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Barnstable Patriot
Barnstable, Massachusetts
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September 22, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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September 22, 2006
 
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By Bethany Gibbons news@barnstablepatriot.com f the idea of a rodent squeezing through a hole in your house as small as a dime makes you squirm,this is the time to do something about it. "If you can fit your pinky into an opening, a mouse can easily get inside," said Ted Burgess. Burgess,of Burgess and Capeway Environmental Ser- vices,is well versed in the life cycles and behaviors of pests that want your home to be theirs . "As the nights get cooler and the days get shorter and chillier, animals come to our homes to find shelter," he said. Mice can live in a home for years. "They come out at night to find food. As scav- engers,they enjoy dog or cat food,and will chew through boxed or bagged food products ," Bur- gess explained. "They can chew through most plastics ." Mature at a startling 25 days of age, they can produce over half a dozen young per litter and repeatedly repro- duce throughout the year. The result is often a persistent infestation that requires an equally persistent extermination program. "The best approach when dealing with mice and other pests is to prevent them from getting into the home ," said Burgess. "If they do get in we have to use a bait- ing program. " Preventive measures Poison baits will result in dead mice around the prop- erty. "There is a misconception that after ingesting the poison,the rodent leaves the house in search of water. In fact,they will die anywhere." The alternatives are not pretty. Traps like glue boards and spring traps can be used. "A lot of people are un- willing to use glue boards because the rodent is stuck to one place," said Burgess,"and the snap traps are very powerful,so people with pets or children are often reluctant to use those." Rodent-proofing the home to avoid such an outcome is the prescribed ounce of prevention. Exterminators recommend hiring a professional to seal the home. They walk around the property and look for rodent at- tractants. Piles of wood are one place that mice can migrate from as the weather cools,as is a dark cozy space behind the front steps. Using black expanding foam,exterminators will seal up those tiny places that a rodent can exploit to gain access to the home. Peter Cooney of Critter Control of Cape Cod reports that this time of year is hot for juvenile bats. "The bats may be already living in an attic or another area of the house. The juveniles are just starting to fly and don't know where they are going. Many times they end up getting into the house ," he said. Bats in the belfry Burgess also fields numerous calls about bats. "Of- ten we'll get an early morning call about a bat flying around in a room. As the body of a bat is very small,it can hide where the homeowner will not be able to find it ," he said. "Open the windows,vacate the room,and call a professional. " Exterminators tackle a bat problem by sealing the areas where bats can get in, such as the gable louver vent,and then in- stalling one-way doors . Squirrels can also become a serious nui- sance during the cold season. As Cooney said , "This is the time that everything wants to get back inside." Squirrels will chew a hole to get into the house or enter through an exist- ing hole. Once inside they take advantage of in- sulation to make their nests . They have two litters each year, in spring and fall,and the three to five babies take six months to mature. Once mature they will regard the house as their "an- cestral home " and return there to raise their own ba- bies. "Keeping them out is actually fairly simple " Cooney said. If people did some prevention ahead of time it continued on page 8 Squirrels will chew a hole to get into the house or enter through an existing hole. Once inside they take advantage o f insulation to make their nests. Preparing f orf alVs unwelcome visitors