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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Urine odour – It has a strong musky smell particularly when the infestation is huge.
4. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

The post Don’t Let Your Office Be a Playground for Mice appeared first on Maritime Pest Control.

Advantages of Contacting Professional Exterminators

Call only licensed pest control services when struggling with pests. It can save you from future headaches and expensive repairs. The top five reasons why you should hire a team of experts include:

• Planned Strategy – Your home is the place you reside in. It should be comfortable, safe and hygienic for a quality life with your family. Pests like mice, cockroaches, bed bugs or ants can spread diseases or weaken your building structure. In order to completely remove them from your home, it’s important to first understand their behaviour and nesting patterns. Our experienced team of experts is aware of safe ways to deal with pests such as using proper protection gear for removing bee-hives and wasp-nests. While attempting to remove moisture ants or pharaoh ants on your own, amateur efforts may cause more harm than good; Let professionals who can carry out treatment assist you. We will guide you with the exact treatment areas and preventive measures.

• Cost-Effectiveness – If you allow the pests to grow and propagate in your home without any control, you will soon end up with an infested house. Moisture ants, pharaoh or carpenter ants build nests within walls or furniture gradually hollowing and weakening the structure. Pest control services might be less expensive in the long run than having to repair your entire building.

• Health-Hazards – Professionals are aware of the harmful effects of the products they use and most use eco-friendly pest control products instead of harsh chemicals. They know what precautions to take while dealing with the pests, which will protect you and your family from hazards. Also, they have knowledge of health problems like allergies caused by certain insects or rodents.

• Advice from the Experts – Our professionals are trained and experienced in how to achieve the best results in pest control. Knowledge of health-problems due to pests or preventive products is given to them in training. They take care to issue warnings and precautions to everyone including children and the elderly. You can rely on their services, be it in your home, office, store or warehouse.

• Permanent Pest Control – Professional technicians handle the feeding and breeding areas also. For instance, killing a few ants will not be sufficient. All the eggs should be destroyed along with steps taken to prevent further growth.

You can follow certain preparation guidelines to make the process of removing pests more effective. Head over to our other blog to know how your office can become a playground for mice.

Contact us for quick and effective services in Edmonton.

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Bed bugs may enter you home through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches and other items. They do not have nest like ants or bees, but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Here are some signs to know when you have an infestation:

Signs of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can have a significant impact on people’s health and quality of life. The signs of their presence can be hard to detect at first but watch out for the following:

• Uncomfortable Nights

Bed bugs are often found in beds. If you develop itchy welts while lying in bed, it confirms their presence.

• Bug Stains on Bed

Blood stains resembling small rust spots, mostly found near the corners and edges of the bed are telltale signs of bedbugs. You may also find their skin or oval brown exoskeletons for added confirmation.

• Musty Odour

Bed bugs release pheromones, a strong and unpleasant smell. If your bedroom smells like a dirty locker room, call our professionals.

How Do They Spread

Bed bugs are good hitchhikers spreading from house to house easily. Below are some of the ways they can spread:

• Movement of Items

Bed bugs travel on luggage, clothing, boxes and furniture. They can be found in crowded places such as universities, hospitals and hostels.

• Crawling

They don’t fly but are fast crawlers travelling three to four feet per minute on most surfaces. This makes their movement between floors and rooms quick.

• Breeding

Bed bugs head back to their hidden locations to digest and breed. In favourable conditions, an egg can mature into an adult in a month and a half while their lifespan ranges from four months to over a year.

Ways to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

If the bed bugs have taken hold of your home, using insecticides will not eliminate them. You may have to call bug control services. You can follow some of the following steps to remove them from your space:

Contain the Infestation

You can either change or replace your bedding. You can also try to:

1. Put the bed linens directly into a double plastic bag to reduce their chance of spreading.
2. Wash the bed linens in hot water and then dry at a high temperature.
3. Vacuum to remove any remaining bed bugs and eggs.
4. Dispose the contents of vacuum cleaner outside in a sealable plastic bag.

• Encasement – Mattress Cover

This is the key element to isolating the bed from the bugs.

How Can We Help

Maritime Pest Control Inc. offers quality bugs and mice control services in Edmonton. With over two decades of being in this business, we have dealt with every kind of household pest. We understand this problem can arise anytime. If you are experiencing a bed bugs infestation in your office or home, call us today or fill out our online form.

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Don’t let your favorite season be ruined by pests. Wasp nests in North America have been recorded to contain up to 15,000 wasps, so they’re no joke if not removed quickly.

The best practice? Prevention.

Rather than wait until the wasps have taken over and you have to give their nest a wide berth, you should try to prevent them from ever settling down around your home.

