New York has no more of a rodent problem than any other area of the world. There are some that think prophylactic action is good most often, with pest control, it is a waste of time, energy, and money since the material used for control can deteriorate and not be effective when needed.

Unless there are signs of undesirable critters living in the house there is no reason to do anything to control what does not exist.

kimmq is kimmsr

Hahahaha, kimm, sometimes you crack me up. "New York has no more of a rodent problem than any other area of the world."

You do know that Queens is a part of NYC, right?

First home, I think that I would make some calls to a few local pest control companies to see what the suggestions might be. I can see that it might be a good idea to get in as soon as possible.

Mice and rats will enter our houses looking for food, water, and shelter, deny them that and they will not hang around. The population of mice and rats is very dependent on the human population, they live with us so population density means a larger population of mice and rats. And yes, I am well aware of where Queens, NY is.

The best means of controlling mice and rats in the home is to exclude them, make sure any potential entry points are properly sealed, ie. no caulk.

If there are these vermin in the house then traps can be used, but traps often involve baits, lures or some way to attract the vermin to the trap, which is a food source. There is research that shows that mice and rats are learning to get that food without tripping the trap.

Poison baits. Not to popular where children might be since they can, and have, been poisoned by these products. Also baits, lures, that can attract what you do not want as well. A bit slow since the dose of Warfarin is low to try to limit human exposure to this anti coagulant.

Often "pest" control companies will simply put in material that has no affect on the vermin population. The consumer needs to be very careful about the company if there is one, they use.

Knowing something about what you want to control can be a big help in getting that pest under control.

kimmq is kimmsr