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Voles

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. Frequently mistaken for mice at a quick glance, these nuisance pests can damage your New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware home or business’s landscaping, plants, trees, and grass quickly and quietly. To protect your home or business from voles, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Voles?

Small rodents, sometimes referred to as field mice, voles are nuisance pests found all throughout North America, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. These pests live underground and travel primarily via tunnels, but you can also find them in areas with tall grass or dense vegetation. Voles have a primarily vegetarian diet eating plants, tree bark, grass, fruits, and nuts. Understanding that the vole’s diet is different from other similar pests is important to the control process because it changes the types of bait used in trapping.

How Do I Identify Voles?

Voles resemble pet hamsters, except with shorter tails and fatter bodies. Depending on the type of voles in your area, they can grow anywhere from 5 to 7 inches. As these critters are fast and work to stay out of the line of sight, identification usually begins with an assessment of the damage caused. Pest control experts reveal telltale signs include:
  • The bottom bark on trees gnawed off
  • Ground damage that resembles an “above-ground tunnel,”
  • Small holes in your yard about 1 to 2 inches in diameter
  • Plants that have wilted or are easy to remove from the ground with light pressure, signaling the destruction of the root system by a vole

How Do I Get Voles?

Unfortunately, voles tend to choose their own domains. By living in areas with favorable vegetation like dense grassy fields, woodlands, and gardens, you’re at risk of an infestation. Residents and business owners in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware are at risk for these pests year-round.

What Are The Effects of Voles In and Around My Home or Business?

Vole damage can be impressively destructive for such small creatures, especially if you don’t know how to control voles. Exterminators state the persistent search for food and desire to eat by these small critters can have a big impact on your home or business, making it challenging to control voles in the garden, grass, and other areas. These effects include:
  • Destruction to tree bark and root systems
  • Surface runways destroying grass and filled with droppings
  • Destruction of plants, gardens, and crops
  • The attraction of larger, more dangerous predators like coyotes, foxes, and raccoons that eat rodents

How Long Do Voles Live?

On average, voles live from three to six months. Some have been known to live as long as 12 months, but that’s rare.

How Do I Prevent Voles?

Prevention and vole control typically requires the help and professional know-how of pest control experts. That being said, there are things you can do as a homeowner or business owner in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware to begin implementing a prevention strategy today. Many focus on limiting the damage possible from an infestation.
  • Keep tall grass, brush, and weeds cut down to a minimum
  • Use fencing around sensitive items like the bases of trees, gardens, and plants
  • Eliminate woodpiles, junk piles, and unused items around gardens or plants that could be used as hiding areas
  • Seek assistance and recommendations from a pest control expert like Viking Pest that has pest control professionals trained to work with these specific pests

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Squirrels

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. Viking Pest does NOT treat, trap, nor exterminate Chipmunks due to local regulations. For more information, please call Viking at  1-800-618-2847 If you have a home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware, protecting your property from pests is an important part of taking care of your property. Some pests can be harmful to your property and cost you money, while others can pose a threat to you, your family, or your customers. Squirrels can be a problem in buildings due to nesting and reproducing in vents, attics, and other small spaces, and they’re known to carry diseases that can harm people. Squirrels are pests and If not addressed, these furry creatures can become a real nuisance. To protect your home or business from squirrels, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Squirrels?

Squirrels are quick, small, bushy-tailed rodents found almost anywhere throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Squirrels are in the same family as prairie dogs, chipmunks, and marmots, and they can look similar. Pest control experts explain although there are more than 200 species of squirrels, they all fit into one of three categories: tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Squirrels range in size from 3 to 36 inches long, but in North America, the most common squirrels are 15 to 20 inches long, weighing about a pound. Squirrels eat mostly seeds and nuts, but sometimes they’re attracted to fruits and vegetables and even occasionally eat insects or small vertebrates.

How Do I Identify Squirrels?

All squirrels have long bodies covered in short, thick fur and four legs. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs, and they can sit up or scurry around on all fours. You may see them running around on the ground, eating with their front feet, or climbing trees. Pest control experts explain the most common squirrels in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware areas are gray squirrels, which you can identify by their white underbelly and whitish to gray fur. These are medium-sized squirrels, similar in size to fox squirrels. Fox squirrels, which are slightly rarer than gray squirrels, have more yellow underbellies and may appear striped with gray and pale gray. Pine squirrels may have more reddish fur on top.

How Do I Get Squirrels?

Squirrels in North America are well adapted to human beings, so they’re common in urban as well as rural areas. Exterminators explain that food and shelter attract these pests, so they may come into your home or business through small openings that allow them to nest and make a new home. These critters are also attracted to food that falls from trees, such as fruit and nuts. Since they’re not afraid of humans, many squirrels come right up to you and beg for something to eat. Feeding them is not wise, as they’ll return again and again if they know they can get food from you.

What Are the Effects of Squirrels in and Around My Home or Business?

