Mice, rats and squirrels are some of the most communal pests that occupy our homes regularly when the weather starts turning cold. Although squirrels, like rats and mice, are in the order of rodentia, not all rodents are "vermin," but rats and mice definitely are. Here are a few suggestions to keep all three rodentia out of your house. Remove food sources by packing food, especially grains, pet food and bird seed, in glass or thick plastic containers that are considered rodent-proof. Grass seed and grass fertilizer are both a favourite meal for rats and mice so also seal them plastic containers. Put away uneaten pet food. Make your garbage cans rodent proof by setting them on 25 cm high concrete pads. Make sure the lids fit tight; use bungy cords to fasten them down as our other favourite night crawler, the raccoon, is also always looking for its next meal. Have a look around your house searching for holes around the foundation and soffits and fill them with latex causing, wire mesh or sheet metal. If mice are a concern, set snap traps with the baited trigger end of the trap tight against the wall, use two traps and reuse snap traps that have caught a mouse - as the scent of the dead mouse will help attract another mouse.
Go Green Pest Control owner Randy Bilesky is a long-time South Delta resident. Trained and certified, Bilesky has first-hand knowledge of the pest problems that local homeowners and business owners encounter.
