neha in Toronto

I thank you for your review. The job was memorable to me and went something like this. First the phone call where we discussed the issue. I could have done the job during the week but find it is better to focus on only one job when it comes to mice. There is a lack of quality when doing many jobs in a day or even by the end of a day. Your brain plays tricks on you and your instincts tend to suffer which makes one overlook important aspects. This is the reason I like to do mice jobs at around 10 am. The perfect hour for me to be alert and ready to hunt down that needle in a hay stack ( did I check this or did I miss that etc...) which can and will lead to a mouse problem. Mice jobs take a lot out of me and often times leave me drained and fulfilled at the same time. My thought process is that I want to try and find and remove the root cause of a pest issue quickly in order to get the proverbial ball rolling towards lasting positive results. Alas, I digress so instead of doing the job during the week I decided to do it on Sunday instead. Arriving at the home in winter gear I conducted an exterior inspection. At first I was convinced it was related to the garage and using my ladder did find one lone dropping in the higher reaches. The dropping was green and this suggested that it likely ate some bromadiolone which is a common rodenticide. Apparently the homeowner had no knowledge as to any rodenticide and this new clue had me perplexed indeed. Finding no bait stations or bait anywhere in the garage how did the dropping get deposited so high up in the garage ? The homeowner came outside and we talked and I decided to look at the entire perimeter. Checking the perimeter even after being focused on the adjoining garage is important because one needs to rule out all possibilities. So we walk into the backyard and I see there is a deck which is 3 feet or so off the ground bordered with pressure treated lattice. Looking under I quickly noticed that there was a large piece of plywood covering a window with a yellow extension cord exiting the top of it. The plywood was covering the window opening and looked secure enough yet my instincts about it left me perplexed and anxious. My client was adamant with me that it was all fine because an electrician had been working there previously and not reported anything out of the ordinary. I told my client "I don't like it" he replied that it was fine. "Well", he said, after me insisting we had to look at it "why don't you look at it from the inside then " "Perfect lets check it out " I replied, because to me I just had to rule this out. Sure, I could have listened to my client and gone home earlier and not been so exhausted, and cold, or muddy but I just didn't like that plywood for some reason. This is the 1 hour point of the job by the way. Most guys are already gone and off to the next job by now. Just the talking and the garage, removing of the boots, gloves, hats, coats and scarves took an hour. Ok so we go downstairs and I see the window which is covered by the plywood and I notice right away that the window is a third smaller than that plywood and the basement is dark because of it so now I've got to get a better look from the outside. We go back out side and put on the boots, gloves ,scarves, hat etc... I get to the deck and realize I need tools to remove the lattice skirt around the bottom. I go to my truck get my tools. Taking off the stripped screws crawling underneath I begin to remove the plywood and find the smaller window is framed into the larger opening and can see exposed insulation and droppings and tunneling going right into the basement exterior wall. This kind of shoddy work is something I've never seen before yet doesn't surprise me in the least. At this point I need more tools so I once again crawl out from under the deck and go back to my truck for my skillsaw ,measuring tape, carpenter square, mallet. extension cord, marker, and 3 inch screws. I used the plywood that was there to frame and close off the large gap and fix up the problem which took much effort because it was dark, cramped, and cold under the deck. The opening was baited first before closure because the mice were going to need some snacks. I cut myself up while I was down there but that's why we have bandages. Then after securing my tools and cleaning myself up I went back into the house and once again took off my boots, gloves, you know the drill by now. I baited the house and just had to see that basement window and it was so marvelous because it was cleared now and the sunlight filled the entire laundry room. The job took over 3 hours to do but I needed it because helping people is what I love, this makes me feel good. Oh I forgot to mention I also had 40 people at my own house which were waiting for me but that's another story. This is why I do these mice jobs on certain days because they require my fullest attention. They really do take a lot outta me all joking aside. Oh by the way the green dropping in the upper part of the garage was from bait that was placed on the inside of the house by another pest control company hired by the previous homeowner. The mice were going in and out and must have ventured into the garage in their travels. Joe.