Mice are extremely common pests. These are small, omnivorous rodents that have no trouble sneaking into homes when the weather changes outside. They’re also problematic because they carry disease, and they will dirty the home with feces.
If you’re worried about mice, look for the following signs. If you find any, contact Mouse Control in Brampton or another exterminator near you.
1. Droppings
Mice leave droppings behind them, everywhere they go. Their droppings are very small and dark, like black grains of rice. Finding little mouse droppings in the cupboards, or along the walls of the home is a telltale sign of an infestation.
If you find these, spray them with disinfectant before cleaning them up. Mouse droppings contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can become airborne. Spray them, then give the disinfectant a few minutes to work. Wipe the droppings up and throw them out immediately.
2. Grease Marks
Mice are nearly blind, so they use the same routes every time they go foraging around the house. This repeated activity leaves grease marks along the walls and around the entry points they use to go in and out of their hiding spots. Check your cupboards, baseboards, and the bottoms of your doors for grease.
3. Chew Marks
As rodents, mice have strong teeth that never stop growing. Mice are always chewing on things to file them down. If you find a package of food, electrical cable, or other part of the home that has chew marks on it, you may be living with mice. Finding a hole in a box of cereal is a sure sign of a rodent problem.
4. Foul Odour
Mice use the scent of their urine to mark their territory and follow paths. The odour smells of ammonia and stale urine. If there are mice in your home, you may notice the smell along the baseboards of the home and in infested areas, such as kitchen drawers and cabinets.
5. Scratching Sounds
Mice are up at night. Hearing quiet little scratching and squeaking sounds in the walls at night usually points to a mouse problem. Mice like to nest between walls and chew on their structure, making scratching sounds.
How to Get Rid of Mice
So, how do you get rid of mice if you see the signs? The best solution is to do everything listed below. Mice are very small, and they need very little to survive, so getting rid of them can be difficult. Get the help of a professional, eliminate their sources of food, and trap them inside the house to get rid of them.
Hire an Exterminator
You should hire an exterminator when getting rid of mice because exterminators use rodenticides that work better than anything available in stores. A professional can tell you where the mice are coming from, then place bait stations in the most strategic locations possible. These bait stations are little plastic containers with entry points large enough for mice to enter. The bait inside is specially formulated to appeal to mice, and it works very effectively. Mice that have consumed bait go back into their nests to perish.
Eliminate Food Sources
It is important that you get rid of other food sources when exterminating mice because it will encourage the pests to feed on rodenticide. Organize your pantry and store food in glass jars or thick plastic containers. Clean out your cabinets so there are no crumbs available. Vacuum underneath your large appliances and keep surfaces clean. Make sure the sink is always clean before nightfall.
Seal Entry Points
Stop mice from coming and going into the home by sealing entry points. These include any gap of 6mm or more. Put weatherstripping on the bottoms of your doors to the outside and make sure your windows have no holes in their screens. Seal cracks in the window frames, door frames, or vinyl siding with silicone caulking. Cover wall vents and weep vents with mesh. The sturdier the mesh, the better.
Get Rid of Hiding Spots
Inside, reduce clutter in the kitchen, garage, and basement. The more open and tidy the space is, the scarier it is to mice. Mice like to hide from their predators and nest where they cannot be seen. Seal any gaps you find along the baseboards or between any cabinets and seal them shut. Check behind your appliances and anywhere there could be a gap.
Then, do the same thing outside. Mice come to yards where they can hide. Get rid of any scrap or foliage that is lying around and move objects away from the walls of the home. Move firewood away into a separate shed or other area away from the house.
