Rodent Control in the Merriman Valley

The Merriman Valley, or just the Valley if you live there, sits in north Akron along the Cuyahoga River. It was annexed from Northampton Township in the 1980s and lies right at the southern edge of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Sand Run Metro Park, Cascade Valley Metro Park and the Towpath Trail are all a few minutes away, and Merriman Road carries the restaurants, shops and the Weathervane Playhouse.

Housing is mostly detached homes, and many have wooded yards or back onto a ravine. The woods come right up to the back door, and so do the mice.

Woods mice from the park side

White-footed mice and deer mice live in the woods and old fields along the valley. In the fall they move into garages, sheds and basements, and unlike house mice they're perfectly happy in a cold outbuilding. They're a bit bigger, with large dark eyes and clean white bellies. You'll find them in stored boxes, the camper, the boat cover and the cabinets of a seasonal cabin. Garage and shed rodent work is a very common Valley call.

For the house, sealing the foundation and garage matters more here than almost anywhere in Akron, because the supply of mice next door never runs out. Rake leaves away from the foundation, keep firewood well off the house and don't leave birdseed spilled on the deck. Campers and seasonal cabins that sit closed all winter are often the worst hit, so check them before opening up in spring.

Rats near the river and along Merriman Road

Homes and businesses near the Cuyahoga and along Merriman Road see rats along the banks and around restaurant dumpsters. Rats dig easily in the soft soil near water, and the floodplain gives them plenty of cover. Rat control starts by finding those burrows and the food that's keeping them there.

Some Valley streets sit low near the river. After a heavy rain, rats whose burrows sit close to the water can push uphill toward sheds, garages and woodpiles, so a sudden run of sightings after a big storm isn't unusual.

Cuyahoga Falls is across the river to the east, and Cuyahoga Falls homes near the gorge see a lot of the same. Fairlawn Heights and the rest of West Akron sit up the hill to the south. The fall mouse guide is a good read for anyone with woods behind the house.

Back slopes, leaf piles and the Merriman Valley lower level

Head north out of the Valley on Akron-Peninsula Road, or west along Theiss and Hardy Roads, and the houses spread out quickly. Lots get deeper, the back of the yard drops off into trees, and Summit Metro Parks land often sits right past the property line. That slope is where a lot of Valley rodent trouble begins. Leaves blow down into it every fall and pile up against the low side of the house. On a walkout, that pile sits right against the door sill and the basement windows. Mice tunnel under the leaves and work at whatever gap they hit first.

Clear a strip about two feet wide along the downhill wall and keep it clear through November. Check the sweep on the walkout door and the weep holes along the bottom of any brick. Window wells on the slope fill with debris and turn into a ramp. If droppings are already showing up downstairs, basement rodent work is the place to start. The housing developments along Akron-Peninsula Road see the same woods-edge pressure, and garages there tend to fill with bikes, kayaks and camping gear that mice happily move into. For the gaps themselves, see how sealing a house against rodents usually goes.

Around Merriman Valley: Merriman Road · Sand Run Metro Park · Cascade Valley Metro Park · Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail · Cuyahoga River · Weathervane Playhouse (ZIP 44313)

Also serving Highland Square and West Akron, Firestone Park, Goodyear Heights, Kenmore, North Hill, Ellet, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Barberton.