There is one reason and one reason only why mice have taken up residence in or around your home or business - a readily available food source. Their nests are usually within ten feet in proximity to their food supply, which typically means your kitchen, but they can be outdoors as well. Not only do mice contaminate our food source with their dander, urine, and feces but they can also transmit diseases indirectly through ticks, fleas or mites. Mice reproduce quickly, making them particularly troublesome. Properly eliminating mice requires knowledge and experience of their makeup and habits.

• Mice are capable of doing a considerable amount of damage; not only consuming our food but destroying it by contaminating it with their fecal matter, urine and fur.
• In agricultural areas, mice are capable of ruining massive amounts of food; an estimated amount of 33 million tons per year.
• Mice can infest any structure that offers them conducive conditions; restaurants and venues that serve food but also factories, offices, and retail stores. Often neighboring businesses or dumpster enclosures nearby are the source of the issue.
• Mice can reproduce at an astounding rate; sometimes a female mouse can have up to ten litters per year, each containing 3 to 14 pups, meaning a single pair of mice can multiply into the hundreds within a single year.
• The eyesight of a mouse is poor which is why they travel alongside walls helping them with a sense of direction and security. They explore their territories daily in search for food and are known to be very curious.
• Mice look for an undisturbed location to nest: wall cavity, attic, garage, basement or even an unused cabinet or dresser.

Throughout history, the rat has adapted to all types of human environments: fields, granaries, sewers, ship vessels, trees, homes, and large buildings; anywhere they can find food and water. If rats are nesting or scavenging in or near your home or business, it is imperative that you do all you can to remove them as soon as possible. Not only can rats cause a lot of damage from their constant gnawing they are extremely dangerous to have around due to the potential diseases they carry. Properly exterminating these large rodents requires knowledge and experience of their makeup and habits.

• Still to this day, rats are hosts to various diseases and may also carry infected parasites, mites, and fleas that cause: the bubonic plague, typhus fever, salmonella, leptospirosis (Weil’s disease), trichinosis, and rat-bite fever.
• It’s estimated that rats destroy 20% of the world’s food supply every year, directly by feeding and indirectly through contamination.
• The rat is a tremendously resilient creature; clearly nature designed them to survive. They flourish in urban areas, such as Jackson, Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Flint, but can be found anywhere with conditions conducive to their survival.
• Rats can jump 3 feet straight up and up to 4 feet horizontally. They can get inside a pipe as small as an inch in diameter, walk on power lines, swim up to a half-mile in open water, and survive a fall of up to 50 feet – always landing on their feet.
• Unlike mice, rats are very intelligent and quite clever. They are suspicious of anything new in their environment, which can make trapping or baiting them somewhat tricky.
• A mature female rat can birth up to 20 pups a year. A mother who has become suspicious of rodenticides or traps can teach her young to be wary of them as well.
• Rats are social and will live in colonies with well-defined territories that are marked with urine and glandular secretions. Rats have a hierarchy with a dominant male who has the best nesting site; weaker males are pushed out to less favorable sites or sometimes forced out of the nest altogether.
• Rats have very poor vision, but this is compensated by their sense of smell and the use of their whiskers, which they use to feel their way through burrows, pipes and other runways.
• Rats have a very advanced sense of taste and can trace the presence of chemicals at a parts-per-million concentration, which is why rats will sometimes avoid bait traps.
• Rats begin foraging for food shortly after dark and will commonly travel between 100 and 150 feet from their nest exploring their territory in search of food and water.
• Rats can do a lot of damage from their constant gnawing. Their teeth are extremely hard, enabling them to chew through materials such as aluminum siding, cinder block, adobe brick, plastic or lead pipes, cabinets and many others.

