Professional Mouse Exclusion Services in Burlington Ontario

What is Mouse Exclusion and Why It Matters

Mice can be more than just an annoyance at certain points of their life cycle. When they get in your home, they reproduce fast, contaminate food storage, chew through wiring, and transmit disease. Most Burlington homeowners have learned if you have a hole the size of a dime, it has now become an entry point and mouse infestation is only a matter of time.

For this reason, the best mouse prevention is not to wait until you have mice but rather make sure they never get in the first place. This is called exclusion.

What is Professional Exclusion?

Exclusion services by professionals, is about blocking entry points and securing weak points of the structure of the house with long-lasting solutions that can withstand the elements, time, and a determined pest. Proper exclusion is typically intended to withstand Burlington’s cold winters and hot summers, and requires not only skill, but experience and knowledge of rodent behavior.

Why Mice Choose Burlington Homes

Reasons for Mice Selecting Burlington Homes to Invade

For the most part, Burlington homes whether urban or suburban offer mice many opportunities to survive. Mice are looking for shelter, food, and warmth from inclement weather. Typically, as the temperature drops in late fall; homes and commercial buildings become the star attractions of a seasonal buffet.

Common Entry Points in Burlington Properties

Older homes may have sufficient gaps located in the siding, crumbling mortar, or where utility lines are not sealed. New construction can also contain vulnerabilities if the caulking or flashing applied is poorly done. Once the mouse identifies an opening, it makes its way into the home, and literally starts taking up residence in a wall, attic, or basement, and may not be seen again until damage occurs, or droppings are seen.

This problem is not just a single family home issue. Restaurants, office space, and retail space all face the risk of this problem. For a business, a rodent sighting can do immediate and long term damage to reputation. The moral of the story is simple; exclusion is not only the right thing to do, but it is critical.

What Does Professional Exclusion Look Like?

Exclusion is not a product or a once and done fix, exclusion is a process that usually starts with inspection.

The Inspection Process

A certified technician will inspect the entire perimeter of the structure (sometimes using specialized tools) to locate possible and potential entry points, and these can include:

• Gaps under doors and garage entrances.
• Fractures in the foundation and basement windows.
• Openings around pipes, vents and utility lines.
• Attic vents and roof intersections.
• Any other areas TV where siding or brick has shifted.

Materials Used for Exclusion

After listing what possible vulnerabilities are present on the structure, the technician will use materials that have been tested and manufactured to withstand chewing and weather. Those products can, and can include, or be forms, like heavy gauge galvanized steel mesh, heavy duty caulk or sealants, or other things like reinforced barriers or just inhibits. It is amazing what you can find in today’s market.

Exclusion “materials” are very different than foam fill products or products that are being used for repairs. Exclusion products will be used to fill or close down or protect the already vulnerable spots, and those products will last. Removal of rodents should never simply cover up an existing problem.

Humane Approach

An important aspect of exclusion work, is putting the exclusion work into the effort to not create an environment for rodents that might have existed in the structure, to become trapped inside. If necessary, technicians will carry out their exclusion methods with an interior inspection and humane removal of any rodents found.

Professional Exclusion vs DIY: What’s the Difference?

Why Professional Exclusion is Better than DIY

Many homeowners do exclusion work on their own. It is not uncommon to come across a few foams, caulks, or steel wool at your local hardware store. Though those can be helpful for a firm limited use, they generally do not work for two reasons.

First:

Mice are determined and impressive chewers. They are capable of going through foam knockdown and some very thin wood or plastic. Steel wool will rust and/or loosen if it is not secured properly.

Second:

There are also less apparent entry points that will not be identified as by a homeowner to get to, as an example, intersections on the roof or a gap you could not see under the cladding.

Professional exclusion work would address both of those methods. They have also available industrial quality materials and training on how to apply them by deliberately creating barriers that hold even with continuous testing by rodents.

Health and Safety Concerns

Health and Safety Issues

The health concerns that mice will present are not new or unknown. Mice droppings can pose threats of hantavirus and salmonella. Again, the constant chewing raises the likelihood of electrical fires if the wires are frayed. Aside from health hazards, rodents can cause considerable stress and sleepless nights for anyone living in a home.

Professional exclusion not only preserves property but peace of mind. When rodents’ vulnerabilities are closed, everyone can live without the stress of wondering if something is there and if it undetected, because there is barrier that is not going to change.

When to Schedule Exclusion Services

Seasonal Timing and Value

The best seasonal timing in Burlington to exclude rodents is late summer into early fall. If you are able to seal up the vulnerabilities of a structure prior to them heading indoors due to cold temperatures, you have the advantage of getting one step ahead of their seasonal migration to find shelter. Exclusion can be done at any time of the year in all four seasons, even throughout winter, as long as the technicians are willing and prepared to work in the elements.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Hiring professionals to exclude rodents is certainly an expense, yet one that will pay for itself. Think about the endless fees for an exterminator’s visit, electrical problems for chewed wires, insulation issues to harbor nesting animals, and cleaning /sanitation to rid your home of droppings. Exclusion is a one-time expense for long term avoidance of trouble, not a series of issues in spreading costs for a repeat infestation.

