About pests. Landlords vs Mice, Squirrels, Alligators, and more.

Houses and apartments may attract pests such as mice, roaches, squirrels, and ants. Addressing the problem immediately is the best course of action. It usually is the landlord’s responsibility (some city laws mandate this), especially in urban areas, but as an owner-occupant landlord, you have a personal interest in handling this so that you are not affected. So, deal with it right now!

How I deal with mice: glue traps are my number one go-to device, because they are quick, cheap, and easy to use. The mouse does not die immediately, which some people consider cruel and unusual punishment. But mice generally expire quickly. The traps are available at the local supermarket or hardware store. If I have any signs of mice (like droppings), I will buy a box of ten and put them out wherever a mouse might be traveling, and sometimes leave extra ones with a tenant. Mice tend to show up when the weather turns cold.

Last year a camera was triggered by a mouse and I put glue traps out the next day, but a week later the top-floor tenant texted me she had seen mouse droppings in the back of a food drawer. Despite my being in pajamas and in bed (it was 10:20 pm) I got up and dressed and went immediately to the supermarket and got another box of ten and put them on every floor. Including four in her apartment. By the next morning, the critter had been caught and I went up and removed it. Just wear a work glove. The mice are usually tiny. If I had rats, I’d probably hire an exterminator. A crucial note – mice don’t seem to travel alone. If you catch one, you should expect two to three more. What do you do with the glue trap with the dead mouse on it? With gloves, pick it up and dispose of it in an outside trash container.

Squirrels: These guys can be a challenge. The first year I put in a garden in my current house squirrels came and dug up all my seeds. Grrrr. I have used a sonic emitter - $40 on Amazon, with limited success. The emitter puts out a high-pitched noise that is supposed to discourage squirrels. It seems to work. The high-pitched noise is going to be irritating to some people. Scented material - For $15 you can get a bag of scented balls that will discourage nesting. Place them in areas where squirrels are trying to get in - like an attic. The smell can be strong.

Trapping and relocating squirrels has been successful, but requires time and energy. I have used a Havahart trap, which does not harm the squirrel, but requires you to bait it (I use mixed nuts) and then when you catch one, you have to drive for 20 minutes to relocate the squirrel, as you want to get them 10 miles away. Some cities require permits to do this.

Neighbors who have bird feeders are going to attract squirrels and they will cross your property to get to the feeders. If you live in an urban area like Denver, squirrels will keep coming. Hiring a professional can be a perpetual commitment.

Another step I took to reduce the squirrel traffic was to cut any branches that they could jump from to reach my roof. They like to travel up high, and my roof seemed to be a squirrel thoroughfare until I had a tree company thin out a few trees. Now they find other routes. Before winter, make sure the siding on the house is closed up tightly, otherwise, they may find their way into the attic.

Raccoons: Generally cute little critters, I find they can be discouraged by keeping the lids on garbage cans secured. I have trapped them and relocated them on occasion. If you have them in the attic I recommend calling a professional.

Ants: If they are on the outside of the property, I use an ant control powder that I get from the hardware store. It works quickly. Usually, one application is more than enough. For inside the house I will get some ant traps at the supermarket.

Roaches: stubborn little creatures and a problem in apartment buildings where some tenants are not as clean as they could be. I found that products with Borax are effective. You simply sprinkle a little of the roach powder where you have seen them. The roaches then track the powder back to their home and it eventually kills them. But they can crawl along pipes that run between apartments and get through places that are very tight. Carefully caulking along windows, doors, and moldings can discourage their presence. Roach motels are effective. I will send my tenants a link to this YouTube video that talks about how to avoid pests. Tip, take out the garbage regularly, and don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink. Also, try not to leave pet food in the dish all day. If you have a roach problem that won’t go away within a week or two, I would call in a professional to treat all the apartments in the building. In urban areas where I owned property, I would have the exterminator come once a month and make it optional for the tenants to have their apartments treated.

Bees and wasps: I keep a couple of cans of bee spray around all the time. When I see a few bees, I watch to locate where they are building a nest and if I can spray it safely and then go inside, I do that. The canned spray usually reaches about 20 feet. Sometimes I need to repeat that, but generally once is enough to encourage them to find a new building site. If it’s a nest way up in a tree, I call an expert. In bee season, I also hang a trap from a nearby tree and it will catch 50 bees in a few days.

Armadillos: Hire a professional.

Alligators: Call a professional. If you’ve ever had a home in Florida, you have probably had them around. I’ve seen them walking across sidewalks in communities where I have lived as they move from pond to pond.

Summary: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and keeping a clean house makes a difference.

Tips for keeping pests out: You can send this free two-minute YouTube video on a clean apartment to your tenants once a year to remind them about keeping the apartment clean to avoid mice, roaches, and bugs. You can find other helpful videos for tenants on YouTube at @RenterEducation12

Also, RINSE empty containers before you put them in the recycling to reduce smells.

Sponges - in the kitchen sink - don’t let them lay flat where they won’t dry. They may attract ants - a common problem in Florida. Instead, buy a $3 sponge holder with a suction cup that attaches to the side of the sink and allows the sponge to dry completely.

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