No one wants to admit that they have had mice, bats, or ants in their home. It is one of those nasty secrets we make all family members keep within the confines of our walls. Those are the very same walls that play host to these animals. We feel we have failed as housekeepers when we find these animals amongst us.
When we first get the sense they are in our house, we try to ignore it. The one ant we find under the kitchen sink was going solo. The scratching we hear in the attic at night is scary. The one mouse we catch in a trap and that is that. Most animal control people will tell you if you see one, many will follow. Some remedies we find at the hardware store can control the situation, but in many cases a pest people are needed. Making that call to tell someone you have a problem is hard. It need not be. The real truth is that any house can get these creatures. You do need to disclose at time of selling your property that you did have them. Failure to disclose can be serious if the new owners move in and find out you failed to disclose. The truth is always the best. That is why complete treatment will make the new owner feel good.
Mice do not do harm to the property, they are most a health concern. You do not want them getting into your food or leaving droppings. You also get freaked out when you see them scatter across the floor. They can squeeze through any small crack and can even walk right in with you through the door. Putting food in plastic containers helps them not have a food source. Keeping bird food or dog food in the garage is like opening a restaurant for them. Keep garage doors closed and keep those two things in sturdy plastic containers. The best way to rid a house of mice is through the packets of mice food you get at the hardware store. They will eat this source and go for water and die. You hope they do not die in the walls of your house. That is another story.
Bats do not do damage to a house. They love the attic space to enter in and out of. Once again you have a condition that is freaky. I only know of calling a critter control company to end their visits to your house. They usually seal up the spaces in which bats can enter and then put a tube in the area so the bats can go out and not come in. I have had this done to my older, stucco home, and it does work. The price to do this will scare you more than the bats.
Those big, black ants can do damage to a house. They are called carpenter ants because they eat at moist, rotting wood. Those timber walls near your house can be wonderful breeding grounds for carpenter ants. Watch where you store fire wood. Again, that helps the ants go from the wood to your house. I have not found the over-the-counter treatments to be very successful. You need almost 6-12 months of treatment by a bug control company. The price is not too bad and it can save the structure of your house. I once saw a buyer's inspector knock on a closet door in a house, and a pile of saw dust fell out. It was the camping grounds for carpenter ants.
Fall is a good time to watch for these animals. As it gets cooler out, they look for the warmth of our houses. Taking steps to keep these pests out is the best way to control them, but remember these animals are able to get into a property through the smallest crack.
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