Mice season is still in full swing, as they attempt to stay warm during the coldest months of the year. Mice aren’t just annoying household pests, they can carry diseases and bacteria that can be dangerous to have in your home. Mouse removal can often be more challenging than just simply placing a couple traps in the basement and hoping it works. Due to mice’s ability to quickly reproduce, a mouse infestation can get pretty severe if left untreated for a while. Here’s some information about mice and ways they enter homes.
Reproduction
The fact is that if you’re seeing a few mice in a short period of time, then they’ve likely already begun reproducing in your home. The gestation period is about 19-21 days and mice breed all throughout the year. A typical litter will have between 3-14 young mice. The longer the mice have been in your home, the more they will have reproduced and more aggressive treatments may be required to exterminate them completely from your home.
How Mice Enter Your Home
Mice have the ability to enter your home through a hole as small as a pencil. Common entry points are anywhere there’s a breach in conduit – water, gas, etc. Other common areas include gaps/cracks in siding and foundation, through damaged weather stripping, garage doors, and even by running through the front/back door. The most crucial step in successful mouse control is identifying and closing off possible entry points. Homes shift and adjust as they age, and new entry points are created over time.
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Live/Dead Mice – The surest sign of mice in your home is catching mice or seeing live ones run across your floor.
“Droppings” – Droppings are the technical term for mouse poop. More droppings will be found closer to where the mice are entering the home. Common places to find droppings are in storage boxes, cabinets, and other areas that receive little foot traffic.
Tunneling – Mice often enter the home on the ground level, then travel up to higher levels through the insulation in the wall voids. This will leave evidence of tunnelling in the insulation, and is a strong indication that a mouse population is living within the walls.
Noises at Night – Mice are nocturnal, which is why people often miss their activity because they are sleeping while the mice are awake. While they’re traveling through the walls, you may hear scratching noises that could help you become aware of their presence.
While traps may work if you have one or two mice in your home, until the access points are closed off, mice will continue to enter the home in the fall/winter. The best method to protecting your home, year round is regular maintenance services that target interior mouse populations. Trained professionals understand mice patterns, and how to locate access points based off their behaviors. In addition to maintenance treatments, checking the home for access points and making repairs as needed will help to prevent mice in your home.
Prevent Mice with Quarterly Maintenance
While traps may work if you have one or two mice in your home, until the access points are closed off, mice will continue to enter the home in the fall/winter. The best method to protecting your home, year round is regular maintenance services that target interior mouse populations. Trained professionals understand mice patterns, and how to locate access points based off their behaviors. In addition to maintenance treatments, checking the home for access points and making repairs as needed will help to prevent mice in your home.
Give ProActive Pest Management a call and our friendly customer service team will get you a free quote, and schedule an inspection with a highly trained and knowledgeable service technician.
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