Mouse and Rat Control in Enid, Oklahoma

Around Enid, mouse season starts when the weather turns. OSU Extension's fall advice is to expect mice looking for shelter before winter, and that's exactly when the calls pick up. It starts with scratching in the ceiling at night, then droppings in a kitchen drawer.

This is grain country. Enid has one of the biggest grain storage capacities in the world, and the winter wheat that settlers brought to the Kremlin area became the main crop around here. Grain and feed draw mice and rats. Out in Kremlin, Lahoma and the other towns, barns, shops and feed storage add to it.

Signs Mice Have Moved In

OSU Extension's fall article on mice says droppings are a good sign of an infestation and usually turn up along runways and around feeding areas. It lists other signs too:

• Tracks in dust in the garage or basement
• Gnaw marks on cereal boxes, pet food bags and other packaging
• Dark rub marks along routes they use every night
• Noises in the ceiling or walls after dark
• Nests in attics, basements, sheds and garages

Traps, Bait Stations and Sealing

The same OSU article calls snap traps an effective method and points out that placement matters, since mice keep to small territories. Traps go along walls where mice travel. If bait is used, it belongs in enclosed stations where kids and pets can't reach it. The article advises skipping glue traps because they catch other animals, and says ultrasonic plug-ins don't hold up because mice get used to them within a day or two.

The long-term fix is closing the gaps, and OSU's advice is to do it before cold weather. That means door sweeps, gaps where pipes and wires enter, foundation cracks and vents. Older houses in Kenwood and Waverley usually have more of those than newer homes.

Rats Around Barns and Outbuildings

Rats show up more around feed, grain, chicken coops and cluttered outbuildings than inside homes. Store feed in lidded metal bins, sweep up spilled grain and get stored items up off the floor. A provider can set up exterior bait stations and traps around barns and sheds and help close gaps in the buildings closest to the house.

Related: Termite Control, Cockroach Control, Flea Control

Serving Downtown Enid, Kenwood, Waverley, North Enid, South Enid and Vance AFB Area, Waukomis, Kremlin, Carrier, Lahoma, Drummond, Hillsdale, Hennessey.