Rodents can quickly become unwelcome guests in your Port St. Lucie property, posing threats to both your home and health. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore effective strategies for how to keep rodents out of your Port St. Lucie home.
From immediate actions to long-term preventive measures, we’ll cover it all to ensure your home is rodent-free.
How to Keep Mice Out of Your House Naturally
Mice, with their nimble movements and small size, can be a tricky rodent to deal with in your Port St. Lucie home.
Scare Mice Away with Noise
Noise can act as a natural deterrent for mice. Use ultrasonic devices that emit high-frequency sounds that can irritate mice yet are typically undetectable by humans and pets. These devices can be an effective, humane way for rodent control in Port St. Lucie.
Eliminate Water Sources
Don’t leave any standing water close to your home. Remember, mice are looking for water, food, and shelter.
Secure Outdoor Structures
Seal openings in sheds, garages, and other outdoor structures to prevent rodents from entering. Store firewood and other items off the ground and away from your home.
Seal Entry Points
Mice can enter through ridiculously small openings; therefore, it is important to inspect your home for gaps around doors, windows, roof lines, pipes, etc. Seal these entry points with caulk or weather stripping to prevent mice from accessing your home.
Maintain a Tidy Yard
A well-maintained yard can deter mice. Trim overgrown vegetation, cut grass short, and remove debris and clutter that could provide a game of hide-n-seek for rodents. A tidy yard keeps potential nesting sites at bay and makes your property less appealing to these unwanted visitors.
Secure Food Sources
Store pantry items including pet food, in airtight containers. Clean up crumbs and spills and avoid leaving food out overnight. This will reduce the likelihood of attracting mice to your kitchen and living spaces.
Landscaping Maintenance
Trim trees and bushes away from the house as well as your roof, as rodents use overhanging branches as a bridge to your home.
Install Door Sweeps
To keep mice from squeezing through extremely small gaps beneath doors, install door sweeps. They create a barrier and prevent rodents from getting inside.
Elevate Storage Items
Mice are excellent climbers, so keeping stored items off the ground reduces potential hiding spots and limits access points for rodents.
Set Traps Strategically
Baiting mice with food is one of the most effective ways to capture rodents. If you suspect mouse activity, set traps strategically in areas where they are likely to hang out. Common areas include walls, near entry points, and in the back of cabinets.
If the idea of killing a mouse does not sit well with you, there are no-kill catch-and-release mouse traps. These work by allowing an entry point into the trap without an exit option. If you go this route, be sure to release the rodent as far away from your home as possible so the situation does not repeat itself.
Does Peppermint Really Work?
There are natural methods to deter rodents from invading your living space.
For example, add the scent of peppermint in corners where they congregate. Peppermint emits a potent and strong scent that can be overwhelming for rodents. Since they rely heavily on their sense of smell, the intense aroma of peppermint can disrupt their ability to navigate and locate food, which is a key purpose for entering your home.
What other scents deter mice?
Other scents mice find irritating are eucalyptus, citronella, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, tea, and tree oil. Place peppermint oil-soaked cotton balls, sprays, or diffusers with one of these scents in areas where mice are active for an eco-friendly and humane way to keep them away.
What About Bay Leaves?
You can also place bay leaves in areas where mice are likely to enter. The scent of bay leaves is known to repel rodents naturally. Place on pantry shelves, kitchen cabinets, or other areas where food is stored. Replace the bay leaves regularly, as their scent tends to fade over time.
Do Mice Hate the Smell of Vinegar?
Vinegar has a strong and pungent odor that can be overwhelming for rodents, including mice. The acrid smell of vinegar interferes with their sensitive olfactory system and can act as a deterrent.
Create a solution of equal parts of white vinegar and water and spray near entry points, gaps around doors, windows, and openings in walls. You can also soak vinegar in cotton balls and place them in areas where mice are active. This will discourage them from entering.
If you are using traps, consider placing vinegar-soaked cotton balls near the traps. The smell may act as a deterrent and keep them away.
Clean surfaces and areas where mice have been active with a vinegar solution. This helps in eliminating their scent trails but also leaves a residual smell that may deter them from returning.
The Truth about Keeping The Lights On
This is a common misconception. Keeping lights on is not an effective way to keep mice away. Mice are nocturnal meaning they are most active between dusk and dawn. Since they are easily startled by bright lights and sounds, they will hide in dark areas until all the lights are off.
Do Mothballs Keep Mice Away?
This is also a common misconception. While mothballs do contain a potential deterrent (in the form of naphthalene), they tend to only work in relatively huge quantities (which is also toxic for humans), making them impractical and ineffective. In fact, it is illegal to use mothballs outside of their prescribed purpose.