Squirrels are pests and can make a home in your place of business or house, wreaking havoc by chewing on woodwork, ceiling panels, electrical wires, and insulation. Squirrels may also do damage to the exterior of your house or building in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware when they chew their way in. These furry pests can also contaminate water supplies with feces and urine, leave uneaten food to rot, and introduce diseases to your property that can harm humans. If they chew on electrical wires and strip them, they could even cause a fire. Not only that but they can get trapped in small spaces in walls or in your attic and perish, creating a foul stench that can permeate your house or business. The best way to get rid of squirrels and protect your home or business from these unfortunate circumstances is to seek the help and recommendations of pest control experts.

How Long Do Squirrels Live?

In captivity, some squirrels can live anywhere from 18 to 24 years. However, in the wild in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, squirrels are known to live anywhere from 6 to 10 years, depending on the species. Females generally live longer, up to 13 years or so. Females can bear young after their first year, and they typically have two litters per year, one in spring and one at the end of summer. Each litter can have an average of two to five “kittens,” so a squirrel infestation can grow pretty quickly in your home or business if you don’t address the issues and work to get rid of squirrels with the professional assistance of a pest control expert.

How Do I Prevent Squirrels?

Preventing squirrels from invading your home or business in the first place is the biggest key to protecting yourself and your property. Exterminators recommend you never feed squirrels that show up in your yard or around your business. Be sure to rake up fallen fruits, nuts, or other food that could attract them, and keep garbage cans tightly closed. You can scare them away if you have a dog or a cat that likes to chase them. If you don’t have pets, a few well-placed plastic statues could spook them and keep them from returning. Squirrels don’t like certain kinds of flowers like daffodils, snowdrops, allium, and hyacinth. Planting these flowers might deter them, and if that’s not enough, you can make squirrel baffles to go around trees or put netting around plants. To keep them out of your building or house, look for openings, cracks, or weaknesses that they could squeeze through or chew on to gain access. Pest control experts recommend checking the roof and eaves and make sure to repair any holes quickly so they can’t get in.

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Skunks

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. Few pests have the ability to strike fear in people more than skunks. The threat of being sprayed by a skunk can cause you to freeze in fear upon seeing one. If a skunk happens to get under your house or business building, it can cause the entire place to start smelling, which is a major problem for the inhabitants, whether it’s family members, employees, or customers. To protect your home or business in New Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware from skunks, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Skunks?

Skunks are small mammals known for their unique coloration and the pungent spray they produce when they feel threatened. Skunks use their foul-smelling spray as a defense mechanism and can shoot it from up to 10 feet away. A skunk will spray you if it’s frightened, which means you should leave skunk control to wildlife professionals.

How Do I Identify Skunks?

There are two primary types of skunks in New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware; the eastern spotted skunk and the striped skunk. The eastern spotted skunk can be found throughout much of the eastern U.S., including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. The wildlife control experts at Viking Pest explain the eastern spotted skunk has six distinct white stripes near the front of its body and small white spots on its head, in front of each ear, and at the base of the tail. The striped skunk is black with white stripes that run from the top of the head all the way to the tip of the bushy tail. Skunks can range in size from 2.5 to 15 pounds.

How Do I Get Skunks?

When skunks come near your home or business in New Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware, they’re looking for food and shelter. The wildlife control professionals at Viking Pest explain in order to find food, they may dig in the lawn looking for grubs, and berries, or get into the garbage. Skunks often find shelter in easy-to-access areas under houses, buildings, decks, and sheds.

What Are the Effects of Skunks In and Around My Home or Business?

Skunks are a potential health risk to the people around your home or business in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The Centers for Disease Control lists skunks as one of the animals in the U.S. most often infected with rabies. This fact highlights the importance of bringing in professional help to deal with a skunk around your business or home property. The wildlife control experts at Viking Pest explain skunks can also cause serious odors that are difficult and potentially expensive to remove from your home or business. Professional skunk prevention is by far the best way to protect against the negative effects of this pest.

How Long Do Skunks Live?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that skunks in the wild live an average of three years, while those in captivity can live up to 15 years.

How Do I Prevent Skunks?

In order to prevent skunks from invading the property at your business or home, wildlife control experts recommend removing elements around the area that may be attracting them. This includes keeping trash properly stored and closing up access points around your property. You should never attempt to remove a skunk from under your house or business building. If you’re looking for options on how to get rid of skunks, the help of the wildlife control experts at Viking Pest is the only proper skunk control option.

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Rats

Rat control in your home or business can be pesky and difficult. Rats are very resourceful and good at tucking themselves away into parts of buildings that humans cannot reach. Once you’ve come to suspect that you may have some type of rodent living within your home your business, it’s essential to address the problem immediately to avoid any damage to your property or harm to the people living or working in the building. To protect your home or business from rats, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What are Rats?

