It’s hard not to love autumn in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. With leaves changing colors, football season in full gear, apple and pumpkin picking, and the cool breezes making it perfect for a bonfire, fall is a favorite season for many people. This is the time of the year where people start to make preparations around their homes and businesses for the brisk weather and winter season to come. Much like us, mice seem to love the fall and are also prepping for the cold weather ahead, often leading them right into our homes and businesses. If you haven’t had a mice infestation in the autumn before, you likely know someone who has. It’s really not a question of if mice are common home invaders in the fall, but more of how can you keep them out of your home or business this fall and winter.
Why Are Mice Common Home Invaders in the Fall?
When the days get colder and shorter, mice and other rodents start to prepare for the weather and seek shelter inside Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan homes and businesses. These rodents don’t hibernate like other animals, so when the outside gets less than desirable, they, like us, look for a cozy place to go. Homes and businesses can make the ideal place for these pesky rodents to spend the chilly season.
Mice are extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure changes and as soon as the seasons begin to change, mice can sense it. When mice sense fall and winter coming, to survive, they have to find a place to keep warm, often times that may lead to them taking up residence in your home to ride out the entire fall and winter.
During the fall, you may notice mice more and more, that’s because they are desperately trying to outrun winter. They need to sneak their way into warm, hidden places where they won’t freeze. Their quest to keep warm keeps them active longer, later, and in places where you don’t normally see them.
How can you Keep Mice from Invading Your Home This Fall?
During the fall and winter, mice seek indoors to find shelter, food, and warmth. It’s that simple. When you are preparing your home for the winter season to come, that should also include mouse proofing it and trying to keep these rodents out. Below are some tips.
- Seal Cracks and Holes: Mice can fit through a crack or hole one-fourth of an inch or larger (about the width of a pencil and/or pen), because of this, it is important to check around your home or business for even the smallest of crevices that are open to the outdoors. Check for holes in window and door screens, gaps around windows and doors, cracks around your foundation, vent seals, and where phone, cable, gas, and electric lines enter into your home or business.
- Remove Food Sources: Ensure that all food around your home or business is in sealed containers and not easy for these rodents to get to. This includes pet food. As we have reviewed before, mice are common pantry pests, so you should inspect food bags and boxes for rips and tears before you store them in your cabinets. Never leave food out, not even in the trash, and be sure to clean up counters and vacuum or mop up any crumbs, spills and residue.
- Keep it Clean and Tidy: Mice love clutter and use it to create their nests. Don’t welcome them into your home or business by giving them a place to build a home of their own. Keep clutter at a minimum and properly store old clothing, bedding, magazines, boxes, etc. Providing these rodents with materials to create their nests, will only make them feel more invited.
- Clean Up Outdoors: The exterior of your home or business can also welcome these little rodents in. Things like tree limbs that lead to your windows or roof, vines, wood piles near the exterior, and overgrown grass and shrubs can be welcome mats for mice to come inside. Trim foliage near your home or business, as fall sets in, and look for any items close to the structure that could give the rodents an easy entry point.
Mice are common home invaders in the fall, actually usually more than any other season of the year.
At Delving Pest Control we know that a rodent infestation can be a major nuisance and it can take several treatments for rodent remediation. Delving will come out and inspect your structure to identify the level of infestation and recommend corrective action plans to eradicate your rodent problem fast. Trust Delving Pest Control to eliminate your unwanted rodents discreetly.
