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3 Pests That Can Ruin Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a holiday that family and friends gather together to share a meal and relax without worrying about the world. This year, it is exponentially more important for those who do get to spend time with family and friends to stay healthy, safe, and of course— well fed. Unfortunately, the increased amount of food and foot traffic in your home won’t just attract more humans, but pests as well. Here are a few critters that will make you wish you socially distanced this year.

Mice

Mice are always searching for food and shelter, especially when the cold weather arrives. Ensure that your house is free of any visible holes or cracks that grant entrance to these animals. Remember, mice only require holes the size of dimes to squeeze through! The scents emitting from your home during this week will attract mice, which is why you should also make sure that you adequately dispose of all food scraps. Use scented garbage bags and place all trash outside in sealed containers.

Bed Bugs

Spending time with those you love is what makes Thanksgiving such a special day. However, if you’re staying over at someone’s house for the holiday, make sure you inspect your room for bed bugs. Check the mattress, bed frame, carpeting, linens, et cetera., and make sure you place your bag on a desk or nightstand. Since bed bugs don’t discriminate whom they infest — no matter how clean they might be.

Ants

Bringing plates of food to and from the kitchen to the dining room will obviously result in a spill or two. Even just a rogue piece of stuffing in the corner of the kitchen can be an ant magnet. All it takes is for a single ant to discover a food source— from there, the colony will be quickly alerted thanks to pheromones. To avoid this, make sure your post-meal cleaning is swift and thorough.

When Thanksgiving arrives this week, your only worry should be spending quality time with those you love, not executive orders or a virus, and especially not about pests. If you fear your home may have a problem with pests (does not pertain to family members), contact Hogarth’s Pest Control.

Pumpkin Spice & Fall Mice

The leaves are fading to vibrant shades of crimson, orange, and chartreuse, silently falling to the ground. The mornings are foggy and crisp, the darkness stretching each day. You’ve taken the sweaters out of their storage bins and began to wear them proudly; apple cider and pumpkin spice quite literally fill the air. The downside of all things fall, though, is that rodents are packing their bags to move into your home for the winter, too.

Why are Mice Moving into Your Home?

As we’ve previously talked about before, as temperatures drop, rodents are drawn to sources of potential food and heat. Most assuredly, they will find creative ways to enter a structure: through open windows and doors, cracks in walls, vents, pipes, you name it, and they will try it! There are some main attractants to rodents when they are seeking solace:

You haven’t kept up with landscaping maintenance.

Having plants close to buildings and failing to rake up leaves that pile against foundations are open invitations to rodents. They hide amongst the vegetation while searching for an opening, and you may never notice them. Instead, keep plants and accumulated leaves at least 2 feet away from your home, trim weeds, and never allow debris to collect against the house.
You haven’t prepared your house for the chilly weather.

If you have not inspected weather-stripping, cracks, and other areas of weakness, then you have opened your home to wayward rodents. Ensure you seal any gaps around windows and doors, even checking where you may have made repairs last season— as weather-stripping and caulking are known to crack with temperature fluctuations.
You haven’t rodent-proofed your exterior.

If you’re not checking the exterior of your home for weaknesses, then mice may be able to crawl right into your home. Have you had any home repairs or installations? Check to see if sealing around cable wires or plumbing is intact. Rodents can crawl up sewage pipes and plumbing, so seal off around the areas where these pipes enter your home. Additionally, if you have outdoor vents or intend to keep any windows open, fit them with screens to keep mice out.
You haven’t made your home inhospitable to rodents.

If you’re not placing traps in potential rodent hot spots and deploying repellents, then you’re giving mice the go-ahead to move in. Try using glue traps to monitor your attic or basement – since these traps will catch both mice and insects, they will let you know if you have a problem. Just be sure to inspect them regularly. Additionally, use natural scent repellents in pantries or drawers and ultrasonic repellents in basements, attics, and rooms with non-rodent pets.

Overwintering Pests

With winter at our doorstep, pests have already begun searching for shelter from the harsh elements. Unfortunately for humans, they often end up as unwelcome guests in your home and other buildings. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) suggests homeowners take proactive steps to prevent overwintering pests from invading their houses. A few pest-proofing techniques can help prevent the aggravation of infestations and help prevent structural damage and protect family health.

When pests enter homes to overwinter, they can often go unnoticed. However, as the weather warms, they reemerge and become active, often revealing more significant problems.

There are all kinds of different people in the world. Some will stop everything they’re doing to chase a single stink bug around the house. Others can have hundreds crawling in their curtains, walking across their television, buzzing through the living room and kitchen—and dismiss them as nothing Most fall somewhere in the middle. No matter where you land, we’re thinking you would probably like to know how to keep those pests out of your house.

