Raise Your Hand if You've Been Personally Victimized by...

              Photo credit: Cary Pest Control

In New Hampshire, most of the human-wildlife conflict we experience has to do with nuisance or pest species. Luckily, we do not have to worry about elephants trampling over our crops, but we do worry about insects, groundhogs, and birds getting into our gardens. We also worry about nuisance species like mice, rats, and squirrels getting into our homes, especially when fall becomes winter and temperatures are dropping. This is the time when many critters are looking for a nice cozy place to live, and to them what better place than yours?!

          These sneaky rodents make themselves right at home; getting in the walls, chewing on important stuff, and even having babies (if they decide to stick around long enough). Rodents can contaminate food and spread disease when in someone’s home, which is why we don’t want them hanging around. Some people don’t realize they have a problem until it’s too late, because they can be very inconspicuous.

          Take me for example, I have been personally victimized by a rodent, and I know I’m not the only one. One morning, I woke up early, took a shower, made some coffee, then I put my glasses on (I’ve got the worst vision possible) and I went into the kitchen to make breakfast and lunch for the day. First, I found my favorite wine glass on the floor, BROKEN next to a rack. I didn’t understand how it ended up on the floor without me hearing it, but I guess I must be a heavy sleeper. I had this cute little fruit basket on my counter that I would keep some bananas and apples in, so I could grab and go when I was in a rush to class or whatever, but I realized not 1 but 2 apples have been bitten into and a banana peel was shredded and all over the counter and floor. I love animals, but man was I pissed. I took pictures of everything, checked for feces (there wasn’t any), called my landlord, put the rest of my fruit and any other foods that wasn’t secured in a bin, and went to class without breakfast or lunch, because at that point I was late for class and stressed out. Right below are a few of the pictures I took for my landlord.

           

My favorite wine glass.. still trying to fix it

Peeled Banana

Bitten Apple #1

          To be honest, I still don’t know what type of rodent was in my apartment, but I assumed it was a pesky squirrel. There are tons around my apartment, so one could have gotten inside at one point. Judging by the pictures I took, it had to be something relatively large according to the teeth marks. My landlord bought some traps and I place them in the areas he suspected the critter got into the house, though the traps were pretty small and I didn't think they could catch anything bigger than a mouse. Keeping my food secured in bins definitely helped the issue. Taking out the source of food gave the rodent no reason to stick around my place. My landlord checked around my apartment and patched up any entryways where the rodents could have gotten in, and hopefully if the pest wasn’t out it would get caught in a trap. Since then, I haven’t had any problems with rodents in my apartment, so I think the little guy got out before my landlord patched the outside holes up.

          The traps were a good idea to help capture the rodents rather than involve poisons. If any were caught, they could have been easily released outdoors. Some other tips to keeping rodents out of the house without the use of poisons or pesticides are: taking down bird feeders, taking out the trash the day of trash pickup and not the night before, seal air conditioners and any other openings bigger than a dime, keep food stored in closed containers, and clean up spilled food straightaway. Even just a few pieces of dog/cat food can attract a hungry little mouse. Depriving unwanted pests of food will cause them to move on and search for food elsewhere. If you’re into essential oils, the smell of peppermint oil is a great natural remedy for repelling rodent, because they hate it! There are many more ways of keeping pests out of the house that aren’t listed and work just as well.

We want to hear about your experiences with pests. Comment below your story along with what you’ve done to keep them away.

--Gabby Mourousas