The stings are nasty, and there’ll be no relaxing on your porch in the sun with these insects around. Fortunately, there are many solid prevention methods — and there’s amazing wasp nest removal Edmonton if wasp prevention fails.

1. Use Natural Deterrents

When it comes to how to keep wasps away, the best place to start is actually with natural deterrents.

Wasps tend to be attracted to sweet smalls so rather than have those in abundance, try some aromatic herbs. 

You can also use a fake wasp nest to deter another from being built. Wasps are naturally territorial creatures and will be put off your backyard if they think another swarm has settled. 

 2. Keep an Eye out for Wasp Nests

The earlier in Spring you catch a wasp nest, the easier it’s going to be to get rid of.

Check all of the places that wasps might find it appealing to build a nest. This includes garages, bins, and any dark corner that they might be settling.

If you spot a wasp’s nest when there are only a few, it’s much less invasive, and the removal process is going to be far more painless than if you have a large one with thousands of wasps. 

3. Maintain Your Yard

Keep wasps away by making sure your bins are secure and don’t leave sugary drinks or sweets out in the yard.

Wasps are attracted to these kinds of things. It can be tempting to get lazy in Spring when the heat is starting to make it impossible to dredge up the motivation to tidy up, but it’s important not to fall into bad habits.

That’s a ‘welcome’ sign for the wasps, as well as many other pests.

4. Keep Your Home Secure

As well as your yard, it’s important to keep your home secure. 

If you have a loft you rarely use, it’s time to ensure it’s sealed up, and it should be checked on once in a while.

You’d be amazed at the ways wasps can find to get into your home. Sometimes, the best way of preventing wasps is just upping your security. 

If All Else Fails, Contact Us for Wasp Nest Removal Edmonton

Remember, wasps don’t die after one sting! They’re not fun to be around and if you’ve left it too late and the nest is there, it’s time to call in the professionals from Maritime Pest Control Inc.

Wasp nest removal Edmonton might be necessary if you didn’t know what to look out for to prevent the wasps, or if they slipped past you anyway. It happens.

For a quote or to discuss options, contact us! It’s never too late — don’t let the pests take over your life. 

The post Ways To Deter Wasps from Nesting On Your Property appeared first on Maritime Pest Control.

Unwanted pests can destroy your home and harm you, your family, or your pets. Though can infest any area of the house, many pests settle in the basement.

Read on to learn pest prevention tips to keep creepy critters out of your basement and the rest of your home.

CLEAN

A clean home appears less appealing to bugs and rodents. For preventative pest control in Edmonton, keep your house clean from top to bottom.

Skipping areas like the basement and attic can backfire because those spaces make the best hiding spots. Clean can carry different meanings for people, so let’s clear up any confusion.

Eliminate clutter. Piles of stuff make great nesting spots for pests who want to hide.

Keep floors swept, vacuumed, and mopped. Crumbs and spills will attract all sorts of critters.

Take out the garbage regularly. Waste will attract a host of insects, mice, and rats.

KEEP THE BASEMENT DRY

Bugs like dark and damp spaces, where they can sustain life. To name a few, centipedes, silverfish, and cockroaches all tend to enjoy moisture. The mould that grows from dampness will also attract mites.

To discourage these bugs from coming in, keep your basement dry. Watch for signs of water damage in hidden spaces and patch up any leaks.

STORE FIREWOOD OUTSIDE

In order to keep firewood dry and effective, many people will store it in their basements. Find another spot for it for bug prevention.

Firewood indoors only invites a host of pests. Like ants, certain insects lay their eggs in wood, some, like termites, use it as a food source, and others, like spiders, will hide in it.

Instead, store it outdoors and cover it. Keep it away from the house, or else insects may still make their way inside from it.

SEAL FOUNDATIONAL CRACKS

Look around your home on the outside and inside for any cracks in the foundation. Even the tiniest openings will make it easy for pests to slip inside. Tightly seal any you find as soon as possible.

CALL FOR ADVANCED PEST CONTROL PREVENTION

If you live in an area prone to pest problems, you may need extra help with prevention. Hire a professional to set traps and keep critters out.

If you do notice bugs in your basement, do not let the problem persist. Insects and other critters tend to reproduce at an alarming rate.

Call Maritime Pest Control for help in removing the pests to prevent the situation from escalating. This will save you money in the long run and offer you peace of mind.

PEST PREVENTION IS IMPERATIVE

Taking pest prevention measures will save you time and money. It will keep your family safe and your home comfortable.

Though you can lessen the risk of an infestation, sometimes even the best efforts fail to keep pests away. If you run into a problem, contact us for your free pest consultation.

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