Mice in Middlesex basement
Challenge
I was sent to a homeowner in one of our residential communities in Middlesex, NJ who was hearing scratching in their basement drop ceiling. When I arrived, I grabbed my flashlight and began my inspection in the basement. Popping the ceiling tiles, I found quite a few fresh mice droppings on several tiles. Fresh rodent droppings are dark and soft, whereas older droppings will be charcoal gray and will disintegrate when touched. When cleaning up rodent droppings, it's important to spray them with any type of disinfectant cleaning solution. This prevents any germs from becoming airborne, eliminating any risk of disease.
Solution
Wearing my respirator, I sprayed the accessible areas with droppings, vacuumed up the droppings with my hepa-ac. Having placed several mouse bait stations in the drop ceiling, I moved my inspection to the exterior, looking for entry points. A small opening on the upper right side of the window frame molding was the entry point I was looking for. The maintenance contractor for the community was there too and proceeded to seal the opening. I secured a exterior rodent bait station directly under the window to head off anymore rodents from entering the home. The homeowners were happy with the results of my inspection and treatment for these pests.