Cat, Dogs, and Mice
While the jury is still out on whether the presence of dogs keeps rodents away, mice are more in fear of our feline friends! Cats naturally enjoy chasing and catching small prey, like mice. Even if the cat doesn’t catch the mouse, the chase itself can be effective in rodent control.
In addition, the scent of cats is troublesome to mice. In fact, if mice smell cat urine, they are likely to leave the area to avoid the potential predator.
It all comes down to the mouse’s sense of smell. In a nutshell, here’s how it works: pheromones (odor molecules) travel through the mouse’s nose to the brain, where the pheromones interact with neurons, stimulating emotions. In this case, fear is the emotion that is sparked in mice from the smell of our feline friends.
How to Keep Mice And Rats Away from the Outside of the House
Keeping mice away from the outside of your home involves implementing common sense and preventive measures. Consider DIY strategies to deter mice from the exterior of your home including:
- Install motion-activated lights.
- Remove standing water.
- Use natural repellents like peppermint around the perimeter of your house.
- Maintain landscaping and keep a tidy yard.
- Elevate firewood.
- Use metal flashing.
- Secure garbage cans.
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your House Fast
Rats are larger and more persistent than mice, so take action immediately if you suspect an infestation.
The quickest way to exterminate rats in your home is by utilizing traps. If you go this route, be sure to read and follow the directions. You should be aware there could be additional rodents hiding in your walls, behind appliances, and in other hiding spots, so you may need to set more than one trap.
If this doesn’t work, contact us. Our professionals know how to tackle these unwanted visitors effectively, safely, and most importantly, quickly!
How to Get Rid of Rats in the Yard Without Harming Pets
We all love our pets and want them to remain safe! But how do we ensure rodents are removed without harming our pets? Here are a few tips:
- Install humane and pet-safe live traps. Live traps allow you to catch rats without harming them. Check the traps regularly and release captured rodents far away from your home.
- Look for pet-safe rodent repellent sprays at your local hardware store, Lowe’s, or Home Depot.
- Attract natural predators like owls by installing owl boxes. Owls feed on rodents and can help control the rat population.
If you have concerns about mice or rat infestation and the safety of your pets, take a minute to consult with your vet or contact us for rodent control. We will come out to your home and perform a complimentary inspection and determine the best course of action for your specific situation.
How Do I Get Rid of Rodents ASAP
When facing a sudden rodent infestation, no one wants to wait. Hiring us to remove rodents professionally is your best option to exterminate these critters and keep them away.
We offer a humane solution that is non-toxic and extremely effective.
The SMART pest control system.
This system uses the latest technology to monitor and trap pests humanely and effectively. Sensors are strategically placed to detect rodents in your home. Once detected, alerts are sent directly to us. Then we take over and remove the rodents from your home right away.
Here’s how it works:
- We inspect your home to determine where rats are most likely entering.
- You will receive a customized rat control plan for your situation.
- Humane, non-toxic traps and smart devices are placed around your home that detect rats through heat and motion sensors.
- These devices are monitored 24/7. We empty and relocate traps right away.
What Is the Best Thing to Keep Rodents Away
The best way to control rodents is to call us for preventative strategies we can implement to keep you and your family safe from unwanted visitors.
How To Stop Rodents from Coming into the House
Rats and mice can squeeze through surprisingly small openings. To keep them out of your Port St. Lucie home, take a walk around your property and seal potential entry points. Here are a few places to look for gaps:
- Cracks in walls, windows, and doors.
- Vents and louvers.
- Check pipes and roof openings.
- Plumbing and dryer vents.
- Attics and garages.
- Holes in screens.
- Trees and overhanging branches that lead to your roof.
- Pull weeds and maintain your lawn.
Turner Pest Control is the expert in this rodent exclusion process. Look to us for commercial rodent control or to remove these rodents from your Port St. Lucie home.
A Note About Natural Deterrents
It’s important to note that natural remedies like bay leaves, peppermint, oils, and scents may not provide complete protection, especially if an infestation is already underway. In such cases, it is best to call us for professional rodent extermination services in Port St. Lucie to address the issue comprehensively. We can help get rid of rodents, like mice and rats, and keep them out of your home with effective preventative strategies.
Contact Us for Port St. Lucie Rodent Control
If you need rodent control and mice extermination for your Port St. Lucie home, contact us immediately. The more time critters are in your home, the more time they can cause havoc.
Contact us, at 800-225-5305.
For more in-depth guidance on pest control, explore our Port St. Lucie Pest Control Guide and Different Types of Pest Control in Port St. Lucie, FL.
