Winter is peak season for mice to enter your home. Like us, they want shelter from the cold and snow buy tamiflu. Identifying the problem is the first step. Do you notice signs of rodent activity in your home? These signs may include mouse droppings, gnaw marks, nighttime noises and more.
A mouse only needs a hole the size of dime to gain entry into your home. Mice are able to breed year round and can have up to 20 offspring per litter. They are mostly nocturnal but will live in a wide variety of places. Mice will live near a food source and will make their nests out of various materials.
Mice are known for spreading diseases including Salmonella and Hantavirus, which are particularly dangerous to children and pregnant women. Because of this, it is important to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
If you suspect a mouse in your house give Rapid Pest Solutions a call today! We are happy to do a complete inspection and give you a quote on eliminating the nest and identifying entry points so that they can be repaired. Rapid Pest Solutions can help keep your home rodent free!
There are some things that we just know. Our weather is unpredictable, puppies are cute and you don’t put ketchup on a Chicago style dog. There are probably some things that only you understand based on your profession. The pest control industry is no different. Here are some things only exterminators will understand.
1. Eating In A Restaurant Will Never Be The Same – Those in the pest control industry are on high alert when dining out. Our eyes will be searching the corners for rodent stations and we will be paying attention to the smell. In case you didn’t know, cockroaches have a very distinct smell. A small prayer of thanks goes out when my favorite restaurant passes my quick inspection! However, I would rather eat at place that has pest control than not. Everything should be under control if they have regular service.
2. Free Advice – Friends and Family expect to get advice and treatments for free. Ants over running the kitchen? Mice nesting in your drawers? Termites eating your home? No, there is no magic trick we can do to get rid of your pests. It will require a regular treatment. And those treatments cost money!
3. I Only Have One Mouse – Ummm, yeah, sure. While I suppose it is possible to have only one mouse it is definitely not the norm. Usually by the time you see one mouse you have dozens. Don’t be fooled.
4. Every Issue Is A National Emergency – Every customer wants their appointment yesterday. While I understand that having ants or other bugs isn’t ideal, it really isn’t going to make much difference if we come later today, tomorrow or in 4 days. On the other hand, don’t wait for a minor nuisance to become a full blown infestation and then be upset when you have to wait a few days for an appointment. You’ve waited this long without calling, a couple more days won’t matter.
5. No Chemical – Many customers want to be Green, either for the sake of the environment, their families health or other reasons. The problem is you can’t kill pests that way. Peppermint oil, lemon juice, dryer sheets and other homemade remedies don’t work. We don’t have to use an abundance of chemical, your house will not be glowing neon green after your treatment. Keep in mind, a certain amount of pesticide is needed to get the results you desire. That’s all there is to it.
Think of it this way – Your home is a castle, and pest control is the moat around it.
The purpose of the moat was to protect the castle from invaders. Having an exterior perimeter pest control treatment is the same thing. It protects you, your family and your home from unwanted pests. Pest Control is well worth the time and money that it takes. If you would like to protect your castle contact Rapid Pest Solutions. We will provide the protective barrier to keep pests out.
You might think it’s crazy to talk about a Winter vacation right now. It’s only mid-September and the temperatures are still quite warm. But before you know it, there will be a chill in the air. You will wake up to see frost covering the ground. Then the snow comes. Piles of it. You will look around and say, “Why didn’t I plan a warm weather getaway?”. Well, right now, there is an instinct inside bugs and insects that is telling them Winter is on it’s way and it is time to plan their warm weather hideaway.
While you may choose a destination like Mexico or the Bahamas as your escape, the pests are going to choose your house. That’s right – Your. House. Think about it. In the Winter you like to keep your home warm and cozy. Wind, sleet and snow is left behind as you enter the welcoming heat being kicked out by your furnace. For insects and other pests, it’s Summer all year round in your home! A Caribbean getaway! Add to it all the cooking, baking and goodies that come along with the holidays and it’s like a smorgasbord! Have you ever been on cruise? The food and drinks along with the great weather? Who wouldn’t love that? And that is exactly what the pests will get inside your home.
How do you stop it? There are some preventative measures that you can take to help keep your home pest free this Winter.
Inspect the exterior of your home. You want to make sure that there are no entry points for insects and rodents.
Get rid of their food source. Keep counters and stoves wiped clean. Put cereal, pasta, crackers and other types of grains in sealed glass or plastic containers.
Remove debris. Make sure that leaves, twigs, mulch, shrubs and the like are removed from around the foundation of the home.
Consider creating a barrier around your home. A professional pest control company can provide a treatment around the exterior perimeter that will help keep insects OUT.
Remember that we aren’t the only ones that want a warm place to escape to in the Winter. Insects and rodents are looking for the same thing. Protect your home and your family. If you would like information on an exterior Fall service to create a barrier against bugs, give Rapid Pest Solutions a call. We have the services you need with the guarantees you want.
