Only some people are cut out to be professional pest exterminators or are interested in dealing with the pesky critters that get into our homes when we least expect it. That’s one reason why Precise Termite & Pest Control has emerged as northern New Jersey’s preferred choice for ridding local households of everything from mice to ants, bees, birds, mosquitoes, cockroaches, bats, and more.

Over the past 30+ years, we’ve learned a lot about being in this industry, including the many misconceptions people have about the extermination business. Here are some rodent control myths we’d like to debunk and set the record straight on!

1. MYTH: Not Seeing Rodents Means No Problem

Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Rodents do everything they can to avoid contact with humans, typically coming out only at night when you are sleeping. If you see one rodent, chances are there are more, especially during the daytime.

2. MYTH: Clean Homes Are Rodent-Free Homes

Rodents are not picky about the houses they infest and take up residence in clean homes as well as dirtier ones. Your location and surroundings affect the level of rodent activity. However, rodents like clutter, so keep the outside of your home and yard free from attractive hiding spots, and clean up spills and crumbs immediately.

3. MYTH: Poison Is the Best Solution

Some DIY enthusiasts take a ruthless approach to rodent control and fill their homes with rat poison to tackle infestation issues. However, rodent poison can take up to 10 weeks to work, which means that they can continue to destroy your property and breed before they die. The stench of dead rodents in your home isn’t just sickening; it can contaminate the air you breathe and make you actually sick. Rodent poison left out can also put children and pets at risk of being poisoned as well.

4. MYTH: Cheese is a Rodent’s Favorite Food

In cartoons, rats and mice gravitate toward cheese more than anything else. But in real life, there are better baits to use than cheese. Sneaky and agile rodents can remove cheese from traps without setting them off. Sticky substances like peanut butter and high-aroma foods like meat are often more enticing to rodents than cheese.

5. MYTH: Rodents Only Inhabit Homes in the Winter

Another rodent control myth is that these pests are only seasonal concerns. However, rodents are four-season pests that affect homeowners all throughout the year. Mouse and rat activity typically picks up in the fall when rodents sense a drop in temperature and start preparing for winter survival. In the spring and summer, rodents seek shelter indoors to breed and give birth.

6. MYTH: Pets Will Take Care of Rodents

Cats make wonderful additions to households as pets but aren’t always the most effective exterminators. Cats, dogs, and other household pets may deter some rodent activity, but they cannot address rodent issues inside walls, up in the attic, or in other hard-to-reach places. Rodents may also access food and water from your pets’ bowls, contaminating them and potentially making them sick.

We Can Help with Your Rodent Problem

With these rodent control myths busted, we hope you better understand how rodents affect a home and why professional help is needed for mice and rats. Precise Termite & Pest Control specializes in rodent control and offers free inspections to help you get a handle on your rodent problem.

Please contact us today at 866-971-2847 to learn more about our approach to rodent extermination and prevention or to schedule your initial visit.

Scratching, scurrying, and squeaking from behind your walls are telltale signs that you have a mouse problem. Mice often seek shelter in walls because they offer warmth from our harsh weather conditions in New Jersey. Cracks in your home’s foundation, holes in the siding, and gaps around doors and windows can be potential entry points for mice to enter your walls. Once inside, mice are excellent climbers and can scale walls and access other parts of your house as well. Mice can squeeze through spaces as small as a dime, and getting them out can be very difficult without professional help.

In this article, we discuss the issue of mice in walls and how to get rid of mice in walls quickly and effectively.

The Problem with Mice in Walls

Mice entering your walls can cause structural damage and chew through electrical wiring. Mice breed quickly, meaning that just a few mice can become a full-blown infestation before you know it. There is a risk of mice contaminating your food supply and bringing fleas, lice, or other troublesome pests into your home.

Mice often hide during the daytime and come out at night to look for food. When the sun goes down and you go to bed, they become more active and can leave greasy tracks behind as they move. You may also find nests made of soft materials in your walls and fecal droppings around your walls if you have a mouse problem.

