On our pest control blog, we’ve focused a lot of attention on keeping mice out of the house since this is an issue that so many New Jersey homeowners deal with. But as winter transitions into spring, you might be wondering how to protect your garden from mice so that they don’t damage your beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables.

Here are some tips for how to get rid of field mice in gardens so that you can enjoy your outside space without the burden of unwanted pests.

Field Mice v. House Mice

There are various types of mice that live in New Jersey, so it’s a good idea to know which ones you’re dealing with to effectively address the problem. Field mice commonly affect gardens because they live in fields, grass, and weeds. They are also referred to as deer mice and pose risks of carrying Lyme disease. Field mice are usually brown in color but have white feet, legs, and bellies. However, house mice are almost always solid brown or gray. Field mice have tails that are dark on top and light underneath, compared to house mice that have hairless tails. Another difference between the two types is field mice hoard crumbs of food by their nests while house mice rarely exhibit this behavior.

What Do Field Mice Eat?

Field mice eat both plants and meat and are skilled at thriving in the wilderness. They commonly eat seeds, mushrooms, berries, and insects that they find in the outdoors. However, these mice also love feasting upon root vegetables and young plants in gardens.

How to Get Rid of Field Mice in the Garden

It is very easy for field mice to enter a garden and find abundant food to live off of. Signs of mice in your garden include tunnels in the dirt, mice droppings, and new seedlings that disappear overnight. Field mice love certain areas of the garden, such as compost piles, garbage bins, bird feeders, and piles of wood.

Your first step in controlling mice should be to remove these prefered shelter spots by moving things around and discarding what you can. You can seal up small holes in the ground to prevent mice from getting too comfortable here and place tubes around new seedlings to prevent mice from eating them.

Get Professional Help with Garden Mice

If these measures don’t help and you are still battling mice in the garden, call Precise Termite & Pest Control for support. We can help you prevent and get rid of field mice so that you don’t put yourself or pets at risk and also so that you don’t prevent beneficial wildlife from entering your garden. You deserve a beautiful outdoor space this year, so don’t let mice ruin it for you!

If you’ve ever had an issue with mice in your house before, someone has probably suggested that you get a cat. But how exactly do cats help with a mouse problem, and do they really eat mice?

This article explores the effectiveness of mousing cats and the best cats for catching mice if you want a household companion with useful pest control skills.

Do Cats Eat Mice?

The thought of your cute and cuddly kitty actually devouring a mouse might make your stomach turn. However, cats are natural hunters and have instincts that make them want to approach prey stealthily and pounce on their food.

Wild cats are very skilled in hunting and excel in catching mice, which is why farmers often allow stray cats to stay on their property. Domesticated cats are more likely to just be interested in hunting a mouse and playing with it rather than actually eating it…especially if there is a delicious bowl of food sitting just around the corner. House cats often play with a mouse until it dies and then either leave it behind or bring it to you as a “gift.” However, some domestic cats will actually eat mice they catch. Cats can get sick from eating mice if they are infected with disease or if the mice ate poison left out as bait.

How Mouse and Rat Hunting Works

Stray and wild cats are better at mice and rat hunting than domesticated cats, but even common house cats’ senses get triggered at the sight and sound of a mouse. This is hardwired into a cat’s brain and makes a cat want to slowly stalk a mouse and then pounce unexpectedly to catch it off-guard. Common hunting strategies of cats include crouching low to the ground to watch prey and pulling the back legs beneath them to leap and seize.

The Best Cats for Catching Mice

All cats are different and unique, which is why we love them! But your cat’s typical behaviors, overall demeanor, and where it grew up can affect its ability to catch mice. Also, some cat breeds are naturally better at hunting mice, including the American Shorthair, Maine Coon, and Siamese. Other good mice-hunting cats are the Burmese and Persian.

Who to Call If Your Cat Needs Assistance

Having a cat around the house can definitely help you catch mice and give your pet a fun hobby at the same time. However, some mice infestations are beyond the capacity of a single house cat and require professional help. At Precise Termite & Pest Control, we can supplement your cat’s hardworking efforts and get rid of mice quickly, effectively, and affordably. Better yet, we specialize in pet-friendly pest control to keep your cats safe so that they can continue to help us with our mission of keeping Northern New Jersey pest-free.

With so many DIY bait, poison, and trap solutions available in stores today, some people may wonder why they would ever need to call a professional for rodent removal. However, there are some household jobs that are best left to highly trained and specialized professionals for effectiveness and safety, and mouse and rat control is one of them.

Here’s a look at how exterminators actually get rid of mice and rats to create a safer and more comfortable home for you.

A Thorough Survey of Potential Entry Points

The first step in a professional exterminator’s job is to do a thorough inspection of your home to find the places where mice and rats can get in. This process begins outside to search for holes and cracks. Exterminators also check for gaps around doors, windows, and damaged areas of a home’s foundation.

Sealing Off Holes and Crevices

Once the entry points have been identified, it’s time for an exterminator to seal them up so that more rodents can’t get inside. This sealing process may involve many different materials based on the hole, such as wire mesh, hardware cloth, and sheet metal. Professionals know to avoid sealing holes with materials that rodents can chew through, such as caulk, wood, or plastic.

Strategically Placing Deterrents

Professional exterminators know the best places to strategically place traps around a home and whether glue, snap, or live-capture traps will be most effective in these places. They also place bait stations to lure rodents away from your home and kill rodents when they access the poisoned food contained inside.