Rats are a fairly common type of rodent. These pests can grow to be anywhere from a few inches in length to up to 10 inches. Pest control experts at Viking Pest explain rats often live near places with food scraps such as dumpsters and garbage cans. Although these pests can be found in the wild, they usually congregate in more populated areas like cities and towns. There are more than 60 species of this particular rodent, but the most common types in the United States include house rats, Norway rats (also called brown rats), and roof rats (or black rats). While rats can live in a variety of environments, they tend to prefer warmer temperatures and live in areas near humans as they feed off of scraps of food and garbage. Because of rats’ resourceful nature, they are quite good at finding their way into homes and businesses throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland where they may have easier access to food and water. Because rats tend to travel in packs, you may likely have multiple rats in your home or business by the time you notice one. Rats start their packs when a male and female decide to nest in a suitable area. If you see a rat, our pest control experts at Viking Pest recommend immediate rat treatment and rat control measures.

SMART Rat Control

Viking is exclusive provider of SMART rodent control, an advanced pest management program that utilizes infrared monitoring and automated messaging to manage mice 24/7. SMART is a chemical-free solution to rodent problems that works at residential, commercial, and municipal levels. Viking Pest is committed to keeping homes and businesses throughout NJ, PA, DE, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland healthy, safe, and unwanted rodent free.

How Do I Identify Rats?

Rats are nocturnal creatures, which means that it may take some time before you notice these rodents. Residential rodent infestations can be easier to identify as you are more likely to notice rustling or other sounds of movement in your walls or ceiling during the night, explain exterminators at Viking Pest. For business infestations, it can be more difficult since most people are not in the office at night. Rat control experts at Viking Pest state the telltale sign of a rodent infestation is rat droppings, which will help you identify the type of rodent and the extent of the infestation. If you are finding a large number of rat droppings in various sizes, this could indicate a large-scale infestation. The location of the rat droppings will also reveal where the rodents may be nesting or spending most of their time. Other signs of rat infections include holes in the wall. Rats will chew through walls, leaving behind holes that are about the size of a quarter. They may chew on other areas of your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business where there is exposed wood or wooden furniture. Rats often build nests within your home or business by shredding pieces of paper or string, so be on the lookout for any sign of these rodent creations, explain the pest control experts at Viking Pest.

How Did I Get Rats?

Like many other types of pests, rats are looking for a place with shelter and food, particularly if rats have a mate with whom they are trying to nest. Rats usually make their way into homes and businesses through small gaps in doors or pipes, holes, or openings in the foundation or roof, or any other tiny entrance, explain exterminators at Viking Pest. If you have a large amount of trash sitting around, this may also attract rats to the area. Rats are also attracted to reliable sources of water. "The Achilles heel of rats is water," says Craig S., Public Health Entomologist and Service Director at Viking Pest. "Unlike mice, rats require an ounce to an ounce and a half of water per day to survive.' Our rat control experts at Viking Pest recommend you take steps as soon as possible to get rid of rats and implement rat prevention techniques. If not, you may be dealing with the problem for some time. Most wild rats live between two to three years. If adult rats decide to nest in your home or business, you will shortly be dealing with newborn rats as well.

rat control

What Are the Effects of Rats in and Around My Home or Business?

If you’ve ever run into a rat at your home or business, you know that feeling you experience. Most people are squeamish around rats. They project an image of uncleanliness and filth – even if the sighting happens in an area that’s clean. It can make you uncomfortable in your home. At a business, it can keep customers from coming into your facility or from ever coming back. There are also worries about diseases that rats carry and can transfer to humans. Once you’ve identified a potential rat problem in your New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware home or business, it’s essential that you call in pest control experts to get rid of the rats because before they pose a serious threat to your health. Rodents are known to carry many harmful diseases that can easily be transmitted to humans. Rat-bite fever, Salmonella, and Murine Typhus are all examples of diseases that rats can be responsible for carrying and spreading. Typically, diseases are passed through their feces and urine, but if you come into direct contact with one of these rodents, the rats may even bite. Once you get rid of the rats, it’s important to sanitize all surfaces to reduce the chance of someone getting sick.

How Do I Prevent Rats?

Once you’ve rid your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business of an infestation, you must implement strict rat control methods to prevent this incident from happening again in the future. Have your home or business fully inspected for any holes or openings that may have allowed the rodents to enter your home by the pest control professionals at Viking Pest. You should also enforce a greater level of sanitation to avoid attracting rats to your property in the first place. Any items that might be used as a rat nesting material like piles of leaves or mulch should be removed from the property as soon as possible.

How to Control Rats During a Renovation

According to statistics, mice and other rodents invade approximately 21 million homes during the winter in the US. Besides causing extensive damage, mice can also carry a variety of diseases, including salmonella and hantavirus. If you are renovating a home, this can open even more opportunities for rodents to get in, especially if it is left unoccupied for certain periods without rat and mice control. To protect your home and renovating projects from mice, our mice exterminators state how to deter and eradicate them.

Clear up the Yard

During renovations, it's easy for the yard to get cluttered. Piles of building debris and materials can mount up, as well as any garbage from the remodeling/renovation process. Unfortunately, this can create a paradise for mice. Mice love piles of wood, unraked leaves, garbage heaps, etc., explain the rodent control experts at Viking. This gives mice cover to hide in before they make an entry into your home. To discourage this, our pest control experts recommend clearing any unnecessary heaps of building refuse. Stack materials neatly, rake up dead leaves, and dispose of woodpiles.