Preventing Mice in Walls

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent mice from getting into your walls in the first place with a few easy steps. Keep food sources away from the walls of your home, especially pet food bowls. Ensure food is stored in airtight containers, and avoid leaving fruit and snacks lying on countertops. Sealing any cracks, gaps, or holes in your walls is also helpful to prevent mice from entering them. You can purchase mice deterrent products from a hardware store or use peppermint essential oil combined with water in a spray bottle to spread around a scent that mice hate.

 How to Get Rid of Mice in Walls

An initial DIY approach to having mice in walls is to set traps to kill the mice upon contact. Many people choose lethal traps rather than poison baits so that mice do not die inside the walls and begin to decay, causing noxious odors and increasing your disease risk. Rodenticides can be dangerous to use in a home with children and pets, and some mice are actually resistant to these types of poisons, making them mildly effective at best. Drilling a hole in the drywall near the floor may be necessary to lure mice outside with traps.

Get Professional Extermination Help

However, the best way to get rid of mice in walls is to call the extermination professionals at Precise Termite & Pest Control because of how tricky they are to remove from these areas. Mice infestations in walls are incredibly challenging because DIY attempts often result in creating multiple holes in your walls to get them out. To minimize damage to your home and ease your stress, we offer expert mice control and prompt mice removal services with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

For your free mice in walls inspection, please contact us online or call us at 866-971-2847.

As homeowners, we often think of the possibility of rodents getting into our pantries, basements, and trash cans. But attic insulation is another common place affected by rodents, and solving this problem can take significant time, energy, and money.

Here are the signs of rodents in attic insulation so that you can address the situation quickly and exterminate them effectively.

Pests Found in Attic Insulation

Various pests can find their way into attic insulation and cause damage in a home. Many New Jersey homeowners have experienced issues with mice eating insulation and rats in attic insulation. Attics are ideal habitats for rodents because they are warm, safe from predators, and offer excellent nesting conditions. Beyond just rodents, you might also find cockroaches, wasps, termites, bed bugs, ants, raccoons, and spiders living up there among the fiberglass and cellulose materials that provide cozy homes for unwanted guests.

Insulation Risks with Pests

Pests in attic insulation are a problem because homes depend upon this insulation to provide structural support, direct airflow, and improve energy efficiency. Whether your insulation is made from flexible fiber sheets, loose fibers, fiber pellets, or foam spray, these materials prevent heat from escaping in the winter and enable cool air to circulate throughout the house in the summer.

When pests chew through insulation, this protective layer is eliminated, leaving you feeling uncomfortable temperature-wise and paying higher energy bills throughout the year. Moisture and draft problems are common after insulation deteriorates. Additionally, a rodent infestation can present health risks, including salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Signs of a Rodents in Your Insulation

It is easy for rodents to live in attic insulation for a long time without being noticed because many people do not frequently access these parts of their homes. However, you can be mindful of the warning signs of an insulation infestation and take action quickly to remove them.

Here are some common signs of rodents in attic insulation:

• Pieces of insulation material on the attic floor
• Fecal droppings on the floor
• Urine stains on the walls
• Musty smell throughout the attic
• Scurrying and scratching noises
• Gnaw marks on items stored in your attic

How to Prevent Rodents in Attic Insulation

One of the best ways to keep rodents out of your attic insulation is to seal up cracks and gaps where mice and rats could enter and inhabit the soft materials. Although no insulation materials are 100% rodent-proof, your insulation installer may be able to recommend certain materials that are less attractive to pests. If your insulation is affected by rodents, it is advisable to replace it to prevent the potential spread of disease and not attract additional rodents to the smells of the ones who lived here before them.

