How Do You Know When All the Mice Are Gone?

If you’ve ever dealt with a problem of mice in the house, you know the desperate feeling of wanting to get them out as quickly as possible. But after you’ve caught one or more mice, is there any way to tell if that’s it or if more are lingering behind?

This article answers the question of how to know when all the mice are gone and also make sure that they stay away for good.

Trust Your Sense of Smell

Mice leave a certain foul odor behind that comes from their urine. When you have a mice infestation, you may smell this odor throughout your house. But when all the mice are gone, the smell should dissipate as well.

Inspect for Mice Droppings

Mice droppings are a sure sign that you have mice in the house. But are these new droppings you are seeing or old ones that you never discovered until now?

If you found mouse droppings but no mouse in a frequently used part of your house, chances are that you still have mice in the house that need to be taken care of. Also, keep an eye out for newly gnawed food containers in your cupboards that weren’t chewed through the last time you checked.

Listen Closely for Sounds

Turn off your stereo and TV periodically to listen for continued sounds of mice activity. It is much more likely that you will hear mice than actually see them. This is because mice scurry behind walls, under floorboards, in attics, and in closets. Your home should be silent once the mice have officially left your property. Mice are more active at night than in the day, so listen especially closely in the evening hours.

Leave Out Some Bait

There are also some clever ways that you can test if mice are still living in your home or if you have finally accomplished a mice-free residence. One simple trick that you can try is to sprinkle some flour on the floor where mice would likely travel before you go to bed. If you see tiny footprints in the flour the next morning, mice are still living in your home.

You can also leave out a sweet treat, such as a cookie, to see if any lingering mice find it and gnaw away at the delicious surprise. Setting mice traps with peanut butter or cheese can have the same effect.

Call a Professional to Check for You

While all of these mice investigation techniques can be effective as an amateur, the only real way to see if you still have mice in the house is to enlist the help of a professional. Precise Termite & Pest Control’s expert exterminators know exactly where to look for mice still hiding in your home and get them out so that they stay away for good. We’ll help you figure out how mice are coming into your home in the first place and the type of mice you’re dealing with. Then we can take the best course of action to get the remaining mice out of your home quickly and effectively so that you no longer have to worry about germs, disease, or unsanitary conditions.

Do You Have Just One Mouse or a Full-Blown Mice Infestation?

Having any number of mice in your home is not a good thing, but there is a big difference between just one rodent resident versus an infestation with dozens of mice or even more. Obviously, getting control over just one mouse is easier than if you have many of them. But it can be very difficult to tell how many mice are in your house unless you are a trained professional and know what signs to look for.

From your local pest control experts, here are some tips for how to know if you have just one mouse or a mice infestation, and then how to deal with problem regardless of how big it is.

The Situation of Just One Mouse

Although it is rare, it is possible to have just a single mouse living in your house. A lone mouse could wander inside your home in search of food, shelter, and warmth while staying mostly hidden during the day. If you have a single mouse, you’ll likely only see a small trail of fecal droppings rather than many droppings in multiple locations.

But a situation to be aware of the pregnant female mouse who comes inside alone to find a safe place to give birth but then produces up to 12 babies per litter in just a short amount of time. What starts out as just a simple mouse problem could quickly evolve into something much bigger without you even realizing what’s going on.

Signs of a Larger Mice Infestation

There are various kinds of mice that live in New Jersey and that tend to stick together and gather in households. You might have more than one mouse and a mice infestation if you see many droppings, hear loud scratching noises, or find large quantities of nesting materials.

Lots of items chewed through in your house could be a sign of an infestation as well, such as packaged food boxes and wires. Larger mice problems may cause your household pets to act strangely, especially in the evening hours when mice are more active.

What to Do with Mice in the Home

Whether you have just one mouse or many mice, it’s important to find where they are coming in from the outside world. It is common to see holes chewed through walls, smell urine, or notice greasy streaks on the walls in areas where multiple mice are getting inside.

Chimneys and holes in siding are other common places where mice enter a home. A professional exterminator can seal up mice entry points so that more mice don’t get inside and join the ones already living in your home.

Your Local Mice Infestation Experts

Being faced with a mice infestation is an unsettling experience because of the dangers mice pose, such as damaging electrical wiring and carrying diseases that make humans sick. Therefore, the best way to determine how many mice you have in your home is to call a professional to do a free inspection and assess the situation.