Get Rid of Garbage and Food

Do you have any full trash cans standing about? Maybe with food containers in them? If so, you want to empty these as soon as possible. Garbage cans can act as both a food source and a place of shelter for incoming mice.

Seal the House

If you are renovating an older house, chances are there're some chinks and cracks here and there that mice could get through. Mice and rats and can squeeze through very small holes and crevices and find their way into your home. To stop this from happening, and prevent mice from invading your home and its renovations, Viking’s pest management professionals recommend making it a priority to seal up your eaves, windows, doors, and vents as soon as you can in the renovation process.

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Raccoons

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. If you own a home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware, protecting it from pests is an important part of maintenance. Some animals like raccoons can be harmful to people and property. Raccoons are dangerous to pets, damaging to buildings, and can injure humans or make them sick by exposure to feces, urine, or saliva or by raccoon scratches and bites. To protect your home or business from raccoons, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Raccoons?

Raccoons are medium-sized nocturnal mammals known for their dexterous front paws and mask-like eye coloring. Raccoons originate mostly from forests but have adapted to other natural habitats and urban areas, such as near homes and businesses in Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. These pests are known to invade garbage, steal pet food, and even make nests inside attics. Wildlife control experts explain raccoons are considered a rabies-vector species because they can carry and spread rabies, so it’s especially important to protect your pets, family, employees, and customers from them.

How Do I Identify Raccoons?

Raccoons are easy to identify by their black eye coloring. These animals are bigger than common house cats and about the size of small to medium-sized dogs. Their fur is grayish and consists largely of a thick undercoat. Raccoons have long tails that are often striped with dark rings.

How Do I Get Raccoons?

In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, raccoons are common. Sometimes they live in the wilderness and are driven toward urban areas in the winter. The wildlife control experts at Viking Pest explain raccoons look for food sources and may also look to your home or business for shelter or a place to bear young. The shelter that they may seek in your home or building could include an attic, wall, chimney, or crawl space.

What Are the Effects of Raccoons in and Around My Home or Business?

Raccoons can be quite a nuisance around your home or place of business. Not only do they raid and tip over trash cans, but raccoons also eat pet food and pose a major threat to pets like cats and small dogs. Wildlife control experts explain females may tear apart shingles or vents to get inside, and once inside, they can make nests by shredding up insulation, wiring, and other critical building components. Both males and females carry a host of parasites and other diseases, including rabies. These pests eat almost anything, so raccoons may even damage vegetable crops or fruit trees.

How Long Do Raccoons Live?

Raccoons live about five years in the wild on average. However, with a good enough food source, they can last more than a decade. It takes two months for a raccoon to gestate, and females birth litters of two to seven babies (called kits).

How Do I Prevent Raccoons?

Like most pests, raccoons are attracted to food and shelter. Wildlife control experts recommend securing trash cans and don’t leave pet food outside. Pick up any fallen edibles like fruits or nuts. Put fences around your yard or parking lot in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware, and use barriers so they can’t climb up fruit trees. Most of all, never feed raccoons. If you suspect you have a raccoon problem, you should seek the advice of the wildlife control experts at Viking Pest on how to get rid of raccoons. Our professionals know the best treatment methods for raccoon pest control in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.

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Opossum

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. Although it’s tempting to associate opossums with other small mammals and rodents, the truth is that these unique creatures are in a category of their own. Opossums have the distinction of being North America’s only marsupial (pouched mammal), and they are found all over New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Opossums will eat almost anything, including human food waste, and will nest in cozy homes or businesses that are accessible from the outside. To protect your home or business from opossums you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What are Opossums?

Opossums, which are often called possums, are grey-furred marsupials with a white face, long pink snout, and strong prehensile tail which they use to help them climb. Opossums can grow to the size of a large house cat. Opossums are omnivores and will eat almost anything they can find, including rats, cockroaches, and other pests- alive or dead. Despite their eating habits, they are remarkably resistant to rabies.

How Do I Identify Opossums?

Wildlife exterminators state opossums may look like a raccoon or cat from afar but can be positively identified by their long white face and tail. When threatened, opossums exhibit a unique physiological response. Opossums go into a faint and mimic the appearance of a dead or sick animal. Opossums secrete a smelly fluid from their glands, bare their teeth, and lie completely stiff and still. This is why it’s a good idea to always call a pest control expert for opossum control- they may not be as dead as you think.

How Do I Get Opossums?

Opossums are considered opportunistic feeders, and can often be seen near homes and businesses, where they will try and get into garbage cans, bird feeders, or compost patches. To nest near food, opossums may find their way into a deserted attic, or under a porch, if they can get in. Fortunately, they are generally nocturnal and have no interest in being aggressive to human beings.

What Are the Effects of Opossums in and around My Home or Business?

If you have an opossum nesting in and around your New Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware home or business, it can be extremely frustrating. While they’re there, opossums can cause extensive damage to your property and may get into garbage cans or compost, spreading it around for other scavengers. They don’t spread rabies, but they can leave fleas and their smelly droppings behind.

