Tag: mouse removal

Protect Your Home or Business From Winter Pests

Posted on October 27, 2022 by - Nuisance Animals

winter pests

Well, it’s that time of the year again. Yep, winter. And with cooler weather arriving, populations of pests that are normally active in the spring and summer tend to decrease. But don’t be fooled. These pests haven’t disappeared. They only have relocated temporarily. Most likely they relocated to your home or business to ride out the winter weather. Oddly, winter is when most home and business owners believe they no longer need pest control services only to be surprised later when they discover a rodent or other pest has entered.

Rodents, spiders, cockroaches, ants and numerous other pests will make it their goal to find shelter inside your home or business this winter. Don’t let them catch you off guard. Take a moment to review our 8-point winter checklist.

  1. Foundation: Mice can enter your home or business through a dime-size opening. Sealing and securing any small openings can help prevent mice from getting in. They’re small and nimble.
  2. Roof: Replace or repair missing shingles and roof damage to prevent rats, mice and other pests from gaining access to your home or business.
  3. Vegetation: Trim back bushes or branches that are close to your home. Rats and mice can easily scale these to gain access to your attic.
  4. Screens: Repair holes or tears in window, door, and porch screens to eliminate easy entry points for smaller pests.
  5. Vents: Check vent covers, ensuring they are intact to prevent any pest entry.
  6. Outside: Eliminate any trash or yard debris, including wood piles that can provide shelter and hiding places for pests.
  7. Gutters: Remove any debris from gutters and downspouts to avoid standing water, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
  8. Garage: A properly sealed garage will keep rodents, insects, and spiders outside.

If after reviewing our 8-point checklist, you discover areas of your home or business needing repair, or more specifically, areas showing definite pest activity, The Bug Man can help. We offer preventative treatments and a thorough inspection of your home or business that will address seasonal pests and reduce the likelihood of pests entering, especially those that are active during the winter. Call The Bug Man today to set up a free consultation. 

How To Have a Pest-Free Home For The Holiday Season

Posted on October 20, 2020 by - Nuisance Animals, Rodents

Pest Free Home For The Holidays

The holiday season is already here – families across the country are getting into the spirit by decorating their homes, carving pumpkins and will soon be stringing holiday lights and wrapping presents. Although this is all fun and games, there are some unwanted guests that also want to join in on the fun and spoil your celebrations. These unwanted guests are pests, such as spiders, ants, cockroaches and even rodents! Although there are many holiday items that attract pests, there are ways you can avoid them. The Bug Man has provided some tips on how to keep your home pest-free this holiday season! 

Pumpkins

While carved pumpkins are the holiday symbol for October, they can be a breeding ground for pests. Whenever you are carving out the pumpkin, make sure you’re cleaning out all of its guts. (This also reduces the amount of mold growth.) The pulp inside the pumpkin is the most delicious part—both to rodents and bugs alike. Put simply: The less pulp, the fewer bugs there will be. 

Additionally, make sure you dispose of the pumpkin early. Leaving your pumpkin out for too long leaves room for the ultimate critter feast with the possibility of an invitation into your home.

Boxes

Another way that pests can enter our homes during the holiday season is through the boxes of decorations, which are often stored in attics, garages and basements. Your decorations give food, shelter, and warmth to many of these pests and they are often left undisturbed for many months. 

When homeowners unpack their holiday decorations, many may find live or dead pests inside. When it’s time to decorate for the holidays, unpack holiday items outside and inspect everything carefully for signs of pests, droppings or any other damage before bringing them inside your home. 

Pro Tip: The use of cardboard boxes to store decorations is a big mistake. Many critters feed on starches like cardboard. This is an open home invitation to pests! At The Man, we suggest using heavy plastic containers that seal. Make sure you are not overpacking, which will lead to the containers not being able to shut properly.

Christmas Trees & Wreaths

Christmas trees and wreaths are also one of the most common ways in which pests enter into homes. Spiders, termites and ants are usually found in the crevices of wood or deep in the branches of trees. Some bugs may even lay eggs. 

To avoid bringing insects into your home, make sure you properly inspect the trees before bringing them in the home. Deny critters this free entry by shaking the tree or wreath before bringing it indoors. A good shake will knock off the bugs clinging to branches. 

After the holidays are over, it might be tempting to put your tree in the backyard. However, you should not do this. If your tree contains invasive species, you are introducing them to the neighborhood. In many areas in Louisiana, Christmas trees are collected from the curbside during the first two weeks in January. Many communities now recycle Christmas trees and use them for mulch, hiking trails, soil erosion barriers, bird feeders and much more!

During this busy time of the year, it’s easy to overlook signs of pests in the thrill of the holiday season. If you or a loved one sees signs of pests or suspect an infestation, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect your home so you can enjoy the festivities in a pest-free home! For a customized solution for your household, contact The Bug Man or give us a call or text at (225) 923-2847.