Precise Termite & Pest Control provides effective, prompt, and affordable mice control solutions to keep your home mice-free now and in the future. Contact us to schedule your inspection and take advantage of our discount on new annual contracts for mice control.

What You Should Know About Deer Mice

There are many different kinds of mice in the world, including quite a few distinct species right here in New Jersey. One of the common types we encounter is deer mice, which mostly live outdoors but can also find their way into homes.

Here is some information about deer mice so you can understand these pests and prevent an infestation in your house.

Why They’re Called Deer Mice

Deer mice got their name because their coloration actually resembles that of white-tailed deer. These mice have brown backs and white underbellies, legs, and tails. They also live in wooded areas, just like deer.

Where Deer Mice Live

You will mostly find deer mice in outdoor habitats and rural areas, and they are typically less likely to inhabit homes than other types of mice. However, it is very possible to find deer mice living in farmhouses, rural vacation homes that are seldom used, barns, and sheds.

In the winter, you can even find deer mice in residential neighborhoods looking for warmth in attics, basements, crawlspaces, and garages. Hollow tree stumps, old fence posts, and piles of debris are also favorite places for deer mice to take up residence.

What Makes Deer Mice Unique

The appearance of a deer mouse is very small and about three or four inches in length. They often go unnoticed because of their camouflaging colors and ability to move quickly and hide in the forest. Other characteristics of deer mice are large ears with minimal fur, black beady eyes, a pointed nose, and short tails.

Their favorite things to eat are nuts, seeds, berries, and insects. These are nest-building mice that forage for food and build nests out of fur, weeds, seeds, paper, and other debris they find in their habitats. They live between two and 24 months out in the wild, and have two to four litters (of usually three to five babies each) per year during the warm months.

Risks of Deer Mice

One of the biggest concerns about deer mice is how they carry Hantavirus and can spread this disease to humans. People can get Hantavirus by touching a dead deer mouse body or even just by breathing in air that contains urine droplets of Hantavirus-infected deer mice. The feces, saliva, and contaminated dust in the air can also cause Hantavirus in humans, which can be fatal.

Lyme disease is another concern when you have deer mice on your property. It is caused by a deer tick and transferred between mammals to cause flu-like symptoms, rashes, and joint issues in humans. Beyond transferable diseases, deer mice can cause structural damage in a home and also damage your garden as you prepare to grow vegetables and flowers for spring. Preventative measures are best for avoiding costly repairs due to damage caused by deer mice.

Get Professional Help with Deer Mice

Because of the serious disease risks and the elusiveness of deer mice, it is highly recommended to call a professional exterminator if you suspect these pests living on your property. We offer safe, effective, and humane mouse control solutions to rid your home of deer mice and keep it mice-free.

If you think you have seen deer mice on your property or noticed droppings or damage around your house, contact Precise Termite & Pest Control at 866-971-2847. We offer free inspections and have over 30 years of experience with rodent control in Northern New Jersey.

The Most and Least Effective Solutions for How to Get Rid of Mice

Once you notice evidence of mice activity in your house, there are a few different approaches you can take to get rid of them. But when comparing mice traps, mice poison, and all-natural mice repellents, it can be confusing to know which tactic will work the best. This is an especially important topic to discuss in the winter when mice seek shelter indoors.

Here’s an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of various mice control solutions and some tips for which ones to try based on your level of mice infestation.

Tactic #1: Mice Traps

Mice traps can be quite effective when you have only a small number of mice in your home. It’s important to place the traps close to walls, in dark corners, and other places mice like to hide. Snap traps, live-capture traps, and electrocution traps are all options if you are fine with killing the mice instead of removing them alive.

Tactic #2: Baits with Mice Poison

People use mice baits to lure mice to specific locations so that they can eat poisonous foods mixed with enticing treats and eventually die. Mice baits can be dangerous to have around the house if you have small children or pets around who might get into them. Baits with poison are only effective as a supplemental pest control method, and the need to continuously use baits indicates that better sanitation is needed in the home.

Tactic #3: Glue Traps

Glue traps work in a similar way as mice traps or flypaper that hangs to catch flies. Mice get caught in glue traps and die, but you’ll need to have plenty of them set in strategic locations in the house and garage to be effective.

Tactic #4: Mice Exclusion

The most effective approach for how to get rid of mice is exclusion, which means blocking entry points in your home so they can’t get in. This includes closing up gaps and cracks, checking for openings around pipes and vents, and making sure that doors and windows fit securely in place.