How Long Do Opossums Live?

Opossums live between one and two years. Female opossums give birth to their young when they’re extremely small, and these tiny creatures shelter and nurse in their mother’s pouch for several months, until they can move around independently.

How Do I Prevent Opossums?

Opossum prevention is the key to meaningful opossum control. Once they’re in your home or business, you will need a professional wildlife control expert to control them. Opossums tend to use trees near your home or business in NJ, MD, or DE to enter through cracks in your attic or roof. To prevent opossums before they enter your home or business, seal up cracks or gaps in your exterior where they can get in. Place secure lids on your garbage and compost, so opossums cannot get inside.

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Mice

To protect your home or business from mice, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Mice?

Mice are small rodents that can be found throughout the world. Though there are many different species of mice, the most common ones found in your home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware are house mice, field mice, or white-footed mice. The type of mice infestation that you’re dealing with usually depends on where you live or work. If your property is in an area with more open space near a barn or shed, it’s more likely that field mice have made their way into your home or office. Mice can reproduce rapidly, making it very important that you address the infestation and get rid of mice as soon as possible. Mice tend to be smaller than rats with shorter, thinner tails and larger ears. Mice are smallish in size and gray in color.

How Do I Identify Mice?

Best Mouse Control CompanySometimes, identifying mice in your home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware can be tricky as they are nocturnal creatures and usually only active at night. If the infestation has taken place in your home, you may notice sounds of movement in the walls or ceiling during the night. However, if the mice have found their way into your business, it may be more difficult to identify the infestation as most people are not at their place of business in the evening. If you haven’t noticed any unusual sounds, the best way to identify mice in your home or business is to look for mouse droppings. These are tiny little pellets that can be found in the areas of the house that the mice frequent the most, such as attics, garages, basements, warehouses, and crawl spaces. Aside from sounds and mice droppings, you may notice other signs such as chewed wood or walls. Some people also noticed tracks in the places where the mice have been running around. There may also be a slight urine smell noticeable if you have a mice infestation.

How to Identify a White Footed Mouse

  • White fur underbody and on legs, large black eyes, tails relatively long and bi-colored. Top of body light brown fur​
  • They are implicated as carriers of Hantavirus and Lyme disease​

Look for mice in areas that are good sources of heat:

  • Furnaces and water heaters​
  • Refrigerator compressors​
  • Under dishwashers​
  • Near ductwork​
  • Under ovens​
  • Hot water pipes​
  • Basement / Attic Insulations

How Did I Get Mice?

Because mice are so small and resourceful, they can find their way into your home or business through many different avenues. The pest control experts at Viking Pest explain if there are any cracks or holes in your walls, pipes, or foundation, this is a common method of entrance for mice. Mice may even be able to find their way into your home or business via sewer lines. Should you accidentally leave doors or windows open, this is another method for them to enter the building. Mice are very small rodents and they are capable of squeezing into much smaller places than expected. An opening as small as a quarter of an inch can provide a hiding place or entry spot for a mouse. That’s smaller than a dime. mice control

Why Buy Additional Rodent Bait Stations After Treatment?

Stop Future Rodent Infestations in Their Tracks!

As the weather gets colder, rodents may try to invade your home or business, seeking warmth, safety, and food. Additional rodent bait stations placed around your property help infestations from recurring. how to prevent mice

Why Choose Our Rat and Mice Bait Stations?

Our bait stations are affordable and effective. Rodent bait stations dramatically reduce rodents in and around your home when used regularly. This makes them an excellent investment in protecting your property and family from these disease-carrying pests all year-round. If you are ready to invest in a simple preventative measure against rodents, ask one of our friendly technicians about purchasing additional stations today. Keep rodents away for good! Click for a Fast, Free Estimate

What Are the Effects of Mice in and Around My Home or Business?

Like many other rodent species, mice can carry many harmful diseases that can be spread to other animals or humans, such as hantavirus, salmonellosis, and listeria. They can also spread diseases indirectly when other pests, like fleas or ticks, feast on an infected mouse. Once you’ve noticed an infestation in your New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Delaware home or business, you want to address the problem immediately to avoid any negative health effects. Business owners will also want to get rid of mice as they are also impacting the health of your customers or clients as they can easily contaminate food and machinery. For any property owner, mice can also cause damage to the structure itself should the mice continue to gnaw on particular areas or nest in your walls, foundation, or roofing.

Mice or Rodents in Drop Ceilings

commercial mice control Some rodent issues start in the drop ceiling, plumbing, electrical, and utility areas. Learn how SMART Digital Rodent Control can help keep your business mouse and rodent-free.

How Long Do Mice Live?

Although wild mice may only live to be between 12 to 18 months in the wild, they typically live up to two years in captivity or once they have found a stable shelter with regular food. Exterminators explain if you have a mouse infestation in your home or business, mice can remain in the building for much longer than expected with regular food and shelter. However, mice can reproduce rapidly, which means that mice infestations could potentially hang around your home or business for years depending on how large the nest has grown.

