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Unfortunately, many homeowners have had to deal with the discomfort of seeing a rodent scurry across their floors. As winter sets in, chances of a rodent sighting in your home will rise as rodents attempt to find their way indoors to escape the cold. Being that mice can be destructive and can also spread disease, it’s important to learn identification facts to safeguard your home. Mice are nocturnal creatures; therefore you may need to search for signs to confirm their presence in your home or business.
Identify Droppings– Typically droppings are the most obvious sign of a mouse infestation. Droppings tend to be tiny (about ¼ inch), black and numerous. You may find waste matter around nesting sites, on shelving, floors or counters. If you’re looking for additional waste clues, mouse urine will show up under ultraviolet light.
Recognize Routes– Mice tend to use the same routes and travel against walls when navigating; this leaves dirty grease smudges on walls, floors and baseboards. You may also notice urine spots on those same routes.
Sense a Scent-Open a cupboard and get a whiff of a distinctive smell? A strong ammonia odor (the scent of urine) may be obvious, especially in enclosed areas. Mice mark their territory and also mark their regularly used paths.
Locate Damage-Mice have teeth that continuously grow and so they like to gnaw to keep their teeth shorter. Gnaw marks and holes can be found on plastic and wood and most dangerously, on electrical wires which can be a fire hazard.
Food storage sites can also be areas in which to see gnaw marks. Mice will chew up boxes and contaminate stored food items.
Noticing Nests– Mice shred paper and other soft materials for nesting sites. Good hiding places for nests include: cabinets, in dishwashers, behind refrigerators, ceilings, wall voids and other storage areas. Usually young mice will be present within the nesting site.
Hearing Sounds-Noticing any scratching sounds? Listen for scurrying noises in walls and ceilings, especially at night when mice are most active.
Lastly, you may spot live or dead mice around your home. If you’re seeing live mice during the daytime, this can be an indication of a large infestation.
There are ways you can prevent an infestation in your home by:
- Eliminating moisture sites within the home and keeping basements, attics and crawl spaces ventilated and dry
- Replacing weather stripping around windows and repairing damaged screens
- Sealing cracks and any open holes on the exterior of your home with caulk and or steel wool
- Installing door sweeps on exterior doors
- Storing firewood at least 20 feet from your home
- Storing food items in sealed containers and disposing of garbage regularly
If you’re in need of professional assistance with a pest issue, Give us a call at our Muskego office at 262-679-4422, our Oshkosh office at 920-385-0412 and in Oconomowoc at 262-354-3444 or toll free at 800-956-0800.
Visit our website at www.safewaypest.net
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