Mouse Math

Posted on November 28, 2018 by - Rodents

Mouse math

While math has not always been my favorite subject, I’ve become pretty good at what we call around The Bug Man office Mouse Math. It’s a real thing — swear! And around these parts, knowledge is power. Let me drop some knowledge on you about mice.

The house mouse is BUSY! The mouse has become the most effective mammalian invasive species in the world. While they are not indigenous of North America they have pretty much made themselves a household pest round these parts. Their achievement may be led for their capabilities in the reproductive department. Which, in contrast to other mammals is RAPID. Are you ready for this? Approximately 6 mice may grow into over 60 mice in a few, short months. Mice achieve sexual maturity at about a month old. So, it’s clear to see that a mouse population inside a house can grow-out-of-hand FAST! The common house mouse, no matter how cute people think they may be (I am not one of those people), can have a devastating effect on your house as a pest in a surprisingly short amount of time. Often, a do it yourself treatment can only lead to more problems. This is the time when you call in a professional. Rodents are very smart and will quickly become aware of something new in their environment. This is why do it yourself treatment is not as successful as a trained professional handling the job. Our highly trained team knows where to place traps based off rub marks rodents leave behind as well as how and with what to bait the traps with. We are also able to identify the type of rodent by their droppings to determine the best method of treatment based of their food preferences.

The Facts

Just one female mouse produces between 5-10 litters a year. Each litter consist of 5-6 babies which can breed at approximately 30 days of age. Their gestation period is approximately 20 days, so mice create a great number of young, but possess a substantial mortality rate. Even so, breeding can occur throughout the year and thus if a pair of mice enter your home they can produce hundreds of mice in just one year. The lifespan of the house mouse is about 1 year. During that time, they will stay in their nests which are inside wall voids and insulation.
They will follow the trails they create towards food and water and will only rarely be visible. If you see a rodent out and about in your home, that generally means it has been there awhile and is comfortable enough in the environment to venture out of his normal path. Mice choose to live in places where they can find both a good supply of food as well as a place where they have access to moisture or water. Plumbing lines are a great place to inspect for a rodent infestation due to the constant condensation water supply. Left over pet food, other food scraps and waste bin bags act like magnets for these pesky critters. And due to their prolific reproductive abilities, if one female mouse moves into your house, then it means that within four short months you could have over two hundred mice making a mess of your house. YEP!
And also keep in mind that they are active year-round. The incredible birth-rate is kept in check normally by their natural predators in the outdoors. Predators like owls, hawks, cats along with harsh winter and summer conditions can help keep the rodent population in check. Indoors, however, is a totally different story. Once mice find their way indoors they have access to shelter, water and food. They will slowly make their way from one room to another while creating tunnels inside insulation and behind walls and drywall. Rodents also leave behind a urine trail almost the entire time they are moving. They use this to follow the same path to and from their food source. While this image is DISGUSTING to think about, it is also a great way for trained professionals to find the rodents daily route by using specialized equipment to show urination stains in a property.
The house mouse is not just a threat to your pantry either. The house mouse carries pathogens and can transmit deadly diseases like typhus and the bubonic plague. House mice can also be particularly devastating for your linen, furniture and other home furnishings because the house mouse is known for gnawing and burrowing and not even walls are safe from their ferocious teeth. Knowing how prolifically these pests reproduce should make you realize that it can be devastating to ignore one little house mouse, because that mouse could multiply in no time and at all and before you know it, you could have a devastating infestation on your hands.

Keep Out

The best way to not have to deal with mice is to not let them get in in the first place. Limiting their food and water sources will slow down their multiplication rate. But if they are in already, then the second-best way is to get rid of them in rates faster than their reproduction. Mouse traps work, but to get rid of a problem you will need many. By many we mean dozens. You will need to check them daily, empty the dead ones or if you use live catch the live ones and reset the traps. The best way to deal with a mouse population, however, is to hire a pro. We not only provide a rodent program to eliminate any issue, big or small in your home, but we can also provide exclusion work to the entry points to prevent future fury friends. The Bug Man is trained at this sort of thing. We are licensed exterminators and have access to tools and products that the general public does not.
Very potent rodenticide that will stop rodents in their tracks. If you think that you may have a pest issue and Mouse Math is not your thing, I know a guy! The Bug Man offers some of the most comprehensive treatment options in the region. Give us a call to make an appointment for a trained technician to visit your home. For more information, please call 923.BUGS or visit our website and request an estimate. We offer worry free pest control solutions, so you can rest easy knowing that your family, pets, home, and property are in good hands. We hope you enjoyed reading our blog. Until Next time! Remember, if you suspect you are having an issue, call The Bug Man and keep your peace of mind intact. You’ve got our Bug Man Guarantee! Thanks for checking out our blog.

See you soon!!!

* The Bug Lady, Layne Salvant