When to Call a Pest Control Professional 

Removing pests from attic insulation is a challenging job and one that is best left to the professionals. Precise Termite & Pest Control offers knowledgeable and reliable rodent control services to help you rest easy at night and feel safe in your home during every season.

For a free rodent inspection in your attic and other areas of your home, please contact us at 866-971-2847.

Certain scents attract mice to indoor spaces, such as sweet fruits, pet food, meat, and greasy food. The reason why people put peanut butter and cheese in mouse baits is because mice love these scents.

But on the other hand, what scents do mice hate, and what smells will keep mice away? Here are some items you can place around your house to deter mice based on their sense of smell.

Vinegar

Many people already have a bottle of vinegar in the house, so this is an easy DIY remedy for mice. Vinegar has a powerful smell, and you can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for this purpose. One idea is to soak cotton balls in vinegar and place them in areas where you think rodents are getting inside. Vinegar can also be used to clean areas that have been affected by rodents.

Citronella

Most people think of mosquitoes with citronella, but some also use it to eliminate mice. The strong smell can be too much for mice to handle, keeping both pests away from your home and property. You can find citronella in the form of sprays, candles, pouches, essential oils, and live plants.

Mothballs

Mothballs prevent moths from eating clothing but may also help keep mice away. The balls contain naphthalene, a substance that mice despise. However, this idea comes with some warnings because studies suggest that naphthalene can also be toxic to humans with excessive or prolonged exposure, causing issues with your lungs and the tissues in your nasal canal.

Cinnamon

Even though you may love the smell of cinnamon in holiday drinks and baked goods, mice don’t feel the same way. The spicy aroma of cinnamon can deter mice while being a pleasant scent for you to have around the house. To use cinnamon as a mouse-deterrent, hide cinnamon sticks under furniture and inside cabinets and drawers.

Mint

Mice are not fans of mint, which is why some people use peppermint oil to keep mice away. Peppermint oil is a heavily concentrated form of the scent, so it may be more effective than just having a live mint plant growing in your home. However, the oil can irritate your skin, so be careful while handling it. Alternatively, you can rub some mint toothpaste along baseboards and around cracks in your home to discourage them from entering.

Chili Powder and Oil

Anyone who has tried spicy food can attest to the fact that chili powder is a lot to handle. For a more concentrated version of this spice, you can also try chili oil around your home to deter mice.

What to Do When Scent-Deterrents Don’t Work

If you have tried a few scent-deterrents to address your mice problem and it’s not working, it’s time to call Precise Termite & Pest Control. We have been keeping Northern New Jersey mice-free for over 30 years and understand the different kinds of mice, the diseases they carry, and the damage they can cause.

Our professional extermination methods go far beyond just adding scents around your home, and we can use a combination of techniques depending on your situation, such as trapping and exclusion. Please get in touch with us at 866-971-2847 for your free mice inspection today!

Mice are resilient little rodents who seem to be able to live just about anywhere, such as attics, basements, walls, and kitchen pantries. But one place that many people don’t think about mice taking up residence is the couch. There’s something very unsettling about the thought of mice hanging out where you sit to relax and cuddle up with a book or watch TV. But mice in couch problems definitely exist, and we’re here to help when they happen to you.

Can Mice Live in Couches?

The short answer to this question is yes, mice can live in couches and make their homes among the soft cushions here. Some homeowners have taken DIY approaches to rodent control and thought they had a mice issue handled when they stopped seeing them in familiar areas. However, little did they know that the mice had migrated to the couch and started to destroy a valuable piece of furniture that they previously believed to be safe, clean, and comfortable.

Why Mice Like Couches

Couches are attractive places for mice, just like they are among our favorite places to spend time as humans. Couches are filled with soft materials that are cozy and make excellent nesting materials. The inside of couches are hidden away from the outside world and the humans and pets that may disturb them. It’s also a great place for pregnant female mice to have their babies and keep them safe and warm. If you have a habit of snacking on your couch, mice will find those tiny crumbs between the cushions and have their own little feast from your leftovers!