Tactic #5: Household Pets

Some people rely on their dogs and cats to keep mice populations under control. While these pets may occasionally kill mice, this is not an effective long-term solution because they can rarely kill all of them during an infestation. Meanwhile, mice often feed from the food bowls and dropped food from pets around the house.

Tactic #6: Professional Mice Control

But by far, the most effective solution for how to get rid of mice is to call the professionals at Precise Termite & Pest Control. We specialize in mice control and know which tactics to use for every kind of infestation situation. Every home and mice population are unique, and our extermination professionals have tools and techniques that go beyond any standard DIY attempt.

What Does Mouse Poop Look Like: Identification Tips from Pest Control Experts

No one wants to think about mouse poop or rat poop in their house, but it’s important to know what rodent waste looks like so that you can address the problem early-on. From the extermination experts at Precise Termite & Pest Control, here are some tips for identifying mouse poop and also tips for getting mice out of your house.

Identifying Mouse Droppings

Mouse droppings are best described as small, pellet-shaped objects that are dark brown in color and have pointed ends. The fecal droppings of mice are usually around ¼ inch in length. While newer droppings will be darker and shinier, older droppings are drier and chalkier in appearance.

However, there are different types of mice that exist in our region, such as house mice, deer mice, and white-footed mice. There are slight differences in the poop of these types of mice, but they all look pretty similar to the untrained eye and can be accurately associated with mice when addressing a household infestation.

What Does Rat Poop Look Like?

Although rat poop resembles mouse poop in some ways, it also has distinctive characteristics that you can see as a homeowner. Since rats are larger than mice, rat poop is larger too. It is more like a ½ inch long and even up to one inch in length.

The droppings from rats are cylindrical in shape and usually found in groups. They can even resemble raisins or coffee beans, versus mice poop that looks more like chocolate sprinkles. Yes, these things are gross to think about but very helpful when trying to figure out what type of rodent has taken up residence in your home!

Why Understanding Mouse Poop Is Important

If you can identify mouse poop in your house and even determine how old or new it is, you have a much better chance of figuring out how mice are getting into your home. It is common to find mouse fecal droppings around entry points, along with holes chewed through walls, greasy marks on walls, and the smell of urine.

The appearance of mouse poop can help you know if the droppings are new or old, which is useful to determine whether mice are currently inhabiting a certain area or it’s been a while since they’ve been in that location.

Get Extermination Help for Mice and Rats

Whether you have mice or rats, Precise Termite & Pest Control can help you identify the pests that have taken over your home and get rid of them for good. We have been providing excellent pest control services for more than three decades and pride ourselves on our quick, efficient, and affordable service provided by top experts in the extermination industry.

Since mouse poop and rat poop carry risks of spreading disease, we recommend having a professional exterminator handle fecal droppings left behind in your home. Not only will we clean up the mess, but we’ll also use various techniques to get existing mice out of your house and deter them from coming back in the future.

To learn more about our rodent removal processes or to schedule your free inspection, please call us at 866-971-2847 or contact us via online form.

Understanding the Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous Insects

Although insects in the wild are fascinating to watch and learn about, some of them pose hazards to our health because of their natural abilities and defense mechanisms. For example, there are poisonous bugs and venomous insects that you’ll want to steer clear of when you encounter them. To help you understand these creatures better and how they can affect you, here’s the difference between venomous and poisonous.

What Does Venomous Mean?

A venomous insect injects another animal or human with venom. This is typically done through a bite that releases venom through the mouth and into the victim. It takes a variable amount of venom to kill prey depending on the insect. Venom is important to these insects’ survival because it is used as a defense against predators. This includes humans, as well. If you are bitten by a venomous insect, you could suffer from pain, low blood pressure, hemorrhaging, and even death.

Examples of Venomous Insects

There are venomous insects that exist and also other larger animals that are venomous too. In general, spiders, scorpions, bees, wasps, and ants are considered to be venomous because of how they inject a toxin to transmit the substance.

Here are some examples of creatures that can directly inject you with a toxin:

Brown recluse
Black widow spider
Fat-tailed scorpion
Funnel-web spider

H2: What Does Poisonous Mean?

Poisonous differs from venomous because of the method of toxin delivery. While venoms are injected, you can be affected by poisonous bugs by simply touching them. Poisons from insects can be transmitted though skin contact or even by accidently eating them or inhaling poisonous fumes. Poisons can be passively deployed without you even realizing it. If you come into contact with this type of poison, you could suffer from pain, skin irritation, and vomiting.