Keep Out!

Knowing how to prevent overwintering pests from moving into your home begins with understanding the reasons they enter a house in the first place. Overwintering pests are unique in that they don’t prefer to live indoors; in fact, many of them cannot survive inside. Their food sources are outdoors.

So, why come in? The secret is in their name. Overwintering pests are transient and need a place to stay for the winter months. Once the cold weather dissipates, they’re happy to go. The problem is, they can be quite a problem while they’re waiting to do so, namely in the spring, as they try to leave and have trouble figuring out how they got in.

In many cases, these pests will make themselves comfortable in seasonal homes where they become dormant. However, if a homeowner is to visit and raise the temperature in the home, these pests will awaken and emerge. This can be quite disturbing for anyone looking to celebrate a holiday or spend a peaceful weekend at the cabin.

Prevention

The two ways to avoid welcoming overwinterers are directly linked to the behavior of these pests. In the fall, rather than warming themselves on the sunny side of a rock, they are most likely warming themselves on the sunny side of your home. This can be easily averted by hiring a pest control company to treat any exterior walls. If the pests are unable to congregate, they won’t be exploring your defenses to find a way into the home.

The second way to avoid these pests is essential, but can be ineffective if not completed properly. Since overwintering bugs are searching for a way in, it makes sense that sealing your cracks and crevices in walls will keep them out. The problem is that your walls have a lot more vulnerabilities than one may realize. Many pests, including mice, can squeeze into tiny holes in areas under your porch or deck, slide under siding, wiggle in through torn screens, and make their way right down your chimney. While it is essential to address as many entry points as you can, the only real solution is to create barriers to seal them out.

Common Overwintering Pests

Stink Bugs – The brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive species from Asia, has quickly spread throughout much of the United States over the years. Though the majority of their lifecycle is spent outdoors, they become a smelly nuisance when they invade homes in high numbers searching for overwintering sites.

Asian Beetles – Most species of this beetle family pose little threat to humans, but the multi-colored Asian beetle can aggravate asthma and cause allergic reactions. They also tend to exude a staining, yellow, foul-smelling fluid. These are not to be confused with Lady Bugs, a harmless species of beetle.

Boxelder Bugs – Boxelder bugs congregate on warm spots of buildings before migrating indoors to overwinter in insulating cracks and crevices. Their fecal material can discolor fabric, and they occasionally bite when handled, which causes slight irritation.

Mice – Though they don’t “overwinter” per se, mice are active year-round and scurry indoors when the weather cools to nest and be close to food sources. Their constant gnawing causes damage and even spark electrical fires. They are also a sanitation issue, contaminating food and defecating on surfaces like counters.

To prevent pests this fall, repair torn screens, seal cracks with high-quality silicone or silicone-latex caulk, fill holes around utilities with steel wool and install door sweeps on exterior entrances. If you suspect an infestation, a qualified pest professional can evaluate the problem and recommend an action plan.

Mice in Michigan

In recent years, rodent populations have seemingly increased. Mice in particular are common household pests that can become an out-of-control problem if not nipped in the bud. They multiply quickly and in great numbers; two can turn into twenty within weeks. While unaggressive, these rodents can cause quite a scare for homeowners and an infestation can lead to health problems along with potential fire hazards from their tendency to gnaw on electrical wires. Mice control requires three methods of defense: trapping and removing, baiting from the exterior, and exclusion…but more on those later! In Michigan we have 4 species: white-footed, house, deer, and field. It is important to properly identify which type of mouse we are dealing with before eradication, as each species comes with their own set of preferences and tendencies.

“How do mice get in my home?”, you may ask. Mice are notorious gnawers, and will chew their way into virtually any structure; including homes, cabins, restaurants, hotels, factories, nursing homes, hospitals, food processing plants, commercial kitchens, RV’s, air conditioning units, heat pumps, outbuildings, and airplanes. Mice chew through window and door seals, and are known to damage weather stripping.They can squeeze through holes as small as a dime! Really there is no structure a mouse won’t chew its way into if given the chance.

Remediating an Existing Issue

There are three methods of defense to remediate and/or prevent future infestations from occurring; trapping and removing, baiting from the exterior, and exclusion. If the inside of your home is deemed to be infested by a licensed pest control professional, the mice must be trapped and removed by using various traps. Snap traps and glue boards work well to catch mice on the interior as we will not and do not recommend that poisons are used inside. Using bait inside will cause the mice to die inside, creating a whole new problem.