House Mouse Key Facts

    • Small slender rodent, with a slightly pointed nose, small black eyes, large ears, and slightly hairless tail​
    • Will move into structures in the Fall/Winter in search of food and shelter​
    • Considered the most common mammal in homes and commercial structures​
    • Sexual Maturity- 1 ½ month​
    • Gestation period- averages 19 days​
    • # litters per Female- As many as 8 per year​
    • # Young per litter- 5-6​
    • # young weaned per female- 30-35​

How Do I Prevent Mice?

Exterminators state the key to keeping rodent infestations out of buildings is to make sure you’re taking steps to prevent mice from entering your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business. Hiring a professional to inspect your home for any openings where the mice have entered is the first step of mice control and prevention. Our pest control experts at Viking Pest can identify and seal up these potential entrances and be sure that all windows, vents, and chimneys have screens to prevent rodents from making their way inside. Pest control experts recommend getting rid of any trash immediately after it has been disposed of as this can help with preventing mice from hanging around your property. Exterminators also recommend storing any firewood you may have in the winter at least 20 feet or more from your home or business in NJ, PA, MD, or DE to discourage mice from nesting too close to your property.

How to Prevent Rodents During a Renovation

According to statistics, mice and other rodents invade approximately 21 million homes during the winter in the US. Besides causing extensive damage, mice can also carry a variety of diseases, including salmonella and hantavirus. If you are renovating a home, this can open even more opportunities for rodents to get in, especially if it is left unoccupied for certain periods without rat and mice control. To protect your home and renovating projects from mice, our mice exterminators state how to deter and eradicate them.

Clear up the Yard

During renovations, it's easy for the yard to get cluttered. Piles of building debris and materials can mount up, as well as any garbage from the remodeling/renovation process. Unfortunately, this can create a paradise for mice. Mice love piles of wood, unraked leaves, garbage heaps, etc., explain the rodent control experts at Viking. This gives mice cover to hide in before they make an entry into your home. To discourage this, our pest control experts recommend clearing any unnecessary heaps of building refuse. Stack materials neatly, rake up dead leaves, and dispose of woodpiles.

Get Rid of Garbage and Food

Do you have any full trash cans standing about? Maybe with food containers in them? If so, you want to empty these as soon as possible. Garbage cans can act as both a food source and a place of shelter for incoming mice.

Seal the House

If you are renovating an older house, chances are there're some chinks and cracks here and there that mice could get through. Mice and rats and can squeeze through very small holes and crevices and find their way into your home. To stop this from happening, and prevent mice from invading your home and its renovations, Viking’s pest management professionals recommend making it a priority to seal up your eaves, windows, doors, and vents as soon as you can in the renovation process.

How to Properly Clean After a Mice Infestation

You might think that once the mice have cleared out of your home, the problem is solved; however, if you want to keep mice out for good, it's vital to clean the area properly as well. The rodents will have left behind nests and rodent waste, which invites other mice back to the area. Knowing how to clean rodent waste properly requires some level of expertise, as you need to thoroughly sanitize the space and remove any trace of mice infestation. What's more, an unclean space also leaves behind any germs or diseases that the rodents might have brought with them. Professional and in-depth sanitation is the only way to protect yourself and your family from potential infection. Luckily, the Viking Pest Control team offers Pro-Clean, a Disinfection, and Sanitization service to avoid this situation entirely. Viking's Disinfection and Sanitization Treatments use a combination of several indoor disinfectant cleaning methods to reach and disinfect common and complex to reach areas in your New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, or Eastern Shore of Maryland home or business. Viking Pest Control professionals will wipe down, mist, and use aerosol devices to fog your NJ, PA, MD, or DE home or business from floor to ceiling with our disinfectant solution during each sanitization treatment.  

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Anticimex SMART Mice Control System

Anticimex SMART is an intelligent, environmentally friendly, whole-house electronic mouse control system that is nothing like what’s on the U.S. market today. Anticimex SMART Mice Control System operates 24/7, 365 days a year, providing you peace of mind in your New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania home. The SMART Connect contains its own 3G communication system, while the SMART Eye has a 5-year battery life, waterproof and dustproof infrared and heat motion sensor. Many aspects of life are “smart,” your phone, your doorbell, your heating system, your garage door. So why not smart pest control? It’s time for you to get SMART, Anticimex SMART. Click here to learn more about Anticimex SMART mice control.

Groundhogs

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. While cute to look at and historically famous for their role in predicting the length of winter, groundhogs are typically not welcome around homes and businesses in New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. The reason is simple: these animals are considered a nuisance pest due to the extensive damage they’ll create by feeding, burrowing, and digging through yards, gardens, and farms. To protect your home or business from groundhogs, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

What Are Groundhogs?

Often referred to as a woodchuck or whistle pig, groundhogs are rodents that are part of the Sciuridae family. The average size fully grown is 24 inches long and their weight can be as much as 14 pounds. Typically, groundhogs can be found in the central and eastern parts of the U.S., including New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. These animals are classified as nuisance pests and proactive groundhog treatment from a pest control expert is required to remove them from your home or business property.

