Have you seen a mouse around your home, or found one lurking in a secluded place inside your home? Did you get a good look at it? If it was dusty gray, light brown, or dark gray, it was probably a house mouse. These are common pests in Texas. Actually, they’re common pests throughout the world. They have more than earned the name “house” mouse. These tiny, unassuming rodents love living in houses. If you understand this, you have the first piece of the mouse control puzzle. Why? Because methods that attempt to convince mice that living with you isn’t all it’s cracked up to be are likely to fall short. We are talking about methods like laying moth balls down or spraying essential oils to drive mice out. These don’t work. Let’s put a few more pieces of the mouse control puzzle into place.

1. Mice Love Food More Than You Think

A mouse eats several times a day. If it goes for more than six hours without food, it can go into a state called torpor. This low-energy state is a little bit like hibernation. It allows mice to survive for longer periods without food, though that isn’t very long for a mouse. If you cause a mouse to enter torpor frequently, it might look for another place to live. Here are a few ways you might cause this to happen:

Put stored food products inside sturdy sealed containers. This keeps the scent trapped inside so mice can’t detect the food.
Clean food shelves and deep clean kitchen and pantry areas.
Don’t leave food out for pets overnight.
Keep floors clean.

Consider eating food only in your kitchen and dining room to avoid leaving morsels in your couch and other places where a mouse might look.

2. Mice Can Fit Through A Hole The Size Of A Dime

Another important piece in the mouse control puzzle is called exclusion. If you inspect your exterior and seal every hole that is the size of a dime or larger, you can prevent mice from getting into your home, and make it more difficult for mice that leave your home to change their mind and come back in. A few locations to pay particular attention to are:

The weatherstripping around exterior doors.
Door sweeps under exterior doors.
Frames around doors and windows.
Seals around water mains and wire conduits.
Damaged or missing vent covers.
Cracks in your foundation.
Damaged screens.
Rotting wood.

3. Mice Are Incredible Climbers

A mouse can scale the exterior of some homes like Spiderman. It can also climb up some downspouts and may be able to access your roofline this way. If you manage to get mice out, and seal them out, you’ll also need to take steps to prevent mice from getting onto your roof and exploiting vulnerabilities. There is a reason mice are often found living in attics. It is often the first place they get into.

Put wire mesh in your downspouts. This allows water to flow out and prevents mice from climbing up.
Trim branches away from your roofline to stop mice from jumping down onto your roof.
Remove exterior structures that can help mice scale your walls.

4. Mice Are Timid Creatures

When a mouse explores your property, it will go from one hiding place to another. A property that has lots of hiding places is more interesting and inviting to a little mouse. If you want to have fewer issues with mice, you need to consider what attracts mice to your property. This is a big one.

Remove objects away from your exterior walls, particularly wood piles, and other organic materials.
Remove clutter from your yard.
Thin out areas of your landscaping that are dense.

5. Mice Are Not Picky Eaters.

A mouse can find a meal in your garbage. And don’t think that just because your garbage bin is tall that a mouse can’t get inside. It is impressive how they can climb and jump their way into trash receptacles. Make sure your receptacles have a cover. It is also important to disinfect your trash receptacles if they start to get an odor. This can attract mice to your property and increase mouse activity. The more mice you have exploring your exterior, the more trouble you will have with mice on the inside.

6. Mice Eat Seeds And Nuts

If you have trees that produce nuts or you like to hang bird feeders on your property, both of these can invite mice.
Keep nuts cleaned up and put bagged nuts well away from your exterior.
If you have bird feeders, consider putting them 20 feet away from your exterior.

Rodent Control In Texas

When you take these steps, the results can be amazing. But if you don’t have the time or energy to deal with natural mouse management, reach out to us. Our technicians are trained and experienced with mouse control. We can help you get control of mouse problems in Texas through the use of traps and other tried-and-true methods. We’re always available to help.

Categories:

Rodent Control,
Rodent Prevention,
House Mice Control,
Mice

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