Exterminators in Neptune, NJ
Challenge
Recently, I went out on a service call for a new residential client in Neptune, NJ who contacted Cowleys after finding mice droppings inside his garage. Mice invading your home present a number of health risks — the biggest being mouse droppings. The accumulation of mouse droppings can spread bacteria, contaminate food sources and trigger allergic reactions in humans. Additionally, mouse droppings contain the Hantavirus, which is a potentially life-threatening disease to humans. The virus lives inside mice feces and, when disturbed, can become airborne. Humans that inhale the disease are most at risk for transmission.
I began my inspection in the garage and immediately found mice droppings near the garage door. As I examined the garage door I noticed that there was a gap in the door threshold. Turns out that the homeowner recently installed a new garage door and didn’t properly measure the width of the door before installing! Mice require as little as 1/4 inch of space between the door and the ground to squeeze through and the gap here was more than enough for a mouse to enter.
Solution
First, I slowly and carefully removed all the mouse droppings in the garage. This requires the utmost care because if the mouse droppings are disturbed, then the risks of contaminating the home with Hantavirus increase. For treatment, I decided to use a rodent deterrent gel product to keep the mice away. The rodents dislike the tastes and odors of the gel product and go the opposite way when they encounter it. I applied the product all along the garage door frame. I also balled up some copper mesh, which mice hate the taste of, with the gel product inside of it and placed it in the door frame.
I also placed two rodent stations on the exterior of the garage door as well as two interior stations in the garage. Even though I went to extreme lengths to resolve the homeowner's mice situation, this is only a temporary solution as the gap between the garage door and the floor needs to be repaired. I advised the homeowner to fix the gap in the garage ASAP in order to prevent further mice and pest infestations. I was relieved to hear that the owner scheduled an appointment with a contractor to repair his garage door. I scheduled a follow-up inspection to make sure the home is mouse free.
