Mouse exterminator

If you have mice in your home, it can cause unpleasant situations, such as bitten cables, broken food, droppings or urine throughout the house. A mouse exterminator can use one or more measures to get the mice out of your home. In this article, read all about how a mouse exterminator fights mice and the approximate cost.

What does a mouse exterminator cost?

Because of the rapid reproduction of mice, it is best to take action yourself or hire a mouse exterminator as soon as possible. On average, it costs £65 to £95 to have mice controlled. The price depends on the number of treatments, labour costs and pesticides. Check the overview below for the average prices of a mouse exterminator.

How to recognise and prevent a mouse infestation?

It is important to recognise a mouse infestation as soon as possible, take action and prevent it in the future where you can. Mice can breed very quickly, so the sooner you get there the better.

Cognising a mouse infestation

Sometimes you will hear or see that there are mice in the house, but you can also recognise that there is a mouse or mouse infestation by other things:

• Keys; you can recognise the droppings by their elongated shape and black colour.
• Squeaking, squeaking and/or tapping noises;mice are mainly active in the evening and at night. You can then hear them on the floor, between walls or on the ceiling.
• Gnawing damage; rodent like to gnaw on cables, cardboard, food supplies and insulation material, for example.
• Urine or urine smell; the urine of mice has a strong odour. Mice use this to mark their territory with so over time you might be able to smell this.
• Tummy grease;while walking, the mouse’s fur touches the wall and ground. The dirt and fat from the belly is then left behind, creating a kind of trail. We call this belly grease.

Preventing a mouse infestation

To prevent mice, you can take a number of measures yourself. This will make it harder or impossible for them to reach your house, and if they do get in, it won’t be an attractive place to stay. You can do this, for example, by:

• Cleaning up food leftovers properly.
• Close all the holes and cracks in the walls properly so that mice cannot get inside.
• Keep the kitchen sink clean and do not leave food leftovers or dirty dishes.
• Storing food in boxes made of metal or plastic and keeping these areas clean.
• Placing a fly screen in windows and doors that you open.
• Dispose of rubbish immediately and do not leave rubbish bags.

What methods are there to control mice?

A mouse exterminator can use different techniques to control mice. The technique chosen depends on the type of mouse and the problem. Because some types of mice are endangered species, there are rules about whether and how they can be controlled.

Look below at the most common methods and for which mice they may be used:

Mousetraps

If you don’t have many mice yet, a mousetrap is the healthiest and safest way to control mice. When you think of a mousetrap, you probably quickly think of a traditional mousetrap. A wooden board topped with a metal bracket that is tightened by a spring. Bait, such as peanut butter or oatmeal, is then placed in the trap to lure the mouse. The moment the mouse wants to take the bait, the bracket slams shut and the mouse is trapped. In most cases, this is immediately fatal as the mouse breaks its neck or back.

Nowadays, this is no longer the only mouse trap on the market and there are also animal-friendly variants. Cage and tilt traps are an animal-friendly alternative, as they trap mice alive.

Mouse traps may be used for almost all mice except shrews. House shrews are excepted, as they may be controlled with mouse traps.

Chemical pesticides

Before a mouse exterminator may use chemical pesticides, the steps of the pest management system must first be followed. That is prevention first, then deployment of professional non-chemical measures such as clap traps and if that does not work only then chemical pesticides may be used.

From 2023, strict rules on poisons will apply as they pose a danger to humans and the environment if used incorrectly. Therefore, from 2023, only agents based on the substance alphachloralose will be allowed for personal use. Other poisons may only be used by specialists.

Please be careful when using chemical pesticides because not all mice may be controlled with poison. Protected species such as wood mice and house shrews may be controlled, but not with poison. Other species of shrew may not be controlled at all. Catching or killing them is therefore punishable by law. Dispelling shrews, on the other hand, is allowed.

Pre- and disadvantages of using a mouse exterminator

A mouse exterminator specialises in controlling mice. You pay for this, of course, and this price is higher than if you do it yourself. It can therefore be a difficult choice to decide whether to hire a mouse exterminator. The pros and cons below can help you make this decision.

Advantages

• Mice exterminators specialise in controlling mice. So they know exactly how to get to the root of the problem to ensure that the mice are effectively controlled. They also know exactly what the rules regarding control are and which pesticide is most effective.
• You will receive advice on how to make sure the mice do not come back, for example by making adjustments to your home or a prevention plan.
• In some cases, you get a guarantee. Then, if the mice do come back, the specialist will come for free for a follow-up treatment.
• Mice exterminators are professional specialists and are therefore allowed to work with stronger pesticides. These pesticides are often better than those you can buy yourself in shops. The professionals know well how to use them and do so safely.

Disadvantages

• Hiring a mouse exterminator costs money. The pest control cost depends on the size of the infestation. It is therefore best to take action as soon as possible once you notice a mouse or mouse infestation.
• The pesticides used can be toxic. Therefore, make sure you keep any pets or children away. You can also discuss this in advance with the professional and together discuss what is an appropriate pesticide.

Frequently asked questions