Siani Pest Control Inc

Mice and Rat Control

Siani Pest Control Lancaster county rat image

Days are already getting shorter and there’s pumpkin spice in everything from your breakfast cereal to your beer. Soon (not soon enough, amirite?) the temperature will start to drop and some of the creatures outside may start thinking about coming inside. Read on and we’ll give you info on what animals to look out for and some tips to make sure they don’t find a way inside your house. 

Mice 

Siani Pest Control Berks county mouse image

These tiny creatures (each only 1-2 inches long, not including tails) are said to be the most common mammal in the entire United States. Despite their diminutive size, the common house mouse can cause BIG problems. Not only do they reproduce at an alarming rate (up to 12 babies every few weeks!) but they are known to carry up to 200 human pathogens, including salmonella and Hantavirus. Mice will enter your home through holes no larger than a dime, so each crack and crevice is an open invitation to mice: “Come on in and set up house!” When they’re outside, they eat cereals, seeds, nuts, fruit and sometimes insects. When they’re inside, they’ll eat almost anything. They are also surprisingly agile. While you won’t see them doing any Simone Biles moves, they can jump a foot into the air, and climb up cabinetry in the kitchen to get to food. 

How can you tell if you have mice? Look for the tiny brown droppings (they eat all day long so there will be plenty!) and micro-puddles of sticky, smelly mouse urine. They’ll also leave lots of gnaw marks where they’re trying to get to food. If you see one mouse, as with most pests, there are definitely more you can’t see. 

What can you do? Start now sealing up cracks and openings in your home. Pay special attention to the areas around pipes going in and out. Steel wool works great to close these up, as well as spray foam and caulk. If the mice have already made it inside, there are a number of kinds of traps and poisons. If you’ve got a real infestation, please call a professional. 

Rats

Siani Pest Control Lebanon County rat image

Norway rats are what we commonly refer to as street rats or sewer rats. Like mice, they’re found all throughout the United States, but they’re much larger than mice (by 6-8 inches!). Despite their larger size, they still manage to get inside homes and businesses, sometimes by gnawing their way in. Fun fact about rat teeth: the incisors NEVER stop growing so the rats need to chew to keep the teeth at a functional length. Rats can and will chew through wood and plastic, but you may not realize they can also chew cement, brick, cinder blocks and aluminum! Also similar to mice, they reproduce rapidly and a female can have up to six litters a year! 

How can you tell if you have a rat problem? You’ll see evidence of gnawing around your house or property, droppings which are shaped like capsules, and possibly oily marks along walls where their fur has rubbed. 

What can you do? Cover and seal food containers and garbage cans. Eliminate leaky pipes, especially from damp basements and crawl spaces; rats, like all mammals, need a water source to survive, don’t supply it! Store firewood a good distance from the house (20 ft) and keep shrubbery trimmed away from the house. Screen your attic vents and chimneys, and seal up cracks and crevices. As with mice, steel wool works to plug up holes. Copper wool also works and will not rust. Replace worn weather stripping and repair your screens. 

Siani Pest Control Lancaster County rat

Sometimes despite your best efforts, vermin like mice or rats find a way into your house. It’s estimated that mice invade up to 21 million homes every year between now and February. If they’re already inside, call a pest professional, we can help you eliminate your rodent problem safely and effectively. 

What Insect are YOU?

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Take this short quiz to see what you’d be if you were a bug! (No worries, we won’t come out and spray you!) Then check your answers at the bottom!

What’s your work style? 

  1. I’m a loner, it’s every man for himself! 

  2. Busy busy busy

  3. Lots of planning and teamwork!

  4. I do what I’m told and nothing else

What’s your food preference? 

  1. Anything. I mean ANYTHING.

  2. I’ve got a mean sweet tooth

  3. Like to eat lots of small meals

  4. Plant based all the way!

What’s your favorite hobby? 

  1. Eating and feeding my ever-growing family

  2. Building things

  3. Line dancing with friends

  4. Woodworking

Favorite game or sport?

  1. Running

  2. Boxing

  3. Anything with a TEAM

  4. Hide and seek

Favorite binge watch? 

  1. Anything on the Food Network! Yummy!

  2. American Ninja Warrior so I can pick up tips! 

  3. Friends, the more the better!

  4. This Old House 


ANSWERS:

If you answered with mostly #1, you’re a cockroach. You’ve survived for millions of years and you’ll survive many more, just doing what you’re doing, eating and reproducing.

Siani Pest Control cockroach image

If you chose mostly #2, you’re a stinging insect. You’re fiercely territorial and will fight to defend your turf.

Siani Pest Control Inc yellow jacket image

If you leaned toward #3, you’re an ant. For you, it’s all about the teamwork with your community and working toward a common goal.

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Feeling like #4 describes you? You’re a termite! You’re beneficial in the woods, but in people’s houses? Not so much.

Siani Pest Control Inc termite image

This is all just having some fun, but we’re actually really serious about pests. If you’ve got any of the bugs described here, or anything else, give us a call!

Don't get stung!

Siani Pest Control yellowjacket image for Berks County and Lebanon County

Did you know that over a half a million people are treated in ERs for bee stings each year? And that’s not counting the people who have severe allergic reactions!

We’re getting a lot of calls for yellow jackets so far this summer. These are the insects that resemble hornets or wasps and have distinctive yellow and black markings, though some varieties have black and white or red and white markings. They are very resourceful when it comes to nest building and can be found in shrubs, under eaves or in the ground. Contrary to myth, they don’t die when they sting, and can sting more than once. Yellow jackets can also be aggressive, especially when threatened. For this reason it’s NEVER a good idea to attempt to bring down a nest on your own.

Similar to the yellow jacket is the wasp. The wasp nest is a distinctive papery nest usually in a tree or on the side of a building. Wasps are known to be aggressive, and can sting unprovoked. Sometimes the colony can be home to over 15,000 insects so give them a wide berth and call a pest control specialist. 

Carpenter bees are also seen around wooden decks and porches this time of year. You don’t need to worry about finding a hive of carpenter bees, because they are solitary and build their nests, or galleries, in wood. While the male carpenter bee is the only you’ll most likely encounter, only the female carpenter bee stings. 

Now that you know the most common stinging insects for the Berks and Lebanon county areas, here’s how to avoid them: 

  • Keep your decks, fences and wooden porches painted or stained. This will keep out carpenter bees. Again, only female carpenter bees sting, but the boring will damage your wooden furniture and fixtures.

  • When eating outside, keep food covered, especially sweets! 

  • Likewise make sure your trash is securely bagged in a covered container. 

  • Pay attention to your hair, skin and soap products and what scents they have. Sweet  and strong scents will draw bees, wasps and other insects to you. 

We’ve got a variety of ways to defeat the yellow jacket, as well as other wasps and hornets, which include nest removal, treating the ground nests with pesticide or an aerosol spray to treat a nest that is high off the ground. Again, do not attempt to remove a nest of any kind of stinging insect on your own! Call us to schedule an appointment for safe, complete stinging insect nest removal!