An unchecked infestation of mice in the home can cause unprecedented damage not only to the household items and the home itself, but it can also cause a lot of harm to human health. So, letting them run around without any checks on their numbers is a bad idea. And for this purpose, a mouse exterminator can be a very good idea.
How Much Does An Exterminator Cost for Mice Infestation?
In the US, mouse exterminator cost can range anything from $80 to $325. It must be kept in mind that a mouse exterminator is the last option and should be ideally hired only when there are no options left. Let us look at some of the conditions that would lead to the hiring of mouse exterminators, and also understand the deeper cost considerations of hiring an exterminator service.
What Are The Key Risks Associated With Mice Infestations?
Remember you are dealing with seemingly innocuous creatures who are indirectly responsible for wiping out half of the population of Europe in the 700s. While the plague is almost harmless today, there are a number of serious diseases listed by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), Rat-bite fever (RBF), Tularemia, etc. – all these diseases are potentially fatal, and spread from sick mice to humans through bites, contamination of water and food, and at times through the air we breathe in, or through contact.
How to Inspect Your Home For A Mouse Infestation?
This includes a number of things like checking where the mice enter from, where they like to build their nest, the areas they frequent, and the possible size of the colony.
How mice enter your home?
Because they are pretty small creatures, they can snuggle in any hole that they find. Their favorite entrance and residence are holes and cracks in the walls and foundations in the building, though they also frequently use pipes and other openings like those of windows and doors.
Mice most commonly frequent areas like the garbage dump, the kitchen, and places where books and clothes might be kept. The attic and the basement have become famous in literature for housing mice. This is why it is very important to keep a lookout in areas that are dark and damp.
Do your best to aerate your rooms and allow in sunlight, irrespective of the season. Winters can be an especially hard time. Cleaning and keeping as many things sealed as possible is a very effective way of dealing with this.
Many people have their cars being damaged by mice. The garage is a very easy place for mice to target because it fulfills all the requirements- is dark, is damp, is not often used, and provides the mice with enough room for sustenance.
How to Mice Exterminators Come Into The Picture?
Before hiring professional help, it is better to get on with some personal home cleaning first. So, do away with the droppings and the damaged bits. Assess the damage before the professional comes in and starts working. You can also hire professional cleaners for this purpose. Remember that you need to keep your house undisturbed for some time before the exterminator services begin in order to ensure the maximum number of mice being exterminated.
You will never know exactly what the extent of the infestation is. However, mice always make their presence felt. So, once you see that the common methods like mice-trap and peppermint are not working, you know you need to hire professional help. The mice reproduce the most during autumn, and proliferate at a prolific rate. Within a matter of months, you can have as much as 200 mice, at least.
Types Of Treatment
Once you hire a professional mice exterminator, the type of treatment will depend on an initial assessment of the situation. Here are the most common methods used for mice extermination:
- Plastic snap trap:
This is the most common method for catching mice. You just trap them with food on the trap and then release them. While this is a very easy and convenient process, remember that mice are clever creatures and they will soon start avoiding it.
- Glue trap:
Works on the fur. This is a painful way of killing mice. It is not recommended, especially for heavy infestations because it is not that efficient in such cases.
- Electric trap:
While this too might not have a very high rank in the animal cruelty department, this has emerged as one of the most popular methods of trapping and terminating mice. This is because of the quickness and the effectiveness of the method. Along with the fact that the traps are reusable. Also, a large number of mice can be dealt with at once. This is a good solution long term. And you get more as profit for the price that you pay.
- Bait station:
This is a very safe method and causes the least unintended injuries as this is an enclosed mechanism. However, this may not be effective for heavy infestation. And most importantly, this is not reusable.
- Rat Poison:
While this is among the oldest methods of exterminating mice, and also probably among the cheapest, this is the least recommended method in the list, and not because of animal cruelty. Rat poison is among the most dangerous easily available poisons out there.
This can be extremely dangerous in homes with children and pets- there are zillions of disaster stories confirming that. Also, the mice might not die instantly. They might be roaming around with a lot of pain, and maybe affecting other unintended predators who might be preying on them.
- Mouse repellant sprays:
Mice flock together. So, an effective way of using the mouse repellant sprays available over the counter is to locate the source. However, mouse repellant sprays should be carefully researched and considered before being bought because till date, there is no absolute guarantee about the effectiveness of these sprays. Also, you need to be careful regarding the ingredients before buying- poisonous aerosols are an absolute no-no.
In case the extermination company is using traps, ensure that they are p[lacing the traps correctly and at the correct location. Traps don’t work for long; the key is to ensure maximum effectiveness as fast as possible.
How Much Does An Exterminator Cost– Depending On Various Factors
Mice exterminator cost can be as low as $250 and as high as $1,000, depending on certain factors.
Labor: Some exterminators provide inspection of the area for free, some may not. the quotation would be based on the extent of the infestation, and of course the area of infestation. For example, infestations inside walls and foundations would definitely cost more to exterminate than in easily accessible areas.
Method of Extermination: Out of the methods listed above, the electric trap is the costliest. But it is also the most efficient. It all comes down, of course, to planning. Most companies offer a contract for a follow-up, which might be anytime from 90 days to 6 months.
The Rodent Exterminator Cost Could Surge!
In certain situations, you will have to pay more than the average cost of exterminator for mice. Some of these are:
Structural troubles: Sometimes exterminators need to open the walls to reach mice. In that case, there might be more money involved. Also, you will need additional money for repairing the opening, which is often done by the boring company itself. In fact, most exterminators include the cost of repairing walls in their quotation. Sometimes, a significant amount of money is involved if the mice infestation affects the plumbing of the building. It becomes especially troublesome if it is an apartment or some other form of shared housing.
Repeat infestations: In case there are repeated infestations, which actually is very likely to happen, you might need to invest in pest repellers.
A Word on Using Poison for Extermination
Be very careful about using poison for mice extermination. In addition to the risks associated with poisoning mentioned above, there is the possibility of the poisoned mice dying inside your walls and spreading stench and disease, in addition to damaging the walls. It is an unpleasant situation you must avoid.
Pay Extra Attention To Mice Droppings
These are often the main modes of spreading diseases. Ideally, you should hire a cleaning company to deal with these in case the mice exterminators do not include cleaning in their contracts. It is better not to attempt amateur manual cleaning as that would be harmful to both the person handling the feces and the rest. Absolutely avoid sweeping or using a vacuum cleaner, as these would only help in spreading the viruses in the air.
Remember, at times, because of the extent of the damage, the price of mice extermination may go higher than $500. The best way to proceed with mice extermination is to nip the flower in the bud, and then go all out to prevent the mice from re-entering your dwelling. The focus should be at controlling the points of the entrance because mice tend to come back to areas that they had already dwelled in once.
Regardless of your love for animals, mice pose a huge threat. Mice affecting public buildings threaten physical harm due to structural damage. Many unsupervised old roads collapse and cause untold damage to life and property due to the millions of mice living underneath.