The house mouse has been our unwanted companion for thousands of years. It has evolved to survive close to humans, and this evolutionary trait is particularly useful in temperate and colder climates, where you have winters. During winter, a house mouse is especially eager to enter the home, because besides food, it will also find warmth and shelter there. This means that a lot of the prevention measures that you may have in place will become useless, if you do not seal your home against mice. Here is how you can do just that.
Areas that usually have entry points which mice use to get into the home
There are several areas of the home that have convenient entry points for mice. These areas include corner posts, the foundation, an attached garage, cellar doors, gutters, downspouts, the chimney, and openings for utility lines and piping. These areas are prone to cracks and openings, or they may have doors and windows that do not close fully. In the case of chimneys, you even have a complete opening through which mice can use their amazing climbing ability to gain access.
Measures to help prevent entry into the home
To start, you want to block any cracks or holes in the exterior wall of the home. For this, you can use steel wool. Steel wool is a great material, because mice cannot chew through it. You can then spray peppermint oil around the home, which is a natural rodent repellent and which also smells very nice. However, you have to be careful if you have pets, because peppermint oil may cause respiratory problems in cats and dogs.
If you are dealing with larger holes, steel wool will not realy make the cut. In this situation, you may have to fill the holes using bricks. You should also thin out the vegetation outside the home, so that mice do not have an incentive to build nests in your yard. Going inside the home, you can caulk small holes in the interior walls. Food is another main draw, so make sure that you store all your food, including pet food, inside sealed containers.
However, mice are very crafty when it comes to getting inside the home, so you may still end up having an infestation, despite your best efforts. This is when it’s time to move to control measures. If you need some extra help with this, contact us today and we will set up an appointment.