How to Identify a Mice Nest in Couch

One of the most common signs of a mice nest in a couch is mice droppings, which are fecal pellets left behind from these unwanted couch residents. A single mouse can create dozens of droppings per day, which will be noticeable when you rotate your couch cushions or remove them to vacuum your couch.

Other signs of mouse activity in your couch are gnawed portions of fabric, the smell of urine, and bits of stuffing on the floor. If you are quiet, you may even hear squeaking or scratching noises coming from your couch when you are not sitting on it.

We Can Get Rid of Mice in Your Couch

If you have noticed signs of mice in the couch or have any sneaking suspicions that they are living here, don’t live another day in these troublesome conditions. Precise Pest Control is the go-to source for mouse control in Northern New Jersey, and we are in the business of helping people get mice out of their couches for good.

Our professionally trained exterminators know the best ways to remove mice from couches so that you can assess the damage and make the best decision about your furniture. The longer you wait to take action, the more damage mice can cause in a couch. If you catch the problem early, you may be able to have the couch cleaned and repaired so that you don’t have to buy a brand-new couch and put a strain on your budget.

Then, going forward, we can provide you with helpful tips about how to keep mice from getting into your couch in the future, such as promptly cleaning up crumbs, strategically placing mice deterrents, and sealing up gaps and holes in your home.

Contact us today for a free mice inspection and protect the home furniture you love.

Mice are resilient little rodents that seem to be able to take up residence nearly anywhere. But one of the most common places that you will find mice is the attic. Mice in this location can present a tricky situation because many homeowners don’t spend much time in their attics and don’t even realize mice are living there.

Here is some information about how to tell if you have mice in your attic and what to do about the rodent activity once you discover it.

How Mice Get in the Attic

Some people are surprised that mice are even able to access attics because of the height and minimal doors and windows for access. However, mice can find the tiniest cracks in a home and get up that high by climbing gutters or jumping from tree branches onto roofs. Attics are actually preferred habitats for mice because attics are typically warm, dark, dry, and free of human activity.

What to Listen for

Mice often make scratching and scurrying sounds, so these are things to listen for above your ceiling. You may hear the sounds of tiny running feet above you, which is a sure sign that mice are in the vicinity and could spread to other parts of your home too.

What to Look for

Even if you only use your attic for storage, it is important to inspect your attic regularly to ensure that no unwanted house guests are up here. Signs of what to look for are pools of mice urine, mouse fecal droppings, and grease marks along the walls. You may also see chew marks on wires in your attic, nesting materials (like paper and cloth) gathered together, and burrows through your attic insulation. Another sure sign that you have mice is if you see a live or dead mouse among your belongings. Mice rarely exist as individuals, so where you find one, you will likely find more later if you look closely.

Preventing Mice in the Attic

In addition to regularly visiting your attic to check for sounds and sights of mice, there are additional things that you can do to be proactive about rodent infestations. To start, keep your attic clean and free of unnecessary clutter. If you notice any cracks in the attic area, patch them up so that mice don’t have an easy access point.

Do not store food in your attic, or if you must store food here, make sure it is secured in sealed containers that mice cannot chew through. Also, take a walk around your property and take note if any tree branches or bushes are very close to your home that would enable a mouse to jump on top of your roof and get into the attic.

Who to Call for Mice in the Attic  

For over 30 years, Precise Termite & Pest Control has been keeping Northern New Jersey protected from attic mice. We understand the risks involved in exterminating mice and the best tactics for keeping them away from local homes. When you call us for a free inspection, we can determine if there are signs of mice in your attic, where the mice entry points are, and the best course of action for getting mice out of this space. We’ll also come up with a plan to keep mice out of your attic so that you only need to schedule an annual, preventative inspection rather than dealing with an emergency infestation situation in the future.

Call us at 866-971-2847 or contact us online today to learn more!