How to Choose an Exclusion Provider in Burlington Ontario?

Choosing a Provider

• Experience and Familiarity with the Area: A provider that knows the Burlington housing styles and the climate will know better where to look for weaknesses.
• Materials They Use: Inquire the supply provider what products they use to seal potential entry points. The difference between galvanized mesh to seal and industrial sealants to seal versus traditional insulation is significant.
• Inspection Process: A trustworthy company will take time to inspect the outside of your home and give you a written proof of any entry points they uncover.
• Guarantee of Work: A qualified service company will give you written guarantees on any work they do to prevent them out of your resident.
• Integrated Plan: Exclusion is only one part of a variety of pest management plans, specifically monitoring and removal if necessary.

Real-World Results

Use Case of the Benefits of Exclusion;

For example, think of a Burlington homeowner that consistently has mice every winter in their 1950’s bungalow. They have set traps and used poison to somewhat of a limited success but still come back every winter. Once they finally contact an exclusion provider, the Technician finds multiple gap inconsistencies hidden along essentially the whole perimeter of the exterior siding, and a utility line into the basement that was not sealed.

After sealing the gaps with reinforced mesh siding, and sealing the utility line, that homeowner reported that for the last 3 winters, no signs of rodents were anywhere. This is a simple truth; the best outcome to reinforce a rodent problem is to not let them in.

Key Takeaways

Rodents can cause more than an annoyance, but oftentimes pose safety issues for your home, health, and peace of mind. In Burlington, mice are naturally driven to your home because of the climate and seasonal shift. Exclusion can help provide the best long-term solution.

Professional exclusion will provide a complete inspection, high-quality materials, and professional installation, allowing you to let them be the experts, and feel confident sealing up an entry point in your home. Professional exclusion is your answer for the long term to Burlington residents. If you required this type of service, contact Maximum pest control services insured and bonded team 905-582-5502.

Frequently Most Asked Questions

How small of a hole can a mouse fit through?

Let me tell you, if it can fit a dime, you’ve got a problem on your hands. If you can fit a pencil in, a mouse can and they will. This is why we bother sealing all the tiniest of the cracks. They are much more flexible than people think.

What time of the year do the people of Burlington start seeing the mouse problem?

Every year we start seeing mouse problems in Burlington in late Fall. I understand you think you’re all good. But once it starts getting cold, around early November, the case of the scratching walls starts up. You should start sealing up your home by early-mid September so you can avoid the problems all together.

Foam, steel wool, or other stuff from the hardware store be used?

Foam is easily chewed by mice teeth. As for steel wool, it rusts and the mesh slowly falls out, and no one wants to patch a hole multiple times. The stuff that gets used for patches is way more expensive, but they’ll outlast any mouse.

What’s the advantage of paying for mouse exclusion over just dealing with mice every year?

I tell this to neighbors. Imagine trapping mice, and getting poison every winter. The unplanned expenses are even worse, like chewing through electrical wiring or ruining the insulation. Exclusion is a fraction of the cost over the years, plus you are able to sleep better.

Will exclusion trap mice inside my walls?

Good question, as a professional with years of experience answer, the best thing to do is to bait the house with a ministry approved poison, that will help been spread between the mice and decompose them with no smell such as using contract and final type brand. You need to seal the exterior so; there will be no new mice keep coming in. With the correct type of baiting not at a hardware store you buy at Canadian tire, you problem will be solved within 10 to 13 weeks after sealing outside the holes from mice entering.

What is the difference between exclusion and just getting rid of mice?

Think of it this way – killing mice is like bailing water out of a hole in a leaking boat. Exclusion is the fixing the leak. You have to do both. First, remove the mice that have already moved in, and then make sure that their cousins can’t. Otherwise, you are just going to be setting traps over and over.

Do new homes need exclusion too?

You would be surprised, but yes. Just because a house is new, does not mean it is sealed correctly tight. I have seen brand new subdivisions where the contractor did not properly seal around pipe entries, or did a rushed job of caulking. People expect everything to be perfect, so sometimes it is worse than older homes. It is always worth checking when job done.

Will businesses and restaurants be able to access exclusion services?

Of course businesses can access exclusion services, in fact, they need it even more. Picture this, you own a restaurant and someone posts a picture of a mouse they saw running behind the table on one of the social media. Your business and reputation is done. Commercial real estate, be it a cafe, office, or retail space, must view exclusion as a requirement, not optional to be protected.

What do these professionals use that is more durable?

The difference is night and day. We are talking about heavy-duty galvanized mesh wires that a mouse cannot chew through- I’ve seen them attempt it. Industrial, long-lasting sealants that don’t crack at minus 15 in January or fall when it’s scorching in July. Reinforced barriers designed by real people who understand mouse behavior. It’s not the same thing you would use to patch wall drywall.

How long is the exclusion work going to last?

If it’s done correctly, should last lots of years to come. Most reputable companies such as Maximum pest control will warranty their work because they are confident that the materials will last long. Burlington weather is rough, we get hit with extreme cold every winter then it’s humid and hot in the summer. The materials used for exclusion are built to withstand all of that without deteriorating, that’s the whole point of exclusion done.