Mouse Control-Crawl Space Edition

As the weather cools the calls we get seem to turn towards mice. Customers call and explain that they have been trying to catch the mouse that is running in their kitchen with snap traps or glue traps to no avail. What many folks don’t realize or consider is that mouse control starts in the deep dark and spooky areas of the home. Crawl spaces, basement wall ledges up where all the spider webs are located. They are usually just visiting for a midnight snack when you see them, soon returning to their lair where everything is quiet and safe.

This is a bug part of what I do when I’m on a rodent control job. In fact, I’d say about 90 percent of my time is spent in the crawl space if there is one in the home, in the basement, or up in the drop ceilings of a finished basement. I use plenty of products, lots of snap traps, and lots of bait stations. I do this for a few reasons. One is I don’t want to have to keep visiting the crawl space because it is gross, and two is because the more product you have out the better your chances of the mice eating the bait or getting caught in your traps.

Mouse control is not a sprint. It’s a jog. You have to take your time and look for evidence of mouse activity. Check for droppings on top of the basement wall, and check the insulation, are there burrow holes in that insulation? Can you take the oven drawer out and place some traps under there? Are there a ton of droppings under the stove in the first place? Pull out the fridge because mice like to travel through the hole that the water line comes up from the basement.

As the weather changes from summer to fall here in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and the wind blows cold, I get ready to put my bump cap on, put my respirator on, and get crawling. After all, it is called a crawl space!