Examples of Poisonous Insects

Some creatures can be both venomous and poisonous at the same time, such as the Asian tiger snake, which can transmit a toxin through its bite and that also maintains poison on its skin. Some caterpillars, moths, and butterflies are considered to be poisonous because their bodies emit toxic chemicals that are dangerous if eaten or touched.

Here are some examples of creatures that are poisonous:

Cane toad
Poison dart frog
Rough-skinned newt
Blister beetles
Pufferfish
Japanese Oriental wasp

Professional Help with Any Insects

Regardless of whether an insect is poisonous, venomous, or both, you probably don’t want to be anywhere near it! If you have discovered an insect infestation in your home or on your property, Precise Termite & Pest Control can help. We’ve been in the business of pest control for over three decades and have dealt with every kind of bug that you’ll find here in Northern New Jersey.

Our services include the safe and effective removal of beetles, wasps, bees, mosquitos, and many other kinds of insects that have the potential to put you in harm’s way. Don’t let yourself be a victim of poisonous or venomous insects. Contact us at the first sign of a pest problem or for a free inspection to take a preventative approach.

To learn more, call us at 866-971-2847 or fill out our online form.

How to Get Rid of Earwigs in Your House

Here in New Jersey, we have to deal with many different types of insects on a regular basis. But one of the lesser-known (and stranger-looking) bugs here is the earwig.

This article addresses the topic of earwigs around the house and earwig infestations so you know how to handle these bugs when you see them.

What Are Earwigs?

Earwigs are insects with six legs, two antennae, and pinchers coming out from their abdomens. They are odd-looking insects that can be intimidating and are between 5 and 25 millimeters long.

There are at least 20 types of earwigs in the U.S. These insects live in large groups, and only some of them have wings. They prefer cool and moist places to live, often coming out at night to feed. Earwigs eat both plants and other insects and gravitate toward crawl spaces and damp basements. These bugs are also attracted to lights, so you might find them around your porch lights on summer evenings.

Risks of the Earwig Bug

There are some terrifying myths surrounding earwigs, such as that they lay eggs in humans’ ears and can eat through brain matter! However, there is no truth to these myths, as the risks they pose are quite mild by comparison.

Earwigs can use those pinchers to pinch humans, but they don’t bite. They are also not known to spread bacteria or diseases. However, earwigs are still a nuisance and not a bug you want living around your home. They can find cracks and gaps in houses and come inside where they aren’t welcome. Since they eat plants, earwigs can cause problems for gardeners by eating things you’ve planted to eat and enjoy looking at.

How to Get Rid of Earwigs

The rules for keeping your home free of earwigs are similar to those for avoiding most kinds of pests in our area. If you’re looking for answers about how to get rid of earwigs, make sure to fix any leaky drains and pipes to reduce the amount of moisture settling around your home. It’s also a smart idea to remove leaf and wood piles from the outdoor areas around the house because earwigs like to take up residence in these places.

Cleaning your gutters and drain pipes, as well as trimming bushes and trees, are great preventative measures to take when you want to avoid an earwig infestation. Avoid laying mulch down that’s over two inches deep and decorating your yard with stones for them to hide under. Always keep grass and bushes at least a foot away from the foundation of your house to serve as a barrier between natural insect habitats and your home.

Dealing with an Earwig Infestation

If you are already discovering earwigs around your property this summer, Precise Termite & Pest Control can help. Our highly skilled and trained exterminators are experienced with working with these specific types of insects and know the best ways to get them out of your home and keep them from coming back.

We offer free inspections and have decades of experience keeping our local communities earwig-free. Contact us at 866-971-2847 to learn more about our earwig extermination services or to schedule us to come out to your home to take care of an earwig issue.

Top Summer Pests and Prevention Tips

Summer is a time when many of us start getting more active and spending extra time outdoors. But humans aren’t the only ones with these good ideas! Here in New Jersey, you’ll encounter many more bugs in summer, which can put a damper on your fun outside plans.

Since common insects are a bigger problem during the warm summer months, here are some tips for keeping your season as bug-free as possible.

Ants

Ants are a bigger issue in the summer than during other times of year because they come indoors seeking water and moisture to cool off and hydrate. Ants can get into cracks and holes in the exterior of your home, including fire ants that can even bite and sting you. To keep ants away in the summer, you can try commercial ant repellent, set pet-safe ant traps, or call a professional exterminator.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are perhaps the most notorious of all summer bugs. They thrive on hot and muggy summer days and leave you with red and itchy bite marks after spending time at a park or hiking a trail. To control mosquitoes in the summer, eliminate standing water from your yard and cover your skin with lightweight fabrics so they are less likely to come in contact with your skin.

