Get rid of ratsfor$2,000$65

Start with the droppings. Mouse droppings are about ¼ inch long; rat droppings are about ½ to ¾ inch. Where you find them helps too: mice and roof rats show up high, in attics and on top of cabinets, while Norway rats stay low, in basements and garages.

Set several snap traps along the walls where you find fresh droppings, seal gaps wider than about ¼ inch, and put food away. Check the traps daily and keep going until a week passes with no catches and no new signs.

Not for long, so they’re not worth the money on their own. University extension services report that rodents get used to repeated sounds quickly, and no repellent has been shown to clear an infestation. Sealing gaps and trapping are what work.

The usual causes are the wrong spot, the wrong size, too much bait, or a rat that’s wary of new objects. Move traps onto the route along the wall, use a pea-sized amount of bait, and for rats, leave traps baited but unset for a few nights first.

It carries real risks. Pets can be poisoned by eating the bait or a poisoned rodent, and a poisoned rodent can die inside a wall. Snap traps are the safer first choice at home.

The bump alone rarely tells you: even doctors find bites hard to diagnose, as the University of Kentucky points out. Look at the pattern, where on your body the bites are, and where you were the day before, then confirm by finding the pest.

Usually fruit flies around ripe fruit, fungus gnats from wet potting soil, or drain flies from slimy drains. Remove what they breed in first, then trap the adults that are left with a vinegar trap or yellow sticky cards.

They’re pantry moths, and the real problem is the caterpillars in your food. Find every infested package and throw it out in a sealed bag, freeze anything you suspect, clean the shelves, and keep dry food in containers with tight lids.

Give trapping a fair run first: the CDC says to keep traps baited for at least 15 days, checking the bait every week. Call a pro if rodents are somewhere you can’t reach or clear, you can’t find how they get in, or fresh signs continue after that.

For most rodent problems, yes. Price guides list $189–$655 for rats, but 53 quotes homeowners shared for jobs that include sealing had a $2,000 median, middle half $1,400–$3,000. Snap traps, copper mesh, gloves and bleach come to about $57–$87.