• Hear squeaking, gnawing or scuttling noises from the walls at night; it is not uncommon to find tooth marks from gnawing on baseboards, trim and the bottoms of cabinets.
• Distinctive droppings they leave behind – mouse droppings are narrow and pointed, usually about 1/8” to 1/4” in length – rat droppings are considerably longer usually about 3/4 inch in length, are black in color and have blunted ends.
• Gnawed food items, boxed containers, floor and ceiling joists, door corners, kitchen cabinets, walls surrounding pipes, and chewed wires are all signs of a rodent infestation.
• Rodents also leave oil marks (smudge or grease marks) behind as they move. These grease marks build up over time in frequented runways and become visible to the naked eye.
• Mouse and rat urine is phosphorescent and is visible under an ultraviolet light.
• Nests are made with various soft materials and are lined with items such as: shredded paper, bits of cloth, straw, feathers, and fur.

Eradicating rodents typically involves identifying how they are getting in and out of the home, exterminating the current population, and sealing up your home so they cannot get back in. Due to their rapid mating capabilities, Creature Control deals with the entire rodent infestation, not just reducing the population. Individual trapping alone is usually not sufficient in dealing with larger infestations. Here’s why:

• If you already found evidence of mouse activity in the home, by this time the rodent problem has usually become so critical that laying a few traps is no longer sufficient to handle it.
• Traps are usually not placed effectively; successful trapping requires a knowledge of the habits and movements of mice and rats in order to place the traps in the best locations.
• Pregnant female mice seldom venture out during their gestational period, which means they are very unlikely to be caught by individual trapping.
• Mice also leave pheromone trails behind wherever they go. These scent trails are chemical indicators that attract other mice, even after the mouse that left the trail has been removed.

Creature Control technicians are experts in identifying rodent entry points, locating nesting areas, and removing them; keeping your home rodent-free. Our technicians will review with the homeowner the activity they’ve witnessed, perform a thorough foundation to roof-line inspection (including the attic), which will identify entry points, nesting sites, and potential problem areas. After inspection, our technicians will write up an estimate for repairing and sealing entry points to prevent further invasion. They also make recommendations for environmental changes to help avoid further breaches. For the treatment of mice and rats, Creature Control utilizes various rodenticides based on the situation and install discreet, tamper-resistant rodenticide bait stations or traps to eliminate the existing rodent population. Creature Control uses the integrated pest management approach of rodenticide applications, helping you restore your peace of mind knowing that your family and pets are kept safe.

Rodents can be a big problem in commercial developments. This is especially true in restaurants and venues that serve food, but mice can infest any structure that offers them conducive conditions such as factories, offices, apartment complexes, and retail stores. It often occurs that businesses have problems that are not their fault; perhaps they are located next to a restaurant whose dumpster enclosure is unsanitary, or otherwise have a neighboring business that is the source of the issue. Still, if rodents are in your establishment, they are your problem!

The last thing any business needs or wants is a bunch of traps lying around. Please keep in mind that conventional trapping is not sufficient for commercial standards. Creature Control employs a combination of rodenticide bait stations to knock out existing rodent populations and performs structural modifications to prevent future re-infestations. We also offer rat management plans for situations where rats are frequenting dumpster enclosures or getting into structures. Our technicians have the knowledge and experience exterminating both mice and rat infestations, providing tremendous attention to detail to ensure the job is done right.

Creature Control’s wildlife control technicians will assess the situation, place discreet rodenticide bait stations that will eliminate the rodent population, and write up an estimate for repairs to seal your property against rodent intrusion. Creature Control utilizes the integrated pest management approach of rodenticide applications, helping to restore your peace of mind so you can focus on your business.

Creature Control has developed a program in which we combine progressive defense in the form of fresh rodenticide at specific intervals and active monitoring to gauge the level of mouse activity. The frequency is tailored to your situation and can be upgraded to include insect treatments for a discounted rate. Best of all, it’s non-invasive, and there is no cancelation fee. All work is completed on the exterior, so it is unnecessary to schedule an appointment: one of our techs will show up at the next service interval and let you know the level of activity observed after the restock. It’s simple and way more affordable than starting over with a new pest infestation.