At night we lay down in our comfy beds and snuggle down under the blankets. Dreams enter and entertain us like mini movies in our minds. This is a time of peace and rest after a day in a hectic world. But wait…what was that? A small scuffle in the closet? Did I feel something on my arm? Here are some thoughts that just may keep you up at night.
Tiny Vampire
BED BUGS – Ooooohhhhhh! That’s right, I jumped right in with the worst one! Although bed bugs are not known to spread disease and are not related to sanitation, what makes them so creepy is that you are their food source. They use your blood as a meal, like tiny little vampires. Now some people may say, ‘So? Mosquitoes do the same thing.’ – True, but mosquitoes don’t stalk you in the dead of night in the one place that you should feel ultimate comfort and safety. Maybe it’s just me but thinking that bed bugs could be quietly living in my mattress, closet or bedside table is enough to give me nightmares. Literally – I have had nightmares involving bed bugs.
Scariest RIde Ever!
SPIDERS – If you know me or read my blog you certainly know that I have some major arachnophobia. The fact that I let a spider live quietly in the corner of my bathroom ceiling was shocking. But I figured if I could see him and he stayed far away I would leave him be. The problem now is that he is gone. Just overnight, poof, vanished. This does not make me a happy camper. Combine that with the fact that a spider came running at me as I was sitting on the couch and you can imagine the terror! At night when it’s quiet and I’m laying in the darkness of the bedroom, I think about those spiders that got away. Where are they now? Do they seek revenge? Is one of them lowering down from the ceiling directly above my face right now?! Ugh! No sleep tonight.
Cute Mouse
MICE – Personally I do not fear mice. I think that they are super cute and I feel bad when they get caught. That being said, I also know that you cannot have them in your home. They cause damage and are very unsanitary. Have you ever been laying quietly in your bed and heard a soft scratching somewhere? A little rustle in the closest maybe? If you have a mouse in your house that is exactly what might happen. Even though you know it is nothing big and it is not an intruder – at least not a human one – it can make your heart race and fill you with a feeling of fear. So as you drift off into dreamland don’t pay attention to those small noises.
I guess there are lots of things that can keep you up at night. Scary movies, your neighbors loud music, that work project due at the end of the week. Maybe the problem is that we let negative things into our mind. Perhaps if we thought pleasant thoughts when we laid in bed we would fall asleep faster and have a more restful night. I will leave you with some cute and positive things to think about tonight as you wait for the sandman.
Your dream vacation
The silly things your kids do
The silly things your pets do
Sunshine
Ice Cream
Laughing so hard it hurts
The Best Things In Life Are Free.
If you notice the soft scuffling noise in your closet, spiders in the corner of your bathroom or any other pest problem, give Rapid Pest Solutions a call. We will customize a service for you.
What is it? An Urban Legend is a secondhand story told as the truth and it is just plausible enough to be believed. Most often Urban Legends involve a horrific event that supposedly happened to a real person. Because there is a definite ‘creep’ factor in an Urban Legend, insects play well into these types of stories. Below are three urban legends that involve pests. Maybe I can convince you that these stories just can’t be true.
Spider in an Oreo
THE SPIDER IN THE OREO – This is one that I have seen several times across Facebook. It serves as a warning to always take your Oreo’s apart before eating them because you never know what might be squished inside. <a href=”https://www.youtube price of tamiflu.com/watch?v=-i1oMwNgH2Q” target=”_blank”>The way that Oreo’s are made makes it highly unlikely that a spider could get caught in the center. When this legend was researched by David Emery, an urban legend expert, he was told by the original poster that they actually smashed the spider into the cream center themselves. Not such a scary story when you hear that!
ROACH EGGS ON AN ENVELOPE – I have heard this story for years. A woman is licking envelopes and gets a paper cut on her tongue. She thinks nothing of it but soon a lump appears. She goes to the doctor to have it looked at. When the doctor begins to lance the sore a cockroach comes out. The idea is that there were cockroach eggs in the glue on the envelope and when she got the paper cut the eggs made there way into the wound on the tongue and continued to grow. OK, the problem with this story is that a pregnant cockroach carries all of its eggs in a hard casing. The individual eggs are delicate and could not withstand being removed from the casing and scattered around the flap of an envelope. Although this makes for a creepy story you don’t have to worry about baby cockroaches flooding from your mouth.
MOUSE URINE ON SODA CANS – The story is that you can get sick and die from rodent urine that is on the lip of pop cans. It is said that because cases upon cases of pop are stored in large warehouses where rodents can run wild, the cans are dirty. Although rats and mice can carry diseases that are harmful to humans, drinking from these cans is unlikely to cause death. If you are still a little freaked out by this you can wipe down or rinse the top of your can before consuming.
Cockroach egg casing and babies after they hatched.
Don’t let Urban Legends scare you too much. Most of them have only the tiniest bit of truth and a great deal of embellishment. If you find yourself in a situation with some creepy crawlies don’t stress. Give Rapid Pest Solutions a call. We have the answers you need.
