Watching a wildlife programme featuring cute little mice twitching their noses and scurrying around in the undergrowth is quite beguiling. There is no escaping the fact that they do look cute and the last thing anyone would want to do is destroy them. People who have never experienced mice in their home can continue quite happily with this point of view, but anyone who has ever been infested with mice might take an alternative viewpoint.
Why Have Mice Invaded My Home?
Just like any other creature, mice can have a particularly hard time out there in the open. Not only is food difficult to come by and the predator danger ever-present, it can also get very cold and wet in the winter. If your home is accessible to them and they can find a constant supply of food and take shelter from the elements, they are certain to find it a very tempting proposition.
The Tell Tale Signs of Mice
The first indication that you have mice in your house might well be some little scratching noises coming from behind your skirting boards or the sound of scurrying from behind your kitchen cabinets. If you suspect that you have mice you should also look out for :-
- Bite marks in anything from electrical cables to food packaging
- Droppings that look like small raisins. Look under kitchen cupboards, near indoor waste bins and even inside the fridge. (Mice can fit through unbelievably tight spaces in the back of the fridge so a closed fridge door is no deterrent)
- Strong musty urine smells that are very unpleasant
- Nests – particularly in places like behind the fridge where they take advantage of expelled heat and a constant food supply
How Do I get Rid of Them?
Ridding yourself of a plague of mice can be quite a daunting task as well as a long and involved process. You may want to call in a professional but if you decide to take it on yourself this is what you need to do.
The first thing to do is inspect the outside of your house to see if you can locate any visible points of entry. If you find holes then they need to be blocked up, rendered over and made inaccessible to mice. Again, bear in mind that mice can get through the tiniest of spaces. Once you have done this you can use electronic repellers to deter them further but this will not deal with those already in residence
Once you have all the holes blocked, the mice inside your house can’t get out either. You can then concentrate on locating them and eradicating the problem. You can start by depriving them of a food supply by making sure that you clean under all of your cupboards, around your bins and anywhere else where they might be getting food scraps from.
Next you’ll need to set some mousetraps with something sweet and tempting to them (chocolate or cheese perhaps!) There are humane mouse traps that will keep mice alive for releasing back outside once trapped, but for a permanent solution you will need some form of poison. Look in your local DIY store or garden centre for products and always read carefully and follow the instructions.
There are also many reasons that you might want to call a professional. Perhaps the infestation is too severe for you to deal with, the mice are inaccessible, or you have young children and pets that you want to make sure aren’t exposed to poisons.
Sites like WhyNotCompare allow you to advertise your requirements for free and then choose from pre-approved and suitably qualified pest control experts in your local area who apply to undertake the job. This is a very convenient way of finding the perfect person or company to take care of your pest control problem.