Guidelines on insects, rodents, and other pests
Parker-Holsman Co.    1461 E. 57th Street  :  Chicago, IL 60637    773-493-2525 Your Neighborhood Realtor since 1931

Guides section page

Parker-Holsman Co. was a charter member of the Institute for Real Estate Management in the 1930's. We continue to believe that it's our responsibility to educate our clients. We hope that you will find this information useful.

Index to articles:

• And speaking of bugs...
• Need to de-mouse your house?
• Ants in your pants or your kitchen?

And Speaking of Bugs... (from The Primer, Winter 1997)
Many of us enjoy the delightful amenity of woodburning fireplaces in our vintage apartments, but incorrect storage of firewood can create creepy, crawly problems. A representative of one of the fine exterminating companies serving Hyde Park recently reminded us of the multiple hazards of storing firewood on the ground: rats, mice, spiders, American roaches, Oriental roaches, milliwags (or something like that) and even worse. Wood should be stored up on pallets, shelving, or on anything that will safely enable the exterminator to get under the wood to work his magic.

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Need to de-mouse your house? (From The Primer, Spring 2000)
Did you know... ?

• The teeth of rats are harder than iron.
• A pair of mice can produce 15,000 descendants in ONE year.
• Mice can leap 12 inches vertically and jump down from 12 feet without injury.
  (so jump on a very high chair and scream when you see a little critter...)
• A mouse can squeeze into a space the size of a number 2 pencil.
• They are smarter than you are. Face it.

So...

• Seal all potential openings to your home. Some of these are hidden behind your stove, a favorite mouse hangout. You'll need to pull the stove out to see.
• Keep your house CLEAN.
• Put pet food into tight bins - and don't leave any in the bowl. Mice think they're entitled to equal access.

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Ants in your pants or your kitchen? (From The Primer, Spring 2000)

• Put whole cloves where you don't want the ants to go. OR
• Draw chalk lines on the floor or wherever you don't want ants to go. They are said never to cross a chalk line. OR
• Try a product such as Terro to kill ants. You put a drop or two on a piece of cardboard in the ant's path. Call Senoret Chemical Co. (314-966-2394) for a local dealer.

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