Are your employees worried about mice at work? Freely roaming rodents can wreak havoc on your staff’s morale as they are known for damages and spreading diseases. Offices can be a giant playground for these tiny rodents, which offers them a cool environment to survive and offers protection from predators. Besides, leftover foods at desks and in the dustbins provide them with enough to consume. If you are not working on prevention strategies, it will be tricky to regulate their growth in your buildings. Take the help of Maritime Pest Control Inc. for its effective rodent control services before the infestation becomes unmanageable.
How Do Mice Get into My Building?
Mice are light, very quick and agile in movement with a keen sense of smell and hearing. They can get through extremely small spaces, run extremely fast and swim as far as half a mile. They can easily navigate their way into your workplace through pipes, cables and underground paths. They are constantly exploring new territories in search of food. Once inside your building, they will nest in places like:
- Cable risers
- Ceiling voids
- False floors
- Wall partitions
- Lift shacks
- Storage boxes
- Under appliances
Unmanaged and cluttered spaces like boxes and drawers crammed full of papers, which have never been moved or opened, provide good nesting sites.
If your office is attached to a warehouse, mice from food preparation plants can move into your office through food pallets. The rodents remain inside and scatter when the pallets are moved, reorganized or disassembled.
Signs of an Infestation in Your Office
You would definitely not want to see mice or signs of their presence during your lunch break. Watch out for the following signs in your complex:
- Scuttling sounds – If you hear sounds from your floorboards or storage areas, there may be a good chance that mice have found their way in.
- Mouse droppings – You can easily identify them. They tend to be rod-shaped, small and pointed at both ends. If you spot too much of them, chances are that the numbers of mice are increasing.
- Urine odour – It has a strong musky smell particularly when the infestation is huge.
- Gnawed holes and marks – Mice can easily chew through soft plastic, paper and cardboard. You can look for scratch and tooth marks on various objects. Sometimes, they leave behind greasy footprints on walls or furniture.
What Can Mice Do at Your Office?
Though they appear sweet and innocent, they are not harmless. They can cause a number of issues:
- Diseases – Mice urinate in new places to keep a track of the areas they visit. The accumulation of feces and urine can trigger allergic reactions in humans. They can spread diseases like Hantavirus, bubonic plague, salmonellosis.
- Damages – Mice like to explore and learn about their environment. They gnaw on various materials to gain access. This can lead to a lot of damage as they can chew through your office tables, curtains, papers and wires.
- Loss of work – Damaged wires and papers can lead to loss of work too. You can lose important information available on paper, while damaged wires may result in power loss and computer failure.
- Fire hazards – Chewed wires and rubber casings can lead to short circuits and increase fire hazards.
Stop Mice from Entering Your Building
Encourage your colleagues or employees to exercise the best practices against mice infestation. You can also try a handful of mouse prevention techniques and precautions such as:
Cleaning up – Though they don’t need much food to survive, they never pass up a free meal. Dirty places and leftover foodstuffs are like a treasure trove for them. Make sure to keep your desk clean and not leave uncleaned plates, mugs and cups in your office.
Emptying garbage cans – Since mice are more active at nights, clear out your garbage cans at the end of each day. It is a good idea to place dumpsters at a good distance away from the building.
Keeping food in plastic containers – You have to be careful even if you are storing food at your desks. Store it in air-tight hard-plastic or steel boxes. They will help in keeping the scent hidden from the rodents or they will chew in through the containers.
Baiting – Place a small amount of food or nesting materials (like cotton and twine) as bait. It will attract them and won’t allow them to eat without springing the trap. Place more than one in areas where mice are most likely to visit.
If nothing works, contact professionals for their reliable pest control services. They will look into places where it would have been difficult otherwise. It will help you save money and time in the long run.
Call us today to know more about our pest exterminator services. We make sure to listen to our customer’s needs and offer monthly prevention programs and senior discounts. Please take a moment to read our client testimonials to learn more about what we do.
