Let's say you are driving down a road looking for a place to stay, and you come upon a hotel that has bars on the windows and a big padlock on the office door. Maybe there are orange cones blocking the entrance. Now let's say that right next door is another hotel. This one has no orange cones, no bars, and no padlocks. In fact, this one has the front door wide open and a friendly sign that says, "Come on in! We'll be happy to help you!" Which hotel are you going to choose? Yup, you guessed it, the one that looks inviting. Well, when mice are looking at homes, they are looking for the same kind of warm welcome. But having mice invade your home is not a healthy thing, so we are going to look at how to make your home un-welcoming to mice.
In fall, animals that have been content to live outdoors begin looking for a safe, sheltered place to spend the winter. With mice, this safe, sheltered (warm) place may be your home, if it is welcoming enough. Some of the things that mice will find welcoming include:
- A yard that is cluttered. Mice love to hide, and a yard that has a lot of clutter will provide mice with plenty of hiding places as they make their way to your home.
- Plenty of bushes and vegetation to hide behind next to a house. Again, mice love hiding places and a home that has vegetation that grows close to the home will allow mice to hide close to a foundation.
- A foundation that has holes in it where mice can squeeze through. It only takes a hole the size of a dime for a tiny mouse to squeeze through. And, once a few mice get inside, they will start to multiply inside, and soon you may have whole families of mice invading your attic, kitchen, and wall voids.
- Screens that have rips or holes. Again, it doesn't take much of a hole for a mouse to squeeze through, especially if the screen with the hole is at ground level.
- Food that is left outdoors. Mice will be drawn closer to your home if you leave barbeque scraps on the ground, pet food on the front steps, open garbage cans, or any other food sources in the open.
- Water sources. If you have leaky spigots, or other sources of water outside your home, mice and other pests will be drawn in close to your home.
- Water and food sources available inside your home. If you have lots of spills and food crumbs, or food that is not in tightly sealed plastic containers, mice will love you for it, if they can get in.
If you want to make your home un-welcoming to mice, declutter your yard, trim back vegetation from your exterior walls and foundation, seal up holes in your home, replace or repair broken screens, don't leave food outside and don't provide food and water sources inside either.
If you need assistance with any of these things, or you are dealing with an active mouse infestation, reach out to Parkway Pest Services and ask about Parkway PestGuard. Parkway PestGuard covers over 30 pests (including mice), offers 4 annual visits, pest identification, interior, and exterior service, and unlimited service calls. You don't have to worry about mice this fall and winter season. Get help from Parkway today.