Jefferson County, Louisville Rat Control Situation:
Good morning David. I came across your website and would like to ask you for some advice! I am currently dealing with mice in my ceiling/walls. They have not made it into my house itself but they are driving me nuts and will ultimately cause damage to my house at some point. I have an exterminator that comes to my house every 3 months and that has helped to prevent any mice within my home. The problem with them in my ceiling and wall began in December. I mentioned this to the exterminators and they baited my house... I guess to draw them out. It's been months now and they still are in my ceiling and getting worse... waking me up at night... I can hear them running around and squeaking... yuck. Drives me and my cat nuts to say the least... The big dilemma is that I have an old city row home... it has a flat roof and no attic or access via panel to the ceiling. The exterminators are lacking in their services... I have them coming out on Monday to get on my roof and look for holes etc... Can you provide me with some guidance on how to resolve this major issue... Can they put bait boxes on my roof to draw the mice out... or should I create an access panel to my ceiling so we can bait or set traps? HELP PLEASE! Thank you so very much!
My response: Never use bait boxes or ultrasonic sound machines. Niether help. Inspect the house and find out how the mice are getting inside. Seal up every single last entry/exit hole and gap with steel. Trap, properly trap on rat runways, ALL the mice, and remove them from the house. Clean up the attic space or home once they are all gone for good.
Thank you for responding. My main issue is how to get traps in my ceiling without an access panel? I have all finished ceilings and a flat roof... The exterminators are saying there is no way to get traps in my ceiling... I can inspect and seal all the holes and gaps but all that will do at this point it trap the mice inside my house... I dont know how we are supposed to draw them out of my ceiling and walls... They are not getting into my actual house... just ceiling and walls... Im really at a loss now.
Louisville Rat Control Tip of The Week
What Surfaces Are Rats Able To Climb?
Discovering rodents on your rooftop or in your attic may surprise you. These are places that are, to some degree, difficult to reach and require some uncommon climbing capacity. For rodents, however, that isn't that difficult to manage. Rats are astonishing climbers. They can climb anything. If there is something to hold on to, they can climb it. To get to food and water and their home, they will climb anything. From trees to blocks to stone, they will climb it. This implies they can get into pretty much anything. It doesn't make a difference if it is an opening at base level or in the rooftop, they can get to it.
Extraordinary Climbers
Most rodents are good climbers. Squirrels, mice, rats, and other rodents can climb pretty much anything. It is of nothing unexpected to individuals who see them frequently; however, the degree of their climbing capacity despite everything is surprising to a few. Climbing trees, plants, and anything with a good foothold is no problem. They can snatch on and climb any of that to get to where they need to go. A lot of people expect this as they see it often in rodents like squirrels.
What It Means For You
It is impressive, however, it tends to be a real torment for homeowners. Since rodents are astounding climbers, they can get into any place. If there is an opening anyplace in your home, rodents can arrive at it. They get into these openings and make their homes in a matter of moments, causing chaos. This is why extra care is required when it comes to sealing any potential holes. Since rodents can fit through even tiny spaces, you want to limit their options.