Do you know that you can end your ‘mice problem’ once and for all and even enjoy a blissful summer without worrying about mice?
Living with mice or any other rodent is a menace. Besides constituting a nuisance in your house and triggering allergies, mice carry several diseases that can spread to humans.
You can get a nasty disease by coming into contact with mice’s feces. As if that wasn’t enough reason to detest these rodents, the mouse’s urine gives a terrible smell in the house.
Let’s discuss why mice infestations increase during summer.
The reason why mice infestations are worse in summer
While you may be aware that mice seek refuge from the harsh cold during winter, you should also know that you will likely find them in your house during summer.
Mice invasion is on the rise during summer for a couple of reasons. Here are some of the reasons you may see these pests in the coming summer;
Food and water supply
Being voracious eaters (i.e., they’d eat just any food item they can find), mice need stable food and water sources to survive.
And since the chances of getting water decreases during summer (when it’s considerably hot), the rats will readily invade your house to access food and water.
Refuge from excessive heat
In addition, since your house is relatively cooler inside, where’s the better place for mice to escape the heat during summer than your home?
Another reason you may suddenly begin seeing a mouse in every corner of your house during summer is breeding.
Generally, other rodents tend to breed in the summer – provided there are food supplies and water. So, mice will likely make a nesting place out of your attic or basement or crawl space if it promises abundant food and water.
Now that you know why mice infestation increases during summer, we may as well consider other factors generally causing mice invasion.
Poor hygiene/sanitation
Failure to maintain a clean environment will make the house untidy and provide a food source for mice. For example, the strewn garbage all over your house (especially in the kitchen) is enough to have attracted mice.
And since mice have a keen sense of smell, they are attracted by the smell of the food items.
Likewise, an overgrown garden can attract mice if garbage is scattered around the garden. Finally, any water source outdoors/indoors also attracts mice.
Easy access into the house
When mice find easy entry points into your house, they will not hesitate to invade – even if it is clean. Some of the potential mouse entry points include broken foundations, cracked walls, or any opening at all.
Moreover, the presence of some natural mouse predators may also force them to seek refuge in your house.
Finally, mice will likely invade your house, searching for a suitable breeding ground/nest. So, if the conditions in your attic, basement, or crawl space have all that mice need for a nest, they would begin establishing their nest immediately.
What are the signs of a mice infestation?
Since you now know why mice may invade your home, it is essential that you also know signs/pointers that indicate that you have a mice infestation problem.
So, how do you know you have a mice problem? Here’s how;
Mice droppings
Immediately you begin to find mice droppings around your house, you should take action against them. Mice droppings resemble rice grains except that they are dark brown and much smaller (around 3 – 6 mm).
You should carefully dispose of the droppings as they may carry bacteria/diseases.
Gnaw marks
Mice are destructive creatures; such pests can chew through wood or pipes to make holes for themselves. Therefore, whenever you see gnaw marks around in the house, you may have a mouse problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
Scratching sounds
You are likely to hear scratching sounds from mice in your walls, attics, basement, and crawl spaces if they’ve already entered your house and are trying to move from one place to another.
And since mice are nocturnal creatures (i.e., more active at night), you should listen to pick up their scratching sounds at night. It may even help you locate their nests, bringing us to our next point.
Nests
If you happen to stumble upon a mouse nest after following up on the mice’s scratching sound, you can be sure you have a mouse problem!
Strong stench
The odor from mice urine is terrible! So, if you notice a pungent ammonia-like smell around your house, and you know it’s not one of your pets urinating all over the house, it may be a sign that you have mice living with you in that building.
How do you get rid of mice in the house?
Now comes the big question, “how do I get rid of mice in the house?” Here are some effective methods that you can use to make mice leave your home;
Snap traps
If you know the right mouse bait and the best place to put them, spring traps can effectively remove mice in the home.
Some good bait choices are chocolate, pet food, peanut butter, etc. In addition to using the right baits, it is best to use just enough to attract the mice and not excess.
Excess bait allows the mice to take the bait without getting trapped.
Glue trays
I dislike using glue traps, but they are still an option.
Live traps
Alternatively, you can use live traps to get rid of mice. Live trap’s advantage over other methods is that you can reuse the trap to catch as many mice as possible.
However, keep your pets away from the live traps if you have pets. The traps are meant for intruders, not your pets.
Cats and dogs
Another method you can use to control mice problems is keeping pets like cats and dogs. It is common knowledge that cats and mice are enemies. So, you’d be doing yourself a favor by getting a cat this summer.
Dogs can also help control mice infestation because of their keen sense of smell and territorial nature.
Five tips on preventing mice/rodent infestations.
Beyond getting rid of mice from the house, it is essential to take measures to ensure they do not come visiting next summer or winter.
To do this, you need to make your environment unlivable for rodents. Take the following steps to prevent future rodent infestation;
Trim overgrown vegetation
To ensure the mice don’t appear in your surroundings again, you should endeavor to prune your garden often.
Also, it is best to rake dry leaves often, so there is no hiding place for them.
Make necessary repairs in the house.
You should seal every entry point or potential entry point – from cracked walls to broken foundations to broken roofs and ventilation ducts.
Keep storage spaces tidy.
Mice thrive when there are clutters everywhere. Thus, it would help if you kept storage spaces as tidy as possible so that mice would be less interested in nesting there.
Keep trash bins distant from the house.
The food scraps in garbage bins/trash cans attract house mice. Hence, keeping your trash cans as far from the house as possible would be best. Also, seal the bins well so that mice cannot access them.
Dispose of trash properly and regularly.
Disposing of trash properly and maintaining good sanitation will go a long way in preventing future mice infestation.
Conclusion
Now you know why mice come into the house in the summer; you are now fully equipped to fight your mice problem during summer. So go ahead and bid those rodents goodbye.
Good luck!
