go elsewhere. Fill any holes they might be entering through and caulk cracks. Screens and steel wool (which can't be chewed through) are good deterrents.

If you have children or pets you may want to try natural rodent repellents. Some people suggest putting cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil near openings and in areas rodents frequent. Others swear by keeping little bowls of black pepper near food areas. Bunches of mint and/or lavender may be another way to deter the little (or bigger) critters. Another solution is an odor based repellant - these use the odor of predatory animals to frighten rodents off.

Keeping in the humane vein, live traps can be effective, but only if you take your unwanted tenants far enough from home that they can't find their way back. Also, be aware that rodents spread disease, which you may want to think about before you go ferrying them around town. The regular, lethal traps are probably a safer, more effective choice. Think about the placement of your traps. Most rodents have poor eyesight and keep close to the walls, only venturing into open space when necessary so set your goods in their passage, not in the middle of the room.

For others who want to keep their hands clean, or who have a reoccurring rodent issue, getting a cat can be an excellent solution. But remember, not all cats are born mousers and you may inevitably need to step up your game. Depending on where you live, you may want to reinforce the perimeter of the property by building nest boxes to attract natural predators such as barn owls.

When all else fails (or if you haven't the patience to wait that long), it's time to turn to poison. The nature of rodents means that they will eat a little, wait and if they don't get sick, return for another meal. Prior to using a poison, you may want to leave out regular food for a few days, so that the rodents learn to trust the food source before adding poison.

There are many reasons you may not want to use traditional anticoagulant poisons, the main ones being that the poison can cause toxicity in children and other animals. Unintended death is a possible outcome depending on the type of poison and how quickly the patient is treated - be sure to keep the poison out of reach of family and pets. Some animals can get secondary poisoning by eating the poisoned rodent, which can happen when the toxic rodent goes outside to die. If you have other pets and children you should be careful that they aren't in contact with the bait or the deceased animal.

When you have finally won the battle, try to avoid round two: make an effort to keep food stored in sealed containers and be aware of pet food, composts and other possible lures. Use bird feeders that recapture any unwanted seed, rather than allowing it to become snack food for unwanted pests. By removing the food incentive you can forgo inviting those rascally rodents for a return visit.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/get-rid-of-rodents-once-and-for-all-396372.html

Author: Mike Magner

About the Author:

Learn more about issues in the Boston MA real estate area at MikeMagner.com. This website has details on home styles throughout the city, neighborhood information on spots like the Roslindale real estate area, and a free property search.

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Keeping Your House Free Of Mice & Rodents

Mice and rat infestation can be a serious problem. They can spoil and foul food, and spread disease. No one likes to share their homes with rodents. You throw out food, spend hours cleaning up their droppings and listen to them skittering in the walls and floorboards at all hours of the night. Here are some tips to help you keep your home mouse and rodent free.

1. Prevention is the best policy.
It's far easier to keep mice out than to get them out. Start by blocking holes and tunnels that provide access into your home for the furry little rodents.
Start with a careful visual examination of the foundation and all outside walls in your
house. Look for cracks and holes that allow access. Mice can squeeze under the crack below a door, so no hole is too small.
A trick for finding small cracks and holes is to turn on all the lights in your house after
dark, then walk around it carefully outside, looking for any places where light leaks through.
Patch any holes or cracks that you find, or stuff them with steel wool. It's one of the few things that mice can't chew through.
Make your lawn unfriendly to mice and rats. Keep it trimmed, and trim any bushes or shrubs near the house that make it easy for them to hide.
Trim trees so that the lowest branches are at least 18 inches above the ground.
Make sure that three branches that over hang roofs are at least three feet away from the house to discourage tree rats that can make the jump from a tree to the house.
Make sure that all window screens are secure and in good repair.
Cover chimneys with a spark arrester to keep mice and Rats from coming down the chimney.
Install a sweeper at the bottom of garage doors and any other doors to outside. A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime.
While you're at it, look for any holes around pipes that go through floors, and for vents. Seal them off with steel wool.
Mothballs stuffed into holes or scattered along foundation walls and behind furniture can help keep mice out, but be aware that they are poisonous. If you have pets or small children, be sure to place the mothballs in places that are inaccessible to them.

2.Cut down on the attraction factor.
Mice are attracted by food, of course. Once you draw them close to the house by leaving food out for them, it's just a short step to inviting them inside. Keep all garbage in covered metal or heavy duty plastic cans, preferably in an area that's not attached to the house. If you have a shed or enclosed porch that is attached to the house, don't use it for garbage storage unless the garbage is carefully stored away in covered tins or cans. Use mothballs to cover up the scent of food that might attract them as well.

3.Don't feed the animals.
Indoors, keep food and garbage off the floor and counters. Don't leave foods out on counters, including bread and cakes in cardboard or plastic bags. Mice will chew right through to get at the goodies inside.

Make sure that all dry goods are stored in plastic, glass or metal tins. Use canisters for flour, sugar and other dry goods. Put boxes of cereal in sealed plastic containers, or at least behind closed cabinet doors.

4. Opt for all natural rodent prevention.
Tom and Jerry fans take note - the mouse does not always win. One of the best ways to keep your home rodent free is to keep a furry companion. Not all cats are great mousers, but their presence is often a deterrent to mice and rats who will look for a more hospitable home.

5. When all else fails, call in a professional.
Professional pest extermination services are the best way to get rid of a rodent problem. A professional will know how to find access points and places where mice will travel, and has the license to use strong poisons and traps that will eliminate your problem.

Keep in mind that even a professional rodent abatement service is not a quick fix. It may take a few months before you notice an appreciable decrease in the rodent population, and you will have to keep up prevention efforts to keep them out.

By: CSStephanie Larkin

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

About Author:
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about large businesses for home owners such as Orkin and Terminix

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