Are Mice Making a Home in Your Walls?

Mice do not discriminate. They will enter any home, clean or not, spacious or small, suburbs or city. It really doesn't matter to them. They will find a nice quiet space and start setting up their nest without your approval. Often they seek out places like attics, basements, crawl space, and even the walls of your home.

Why Mice Enter a Home

You may be wondering what was it about your home that attracted the mice in the first place. Honestly, mice can enter any style of home as long as they have an entry point. That access location could be as small as a dime. A crack in the foundation, an opening in a window, and a space under a door are the top locations for entry.And mice are not picky. They don't care about the cleanliness of your home at all. They are seeking a warm place that has access to food and water. That's why it's no surprise that infestations tend to begin in fall and continue through the cold winter months.

Signs of Mice in the Walls

Homeowners should be aware of key red flags that could indicate that there are mice living under their roof.

• Dropping of mice. They are usually dark brown and about the size of a grain of rice.
• Holes in food bags or cereal boxes which indicate where the mice are trying to gain access to food.
• Nesting areas in quiet, dark areas usually consist of newspaper, insulation, or scraps of debris from around the house.
• A musty odor that does not go away.
• Grease marks along furnishings where the mice have rubbed against.
• Gnaw marks on furniture, kitchen cabinets, and doors.

The Danger of Mice Infestations

Most of us know that mice carry diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, Rat-bite fever, and Salmonellosis. But did you know that mice can also cause a fire risk to your home?Mice chew constantly. If they happen upon your electrical wiring while traveling in the walls and crawl spaces, they could inadvertently cause a fire to the structure of your home.

Preventing a Mouse Infestation

Given the innate dangers of mice gaining access to your home, you may want to take a few precautions to stop them from finding a way in to begin with.

• Seal entry points such as the foundation, windows, doors, utility openings, and basement doors.
• Properly store food in the kitchen in plastic containers and avoid leaks in faucets that could attract mice.
• Keep garbage covered.
• Rake leaves away from the foundation of your home and keep firewood a safe distance from the structure of your home as well.
• Clean surfaces and keep trash to a minimum.
• Declutter which can make it difficult for mice to hide.

Treatment for Mice

Pest-End Exterminators have several solutions for homes that find they are being inundated with mice. Call our specialists and set up an appointment for an evaluation.