Who remembers the cartoon Mighty Mouse? I used to watch it on Saturday morning’s while eating my Lucky Charms. Mike the mouse had an alter ego – Mighty Mouse, who would save the damsel in distress or sometimes stop the evil genius from world domination. You know, typical superhero stuff. I guess you could consider him the mouse version of Superman. Too bad the mice we encounter don’t have the same abilities. Although real mice can do some pretty incredible things, they are considered more of a nuisance than anything. The cold weather is driving any mice remaining outside into our homes and businesses. Let’s check out some interesting facts about mice.
Not Alone – If you find that you have mice in your home you are not alone. Mice enter an estimated 21 million American homes each year, mostly between October and February, in search of food, water and shelter.
Big Eaters – Although they are very small, mice eat 15 to 20 times per day and they are going to build their homes near a food source.
Little Olympians – Mice are very good at jumping, climbing and swimming. They can jump a foot into the air which makes it easy for them to gain access to your counters and pantry shelves. Keep food in sealed glass or plastic containers.
Magicians – Mice have the ability to disappear through tiny openings. They may not compare to David Copperfield but mice can fit through an opening the size of a dime. Even the smallest gaps in doors or walls will allow them entrance. Seal exterior walls with silicone caulk and use steel wool for inside cracks and openings.
Germaphobia – I think everyone knows that mice can carry salmonella but you may not know that mice can carry as many as 200 human pathogens. Yuck!
Were’s The Bathroom – Mice are not house trained. Obviously! Each mouse will leave between 40 – 100 droppings a day. They also give off micro drops of urine as they travel through your home. On the upside, they don’t vomit, if you can call that a positive.
Multiplicity – Female mice can have up to a dozen babies every three weeks. This can be up to 150 offspring a year. Not a good thing if they have made your home into their home!
As you can see, getting mice in your home is a somewhat common problem. But it’s a problem that needs to be resolved right away. A small issue can turn into a big one very quickly. For the health and safety of you and your family contact Rapid Pest Solutions if you suspect mice in your home. We will do an inspection and offer a rodent control program to fit your needs.
Let’s hope not! But if you find that you have some uninvited visitors Rapid Pest Solutions is here to help. We offer a 5 Month Winter Seasonal Program to control rodent activity in your home. Contact us for details.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Store garbage in metal or heavy-duty plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Keep kitchens clean and food stored in secure containers. Also, keep any pet food or bird seed sealed as well.
Keep yards clean so that mice don’t have shelter or food. This includes cleaning up weeds, trash piles and garbage.
Inspect buildings carefully, especially in the early fall. Make sure there are no holes or cracks for mice to gain entrance. This is one of the most important things you can do to protect your home.
Take advantage of seasonal change. Make sure that rodents are controlled during winter and there will be fewer around to breed in the spring. This can help prevent a year of problems.
I SOLVED MY PROBLEM – NOW HOW DO I CLEAN UP?
Mice are known to carry salmonella and other diseases. If you find that you have a mouse problem, clean up is important. Mice leave urine and feces everywhere they go and are probably tracking it around with their feet as well.
When cleaning up after mice you should wear gloves.
Sweep up the area and dispose of the waste.
Clean the area with a disinfectant or bleach mixture.
Be sure to launder any clothing or bedding that may be contaminated.
Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands after cleaning and disposing of the waste.
Here we are in September and the first official day of Fall is 3 short weeks away. Personally, I am very happy. I have had enough of the hot, humid weather and I am very much looking forward to crisp, cool temperatures. Fall is my absolute favorite season! Unfortunately pests don’t share my affinity for the cooling temps. They are going to be looking for ways to get into your home and make it their own. To them, your cozy house is a warm oasis from the harsh Winter, a year round Summer paradise.
Although the temperatures are still quite high, now is the time to begin making sure that your home is ready for the change in season. Making sure that it is both energy efficient and secure against pests. One of Winter’s major intruders is mice. These little guys are looking for a warm place to build their nests and find food. A few common ways they get into your home is through an attached garage, around plumbing and electrical wiring leading into your home and cracks in windows and doors. You may also see ants, spiders and other ground crawling insects.
6 steps to help protect your home from pests seeking winter shelter
Clean out gutters and downspouts. The debris can provide a habitat for bugs.
Store firewood outside and away from your house.
Remove autumn leaves that collect against the house and porch.
Replace screens with storm windows. If you leave your screens in year-round, make sure there are no holes or openings.
Inspect around your foundation, doors and windows. Seal cracks and crevices with caulk or concrete. You can use steel wool in holes.
Be sure to store bird seed, dog food and items like this in sealed plastic containers, especially if you keep them in the garage.
Consider a preventative pest control treatment. This can be done around the outside perimeter of your home to create a barrier against pests.
Before you know it we will be shoveling snow – make sure your home is protected from the pests looking for a warm retreat. Contact Rapid Pest Solutions for questions or scheduling. We look forward to working with you!