How Do I Identify Groundhogs?

As part of the rodent family, groundhogs resemble a much larger rat with a bushy tail. Many have described groundhogs as a cross between a small dog and a rat. These animals have little round heads with small round eyes and small ears located on the tops of their heads. Most likely, you’ll be identifying groundhogs by the damage they’ve done to your home or business’s yard, garden, or plants. Wildlife control experts say if you start to notice holes about a foot wide with piles of dirt next to them and/or large bites out of your fruits or vegetables, you may have a groundhog pest problem.

How Do I Get Groundhogs?

Groundhogs are attracted to sweet fruits, lettuces, and other garden vegetables. If you’re growing these in mass as a farmer in New Jersey, Maryland, or Delaware or in a small garden, you may find a need for a groundhog prevention plan. Additionally, groundhogs like to reside in transitional areas where open fields meet forests and woodlands. Living in an area like this will increase your chances of attracting some unwanted visitors.

What Are The Effects of Groundhogs In and Around My Home or Business?

While groundhogs aren’t typically aggressive, they do classify as a nuisance pest due to the effects they can have on your home or business. Wildlife control experts state some of these effects and risks include:
  • Deep holes in your yard that are unsightly and present a risk of tripping
  • Damage to your crops, gardens, or fruit-bearing trees
  • While not aggressive, if threatened, groundhogs can injure family pets and small children

How Long Do Groundhogs Live?

The average life span of groundhogs in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware is around three years. Some groundhogs in captivity do live longer, but this is mainly a result of protection from predators and enhanced and controlled living conditions.

How Do I Prevent Groundhogs?

To prevent groundhogs from invading your property, consulting with a pest control expert is your best option. Your other options are limited, as it’s very unlikely that you’ll move from the property or opt not to grow plants or trees that attract groundhogs. You’ll find many home remedies, including things like pouring ammonia on your property, using garlic or pepper, or even scattering human hair. The problem is these methods are untested and not ideal for groundhog control. Due to the nature of this nuisance pest, however, we highly recommend you seek the advice and help of the wildlife experts at Viking Pest, who will know exactly how to keep groundhogs away after we get rid of groundhogs from your property.

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Bird Control

Viking Pest Control does not offer Carcass & Dead Animal Removal. Animal removal is only completed by our team when an animal is found in a wildlife trap. Please contact your municipal office for local animal removal vendors. Birds are a natural part of our ecosystem and most make a bird-watcher's pastime worthwhile. However, there are some bird species considered pests around your home or business, and if this is the case, it’s important to learn which are pest birds. To protect your home or business from pest birds, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

Which Birds Are Considered Pests?

Bird control experts at Bird Doctor explain that over 1,000 different species of birds reside in the U.S. While bird-watching enthusiasts and conservation efforts suggest that most birds are highly valued, some species are considered pest birds due to their detrimental impact on property and local ecosystems throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. National, state, and local regulations protect many migratory birds throughout the U.S. However, birds commonly seen as pests in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, are usually invasive species, and therefore not protected by national ordinances. These pest birds are the most common subjects of our bird control products and services. These usually include:

Common Pigeons

While some species in the Columbidae family are protected, the common pigeon in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware is not. Also known as rock doves or rock pigeons, these birds are plump with short legs and small heads. Although plumage coloration varies, rock pigeons commonly sport light gray feathers with black bands on the wings and iridescent plumage at the throat.

House Sparrows

Bird control experts say although they may look similar to many native North American sparrows, common house sparrows were introduced to North America in the 1800s and are therefore considered an invasive species. House sparrows are stocky, compact birds with short beaks. Females are buff and brown on top and light gray on their necks and stomachs. Males tend to feature a reddish-chestnut color within banded black patterns on their wings.

European Starlings

Much like house sparrows, European starlings were introduced to North America in the 1800s and tend to nest and congregate in developed areas. Starlings have long, narrow bills and glossy black and iridescent feathers. In winter, they also have white spots contrasting with the black plumage (which is widely believed to be the origin of their name).

Migratory Birds and Woodpeckers

Disclaimer
Migratory birds, including woodpeckers, are protected under Federal Law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Due to their protection, Viking Pest Control cannot complete any bird control service for migratory birds. For more information regarding their protection, please visit https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php

How Do I Prevent Invasive Birds From Becoming Pests in My Home or Business?

Some preventive bird control measures can stop these animals from becoming a problem in your home or business. Like all birds, pigeons, sparrows, and starlings gravitate toward ready food sources. Therefore, the best way to prevent them from taking over your home or business is to avoid making their preferred meals available. Keep garbage impossible to access in lidded containers. If you have bird feeders around your yard in order to attract local bird species, limit them to food that only the native species eat. Avoid common commercial birdseed mixtures that include cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and suet. Bird control experts at Bird Doctor recommend discouraging pest birds by limiting nesting areas that they’d like. European sparrows especially love to nest in the eaves, rafters, pipes, and gutters around homes. Keep sheds and garages closed, and seal up birdhouses that you might have during the migratory season. Bird control experts at Bird Doctor reveal most pest birds don’t migrate and therefore tend to grab nesting places before native, migratory birds return to the nest.