Bait stations are set around the exterior of the structure so that the mice outdoors will be lured in. Our bait stations are designed to be the strongest on the market so that problems aren’t created with non-target animals, and pet safety is one of our biggest concerns. The stations are tamper-proof, weighted, and locked to ensure the bait is protected. We also scan our stations for digital data tracking. Exclusion is the process of sealing any cracks or holes around the exterior of a structure to prevent mice from squeezing through.

Hazards

While the mice themselves will not cause harm as they do not generally bite unless held. The real threat comes from the health problems they can cause. Mice are known to carry parasites, and their waste can cause diseases such as salmonellosis and hantavirus. Hantavirus is particularly threatening because it lives in feces and when disturbed becomes airborne. The virus can be contracted by so much as breathing in contaminated dust from nests and/or droppings, so it is important to call a licensed pest control professional for proper remediation and clean-up. If you believe to have come across a mouse nest in your home, do not touch it! During the professional clean-up, every effort will be made to avoid stirring up any dust as well as a respirator to ensure there is no inhalation.

Tips to Prevent an Infestation

Eliminate food sources
1. Proper storage of food sources in pantries, cupboards, and especially in garages can help to prevent mice from chewing their way in to access. Airtight containers and storing food off of the floor will also be helpful.
Safeguard your garbage
1. By storing your outdoor garbage in a contained space such as a tin lidded bin, rodents will be unable to access.
Carefully tend your vegetable garden
1. Any leftover fruits or vegetables are an attractant to mice foraging for food. Mice are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants, meat, fruits, seeds, and grains.
Block entry points
1. If you come across cracks or holes around the exterior of a structure, you may block them. Keep in mind any mice trapped inside may perish and cause a disturbing odor.
Reduce clutter
1. Reducing clutter creates less spaces to hide, nest, and travel. Mice are extremely resourceful and will use just about anything as nesting material. In homes, clutter is often found in attics, basements, and garages, the same sites of most mouse infestations.
Protect your pool
1. Pools are essentially giant water bowls for mice, who can easily fall in and drown. It is not uncommon to find deceased rodents in pools and jacuzzis. Always cover these when not in use!

By taking these steps, homeowners are able to make their property less appealing to mice and other rodents. The more you know, the more effectively we can work together. If you believe to have found evidence of mice in your home do not hesitate to give us a call. We have been keeping homes in Northern Michigan mouse-free for 25 years! We look forward to solving your problem.

Fall Rodent Baiting

ith the drop in temperatures, it seems as if fall is quickly approaching here in Northern Michigan. As many homeowners know, that means it’s time for fall rodent baiting. Mice breed year round and reproduce rapidly, seemingly more so this year than we’ve seen in recent past. We’re noticing an abundance of mice much earlier in the season— the sudden drop in temperature isn’t helping. Mice are fall invaders; they’ll quickly be on the move to seek warm shelter to escape from the cooler temperatures and the upcoming winter.

Most mice will seek shelter will be in and around homes. They can fit through dime-sized holes— getting in through un-caulked areas around pipes, phone and cable lines, as well as worn door thresholds. Mice and rodents love to gnaw and chew, targeting insulation and cable, phone and electrical cords, etc. This can be dangerous in schools, restaurants, homes, and businesses and is a potential fire hazard.

They are also a health and sanitation concern, urinating and leaving droppings where they nest and run. The average house mouse produces 40 to 100 fecal pellets daily. Even a small colony of mice can produce thousands of feces in a short period of time. This quickly causes a health issue if proper sanitation is not in place. Exclusion on the structure, as well as exterior bait stations can prevent mice and rodents from invading your home this fall and winter.

Will they harm my pet?

Many customers worry about having bait boxes set up if they have pets. It’s important to know that the product we use in our bait stations is typically non-transferable if consumed in small amounts. If your pet were to consume a dead rodent, you should not have to worry about the poison affecting your pets health. We use tamper-proof bait stations; unless your pet is left unattended for hours on end, it’s highly unlikely they will be able to chew though the boxes to consume the bait. Even so, most animals have to consume up to their body weight in bait to have any serious health issues requiring veterinarian assistance.

This is an understandable concern for many clients. We like to clarify that bait stations are indeed safe to have around your home if you have small children or pets. The boxes are locked with a key and are secured around the structure with either a wire into the ground or, with the newer bait stations, a heavy brick. We will provide customers with a key if they wish to check them themselves and then call to have them filled as needed.

If you already have bait stations set up around your home, be sure to call our office or send us an email to get on the schedule to have yours filled. If you have never had rodent baiting and are looking to get protection for your home this season, now is the time to do it! Many customers find themselves waiting until they have a rodent issue before calling a professional, but mice and rodent damage is something that can easily be prevented if taken care of in the fall and maintained throughout the year.