Case Study: Mouse Extermination and Pest-Proofing at Keele-Eglington West, York

This article will analyze and recount a mouse extermination job in York. In this case, there was a long-standing issue of mice in the kitchen and basement of an attached townhouse in a small townhouse complex. It will detail the steps taken in exclusion, by the technician, to exterminate the mouse infestation. This visit was located between Keele and Eglington, Toronto.

The technicians, before the exclusion, must first inspect and confer with the customer or customer’s on the issue and then must inspect for levels of activity. The customer’s original complaint was that mice had invaded his home and that the cause was other townhouses in the area having garbage and detritus in their yards. A technician was sent out to inspect for exclusion for rodents and to bait the interior with rodenticide.

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Keele-Eglington West, York: A Forested Neighbourhood Near a River

Keele-Eglington West is a large subdivision in the city of York. It stands between Eglington Ave. And Rogers Road, North to South and Caledonia Road and Keele East to West. The area is filled with parks on every side and has a section of Black Creek running through it. There are a number of government buildings including multiple schools and a library as well as George Harvey Collegiate Institute as well as churches and a mosque. The area is built up with houses close together and plenty of shops in the square blocked suburbs.

Exterior Inspection 

The technician inspected the exterior for signs of mice and possible entryways they could use. Fecal evidence was found on the property. Various areas needed exclusion with the majority being on the north side by the neighbour’s driveway where the beige stucco extension is. There is also one small area of stucco on the corner on the south side of the house where there are some wires coming out of a hole in a wall. There were two wall vents that could be covered.

Interior Inspection

The interior inspection of the house found areas of high rodent activity in the kitchen and the basement ceiling. There was a great deal of old dirt and cobwebs and it is likely the basement in this home is not frequented.

Initial Measures

In order to control and exterminate the mouse presence, the technician will make use of tamper-proof bait stations containing commercial-grade rodenticide, an anticoagulant poison that causes the mice to desicate when they die. Bait was placed in sufficient quantity in the kitchen and behind appliances as well as the basement ceiling. The technician noted the stucco extension was the main cause of the infestation.

Proposed exclusion

Exclusion is the process of sealing entryways. It can be used to protect a home from rodents, insects and wild animals. Exclusion can make use of nearly any material used in building a house but most commonly use galvanized steel mesh, plain or rubber-coated to seal off entryways rodents could use to enter a home. The technician used caulking to fill the opening from which wires and tubes were protruding.  A micro-mesh would be applied to the opening on the north side on the gap beneath the beige stucco wall. Wall vents were excluded. Weep vents in the brick walls were sealed with weep vent sealers made of galvanized steel to prevent rusting as mice are capable of condensing their bodies and entering even the smallest holes and entryways.

Conclusion 

The technician excluded a large number of entryways including raised stucco walls as well as a number of broken and accessible vents. The rodenticide treatment using tamper-proof bait stations in the kitchen and basement ceiling was highly effective in ending the infestation. The treatment and exclusion were effective in dealing with all rodents on the property and limiting their ability to enter the home in the future.