Rodents · North Arkansas
If you hear it in the walls, it's already in.
Mice and rats move in when the weather turns cold and the fields get cut. Out here, with pastures, feed rooms and woods on every side, most houses get tested every fall. A mouse needs a gap about the size of a dime. A rat needs one the size of a quarter.
- Mouse gap
- 1/4 inch
- Busy season
- Fall and winter
- Where
- Attic, walls, garage
- Risk
- Wiring, disease
Signs
How to tell you've got mice or rats
You'll usually hear them or find droppings long before you see one.
- Scratching at nightRunning and scratching in the ceiling or walls after dark, often over a bedroom.
- DroppingsMouse droppings are about the size of a grain of rice with pointed ends. Rat droppings are bigger, about half an inch to three-quarters, and blunt. Look in drawers, under sinks and along walls.
- Chewed thingsGnawed corners on food boxes, chewed wire insulation in the attic or the car engine, and holes in feed sacks.
- NestsBalls of shredded paper, insulation or fabric tucked into a quiet corner, a drawer or the back of a cabinet.
- Greasy rub marksDark smudges along walls and around holes where they run the same path every night. Rats leave these more than mice.
Where they hide
Where they get in
Gaps where pipes and wires go through the wall, the corners of garage doors, foundation vents with torn screens, and where the roof line meets the fascia.
Tree limbs touching the roof give roof rats and squirrels a bridge straight into the attic.
Feed rooms, chicken coops and birdseed draw them to the property in the first place. Then the house is just the warm place next door.
Know what you've got
The ones we see around here
House mouse
Small and gray-brown with big ears. Gets in through tiny gaps and breeds fast. Lives in walls, cabinets and attics.
Deer mouse
Brown on top with a white belly and white feet. Common in cabins, sheds and barns. Can carry hantavirus, so be careful cleaning up after them.
Norway rat
Big and heavy, brown, with a blunt nose. Burrows under slabs, sheds and woodpiles and comes in low.
Roof rat
Slimmer and darker with a tail longer than its body. A good climber that gets into attics from trees and power lines.
Our process
How we handle rodents
Every job starts with a free inspection. Most homes end up on our quarterly plan, which includes free re-treats between visits. See the plans.
Free inspection
We find where they're getting in, where they're running and how many you're dealing with.
Trapping and baiting
Traps inside and locked bait stations outside, placed where kids and pets can't get to them.
Sealing the gaps
We seal the holes they use, with steel wool, mortar or metal, and replace things like a rotted fascia board if that's the door they're using.
Follow-up
We come back to check the traps and stations and make sure the activity has stopped.
Before we get there
What you can do today
- Keep pet food, feed and birdseed in metal or heavy plastic bins with tight lids.
- Trim tree limbs back so they don't touch the roof.
- Stack firewood away from the house and off the ground.
- Wet droppings with a bleach and water mix before you clean them up, and wear gloves.
What not to do
- Don't sweep or vacuum dry droppings. It puts dust in the air that you can breathe in.
- Don't seal holes until the mice inside are gone, or they die in the walls.
- Don't rely on ultrasonic plug-ins. Rodents get used to them.
FAQ
Rodents questions
Why do mice come in every fall?
Cold weather and harvest. When fields get cut and nights get cold, mice move toward warm buildings with food. Fall is the time to seal up.
Is it safe to clean up mouse droppings?
Deer mice can carry hantavirus, which spreads through dust from droppings and urine. Open the room to air it out, wet everything with a bleach mix, wear gloves and wipe it up. Don't sweep or vacuum it dry.
Do you use poison inside the house?
We use traps inside so you don't end up with a mouse dying in the wall. Bait goes in locked stations outside. Confirm this is how they work.
Do you handle squirrels, raccoons or other wildlife?
We do wildlife control too. Call and tell us what you're hearing. Confirm which animals they take.
Keep reading
Other pests we treat
Think you've got rodents?
We'll come out, find what you've got, and tell you what it takes. No charge, no pressure.