In severe situations, an exterminator may need to fumigate a home as a last-resort measure to get rid of rats and mice. The chemicals involved in fumigation can be dangerous and should only be handled by a professional.

Follow-Up in Rodent-Prone Areas

Rodent deterrents aren’t set-it-and-forget-it measures, and follow-up is needed after setting them to assess changes in rodent activity. This is because mice and rats reproduce quickly and also so that rat control strategies can be adjusted as needed. Some New Jersey homes require ongoing professional extermination services about once per month.

Planning for Preventative Tactics

A good exterminator will not only help you get rid of mice and rats but also prevent them from coming back in the future. This is done through ongoing monitoring of cracks and holes and by tracking common rodent travel routes to be proactive about controlling pests. Good exterminators will also provide you with daily tips and tricks that you can do to keep your home mouse-free even after their services have concluded.

Who to Trust with Your Professional Extermination Needs

For affordable, prompt, and effective mouse and rat control in Northern New Jersey, Precise Termite & Pest Control is the name to know. We employ only the very best professional exterminators in the industry who are highly skilled and truly care about solving your rodent problems. To see what we mean, request your free inspection today!

Having a rodent in the house is always unsettling – from the sounds of scurrying feet to the chewed-through food wrappers and the droppings you find left behind. But mice and rats can pose even more serious problems if they are infected with a disease called hantavirus.

Here’s what New Jersey homeowners should know about hantavirus and how to protect their families from this potentially deadly disease.

What Is Hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a type of virus that is caused by rodents and that can affect humans. There are actually multiple types of hantaviruses that affect different parts of the world. People in the U.S. started becoming more concerned about hantavirus in the 1990s when there was an outbreak in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Hantavirus is common in rural, forested, and farm areas, but it also occurs in houses and barns where rodents seek shelter.

Transmission and Common Hantavirus Symptoms

In our area, the most common human disease caused by hantavirus mice is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This condition occurs when people breathe in air where infected rodents exist and have left behind urine, feces, or saliva. Hantavirus is usually spread through airborne transmission, although rodents may also spread the disease to humans through a bite, touching contaminated surfaces, or eating contaminated food too.

Hantavirus symptoms can begin anywhere from one to eight weeks after you are exposed to the disease. Most people report their first symptoms as muscle aches, fever, and fatigue. Diarrhea, vomiting, chills, and headaches are also common in the early days of exposure. After those first few days, shortness of breath and coughing begin. This is a potential fatally disease with a mortality rate of 38%.

Types of Rodents That Carry Hantavirus

Each type of hantavirus is caused by a specific rodent and commonly spread through saliva, feces, and urine. In the U.S., the most common type of hantavirus is caused by deer mice. Other rodents that are known to carry hantavirus include cotton rats, rice rats, and white-footed mice.

Keep Your Home Free of Hantavirus Mice

The best way to prevent the spread of hantavirus in your home is to eliminate your exposure to mice and rats. It is always a smart idea to keep all food in rodent-proof containers and seal up holes that could allow rodents to enter your home. Also, clear debris from around the foundation of your home that could be used as nesting material.

Traps can provide temporary solutions for rodent control, but your best line of defense in preventing a hantavirus infection is to consult a professional exterminator to inspect your home for rodent activity. We are committed to keeping your home rodent-free and helping you prevent the spread of disease in New Jersey, so contact us today to learn more.

When it comes to animals that hibernate, most people think of bears and bats. But what about rodents? You may be seeing fewer rodents these days now that the temperatures are cooler, but does that mean that rodents are hibernating too?

This article answers the question, “Do mice hibernate?”, and also explains how mice infestations can cause big issues in the winter months.

Where Mice Go in Winter

The short answer to this question is no, mice do not hibernate in the winter. In fact, mice are actually quite active during the winter months as they continually search for warm places (like your house) to live, escape predators, and forage for food.

Mice don’t particularly like cold weather though, so they look for tiny cracks and crevices in houses to sneak inside and enjoy some warmth and any food scraps left out. Mice that do not find their way indoors in the winter typically burrow into the ground to stay warm.

Damage Caused by Mice in Winter

Just because you don’t see as many mice during the winter doesn’t mean they aren’t actively causing damage. Mice are notorious for chewing through insulation that you need in the winter to stay warm in your home. They also chew through wires, which puts your home at risk of fires. When mice tear through packages of food in your pantry, they leave behind saliva and fecal droppings that can make you sick, especially during the winter months when your immune system is already working on overdrive to keep you feeling well.

Signs of Mice in the Winter

Mice droppings are telltale signs that you have an infestation problem during the winter. You’ll often see droppings on countertops and on the floor of the kitchen because mouse activity is often greatest near a food source.

You might also notice that packaged goods in the pantry have been gnawed through or even see chew marks on wood fixtures in your home, such as furniture or doorframe trim. Scurrying sounds in your ceiling, especially at night when mice are very active, are other signs that it’s time to call Precise Termite and Pest Control.

How to Keep Your Home Mice-Free During Winter

If you suspect a mouse problem in your home, it’s best to call a professional exterminator as soon as possible before they reproduce or spread out to other areas of your home. There are plenty of DIY mouse traps but these often only kill the mice that are already in the house but do not prevent new mice from entering where the previous ones already did.

Precise Termite and Pest Control offers same-day mice removal services and is prepared to handle any mouse situation – large or small. Contact us at 866-971-2847 to have us come out and inspect your mice situation free of charge so that you can enjoy cozy winter days at home without sharing your space with unwanted rodents.