Bees and Wasps

You might notice more bee and wasp activity in the summer too, especially as these common insects are busy pollinating flowers. Some of these summer bugs are harmless, while others are aggressive and can cause severe stings that result in allergic reactions. Some easy and natural repellents that you can try for bees and wasps around the house include dryer sheets, mothballs, and cloves because they hate the smell of all of these things!

Fight Back Against Summer Bugs

Summer is a time that we must learn to coexist with insects, but only to a certain extent. You deserve to have as bug-free of a summer as possible, which is why Precise Termite & Pest Control is here to help. No matter what common insects you’re dealing with, we have the most experienced exterminators in the industry to get the situation under control.

Are Flying Ants as Bad as Termites?

For many homeowners, having termites in the house is just about as bad as it can get because of how much damage they can cause. But how bad is it to have flying ants around your home, and what kind of damage can these insects cause?

This article compares flying ants vs. termites and how to handle a flying ant situation when one occurs.

Similarities Between Flying Ants vs. Termites

Both flying ants and termites are insects that fly and swarm, which makes many people mistake one species for the other. They also have similar sizes, shapes, and colors – at least to the untrained eye of someone who is not a pest control professional.

Also, both of these insects live in large colonies and operate within caste systems. Neither termites or flying ants are known to typically bite humans.

Differences Between Flying Ants vs. Termites

Yet when you take a closer look, there are a lot of variations between a winged ant and a termite. The body of a termite has a straight abdomen, while a flying ant has a thinner, pinched waist. Termites have equal length wings, while flying ants have wings of unequal length. The antennae of a termite are straight, while a flying ant’s antennae are bent.

The best way to tell which type of insect you are dealing with is to get a good up-close look at it, which is why pest control diagnoses are best left to an experienced professional.

Although both insects can live in wood, termites cause structural damage while ants usually do not. Flying ants are less likely to cause actual damage to your home but they can certainly be a nuisance. Termites eat plant matter, while flying ants eat both plants and other insects. The life cycles of these two insects differ as well because termites go through three phases and ants go through four stages of life.

Get Help to Control Winged Ants

Whether you have termites or flying ants around your home, chances are that you just want them gone as quickly and safely as possible.

We have been in this business for over 30 years and know all the best strategies for keeping Northern New Jersey homes pest-free. If you suspect that you have termites or winged ants around your home, contact us today at 866-971-2847 for a free inspection.

How to Clean Up Mouse Droppings in Your House

If you’ve discovered small brown pellets on the floors, countertops, cabinets, and other places around your home you might have a pest infestation on your hands. Mice, rats, and other rodents leave fecal droppings behind in places that they move into, which is a major cause for concern. Not only are mouse droppings unsightly and unsettling in your home, but they also put your health at risk because they can transmit disease.

Here are some tips for how to clean up mouse droppings with a DIY approach and by calling in a professional for help.

Health Hazards of Mice and Rat Poop

Since mice and rats love to find unsecured food supplies, you’ll often find droppings in and around dry goods that you have in the cupboards and pantry. These are dangerous locations because serious diseases can occur if the droppings are accidentally ingested or even if you touch them with hands that will later come in contact with food.

Common diseases spread by rodents include salmonellosis, tularemia, Lassa fever, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Hantavirus is also spread by rodents and can result in serious symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing, diarrhea, and even death.

DIY Cleaning Up After Mice

If you choose to clean up mouse droppings yourself after an infestation, make sure to ventilate the area by opening up windows and doors for about an hour before starting to clean. Put on some disposable gloves and spray the droppings with a mixture of one part bleach and 10 parts water to disinfect the space.

With a paper towel, pick up the droppings and toss them in the garbage. Then you’ll need to clean the area with a bleach solution on floors and countertops or by steam-cleaning carpet and furniture that has been exposed to rat poop. When you’re done, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap.

Professional Help with Mouse Droppings

But seriously, why deal with the disgusting and potentially dangerous situation of mouse droppings if you don’t have to?

To reduce your risk of disease and leave the dirty work to experts who know how to handle mouse droppings, give Precise Pest Control a call. We are rodent control specialists who not only know how to get mice and rats out of your house, but also how to best clean up after them when they’re gone. When you hire us to get the job done, you’ll reduce your exposure to contamination and have peace of mind that your house is clean and sanitary.

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