There are many reasons Tampa residents have trouble getting rodents out. One that you might not be aware of is that some mice and some rats don't want to leave your home. They like living with you. In fact, some like living with humans so much that they don't live in the wild anymore. The house mouse is one of these. There is a reason the house mouse was given its name. It loves living in homes. And believe us when we tell you that you'll have a hard time convincing house mice to live somewhere else. Let's take a look at a few more factors that can make it difficult to get rid of rodents in Tampa.
Rodents Are Smart
Through the years, mice and rats have been run through a gauntlet of tests in laboratories around the world. In these tests, they have shown over and over that they are very clever animals. So you shouldn't be surprised when you have trouble ridding your Tampa home of them. Here are a few ways they can outsmart you:
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Rodents can smell you on the traps you set. They have an acute sense of smell and it helps to warn them of danger.
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Rodents work together to tell where danger may be. This is one reason why most mice are captured on the first day traps are deployed. After the initial day, they get wise to the threat.
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Rodents (particularly mice) can gently take a small portion of bait from the latch of a spring trap without setting it off. If you use too much bait, you can fail to catch them.
Some DIY Rodent Control Methods Just Don't Work
The internet is full of advice, and there is no shortage to how many home remedies you can find. Unfortunately, home remedies don't have the scientific backing to be reliable. We could mention several DIY rodent control tips that can fail, but let's zero in on one that helps to clearly represent the problem.
You may learn that mothballs can help you get rid of rodents. The reasoning is that mothballs contain naphthalene, an odor that is unpleasant to rodents. It is said that placing mothballs in key areas can keep rodents out of your home and also drive rodents out. In a recent study, this idea was tested. Guess what the researchers observed? They watched mice crawl right over the mothballs with no reaction at all. When given enough motivation, rodents won't be deterred by things that smell bad to them.
Trouble With Traps
Traps are currently the best option for removing rodents from a structure. Plus, they're eco friendly. Unfortunately, it isn't easy to catch mice and rats with traps if you're not trained. As we mentioned above, rodents are clever. They can outsmart your trapping attempts. They can smell you on the traps, they can sense the danger the traps pose, or they can eat a small portion of the bait because you used too much. Here are a few more ways traps can fail.
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Rodents are quick. If you deploy one trap, a rodent may be able to leap away when the spring triggers. Professionals that use spring traps often use more than one trap in an area. When a rodent leaps back, it is caught by another trap.
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Rodents move along walls. If you want to catch them, you need to deploy traps near walls. Placing them in the middle of a room will have far less success.
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Rodents may eat cheese but they prefer nuts or rice. Peanut butter works well because it sticks to the latch. Just don't use too much or the rodents can take a small portion and not trigger the trap.
The Best Solution For Rodent Control
If you decide to try and trap rodents in your home, keep in mind that you may not know if you are unsuccessful at getting all the rodents. Mice and rats can live in your home without making any detectable noise. Professionals use field-tested strategies to determine where rodents are, and they deploy traps in a way that achieves the best results possible. Before you put down a single trap, we strongly recommend having an experienced and trained professional take a look at your rodent problem. If you bring a professional in early, you can save yourself some money.
For rodent control in Tampa, remember that Eco Tech Pest Control Services is available to assist you. Our team members are licensed, trained, and experienced at rodent control in Tampa Bay. We can help you resolve your rodent infestation and put in place a plan to keep rodents out. Reach out to us today for assistance.