What Are the Effects of Pest Birds Around My Home and Business Throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware?

Bird control experts at Bird Doctor say a few birds around your home or business may seem innocuous at first; however, the potential damage to your property and health could be significant. Here are some ways that bird pests can impact your home or business and require bird control services.

Health

There’s a reason you’ve heard pigeons called the “rats of the sky.” These birds are huge carriers of disease, most commonly encephalitis and salmonella. When inhaled, pigeon waste can trigger sicknesses like cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, and psittacosis. Pigeons can also carry additional pests, including fleas, ticks, and lice.

Damage to Property

In addition to health concerns, a heavy bird population can cause significant damage to property. Nests may block important ventilation, bird droppings can permanently damage finished surfaces on homes and cars, and birds can also contaminate livestock food and water or damage crops.

Environmental Impact

One of the biggest ways that bird pests affect your home is they crowd out native species. Since these birds don’t migrate, they have an advantage come nesting season, and they tend to flock in bigger numbers than native songbirds. Pigeons, European starlings, and house sparrows all have had a monumental impact on native ecosystems, from local birds’ nesting and feeding patterns to the balance of insect populations. Bird control experts emphasize starlings are especially considered highly aggressive toward native species in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.

Disturbance

Bird control experts at Bird Doctor say birds can cause significant disturbance when nesting in residential areas. The most frequent complaint known is about noisy starlings, which tend to congregate in loud, large flocks throughout the winter. Even quieter birds can cause a noise disturbance when they nest or roost within the vents of a home or business.

What Are the Lifecycles and Habits of Pigeons, Starlings, and Sparrows?

Habits and behavior of bird pests vary across species, and so it’s essential to understand what kind of bird you’re dealing with in order to understand how to strategically enact effective bird control. Learn more about the habits of the most common breeds of pest birds below in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.

Common Pigeons

The common pigeon usually lives roughly six years in the wild. Although their natural diet is fruit and seeds, most pigeons in urban areas primarily feed on leftovers from humans, especially bread. Pigeons may mate for life and raise nestlings as a pair. Although pigeons only have one or two eggs at a time, a couple can produce five or more broods per year. Pigeons travel and feed in large flocks and usually use the same nest multiple times.

European Starlings

Starlings usually live two to three years in the wild. Congregating in residential areas, they eat just about anything, although they prefer insects when available. Starlings are unusually intelligent and aggressive, which largely accounts for their success as an invasive species. Starlings usually have two broods per year, with four to six eggs in each brood.

House Sparrows

Bird control experts reveal much like starlings, sparrows live about two or three years in the wild, with two broods per year and four to six eggs in each brood. Their preferred food source is grain and seeds. Because their size, behavior, and diet closely match those of many native species, sparrows commonly outcompete local birds for nesting space and food.

What if a Protected Bird Has Become a Pest on My Property?

Although this article focuses primarily on species that cause the most pest problems throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware, there are undeniably other species that can be a huge hassle for homeowners and business owners. Bird control services are especially necessary if you have a bird incident in which birds have created a nest within your home and office building. Other species that may cause problems include crows, seagulls, and grackles. This is when a thorough understanding of bird behavior and habits becomes such an asset. Viking Pest exercises methods of bird control that have a positive effect on local ecosystems and it carefully maintains state, federal, and local guidelines for population control. If you have questions about which species of birds are protected, you can view the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s full list of in-danger species.

Will There Be a Disruption to My Business or Home During Bird Control?

Different cases call for varying levels of care, some of which may require ladders and construction materials on-site. For example, if there’s a problem with nesting and roosting within your building’s rafters or air ducts, it may be best to approach and evaluate the situation from the inside as well as outside access points. However, our bird control technicians at Bird Doctor are specially trained to use an effective, minimally disruptive methodology and conduct themselves with the utmost consideration for our customers. Our schedule will be based on your needs in order to cause as little disruption to your day as possible.

Do Fake Owls and Other Visual Deterrents Work for Preventing Birds?

Fake owls can work effectively to deter birds, but only temporarily. In fact, anything newly introduced to an environment causes birds to be cautious, whether you hang streamers or start playing music from a stereo. However, birds quickly adapt to the situation and resume their usual behavior as soon as they notice that the new deterrents never move or act.

Does Viking’s Bird Doctor Follow OSHA Safety Standards?

Absolutely. Our pest control technicians undergo regular mandatory safety training and adhere to a strict code of conduct. We know that bird control scenarios can sometimes become unpredictable, so our personnel wear safety gear and take appropriate safety measures at all times.

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Does Viking’s Bird Doctor Offer a Work Guarantee for Bird Control?

We do indeed. We have the utmost confidence in our bird control services, which is why we offer a no-cost re-treatment visit if our bird control isn’t effective the first time. This guarantee applies to both services rendered and materials used. Our job isn’t done until your pest problem is completely resolved. Call or schedule online a FREE ESTIMATE today!