Are you a sucker for good smells? Can you be drawn down three flights of stairs by the scent of apple pie or fresh brownies? Is your favorite part about cooking delicious food the smell it gives off? Good smells really are something special, especially to pests like mice. Not only do these small rodents love good smells but they are regularly drawn by them to get into places where they do not belong, such as our homes. To help you understand mice and how they invade homes here in Omaha, NE here are some things to consider.
What Makes Mice Great Pests?
Mice make good pets but they make better pests. There are a few reasons for this. To start, mice are dexterous. Since they are able to run at eight miles an hour, jump more than a foot into the air, and climb up difficult inclines, mice are practically built to invade homes. Where their dexterity fails them, mice utilize their sharp front incisor teeth to chew through materials like wood, plastic, vinyl siding, and aluminum sheeting. To top everything else off, mice are intelligent. This is seen in their ability to problem-solve and how they have an innate sense of danger and know how to avoid it. In some cases, mouse invaders learn that snap traps are dangerous so they find creative ways to set them off in order to avoid injury but still gain access to the bait.
Some Ways Mice Get Into Homes
Your home protects you from human invaders with its doors and windows, and the locks on them. But it may not be so good at keeping out rodents. If you did not already know, mice are small. The largest house mice only grow to be eight inches in total length, from the tip of their nose to the end of their relatively long tail. This small size enables these pests to squeeze through gaps and cracks as narrow as a nickel. If your home’s exterior is damaged or worn from years of natural deterioration, these pests will have options to squeeze their way indoors. If a hole is too small, mice have been known to chew on them to make them larger.
What Draws In Mice?
There are two things that attract mice faster than anything else: the smell of food and a breeze of cold or warm air on a hot or freezing day. Mice notice these things while crawling along the exterior of buildings and are drawn by them to find ways to invade. One thing we are regularly asked is: “What attracts mice to properties?” We have found that fallen fruit, nuts, berries, and other left-out snacks are the strongest attractants to mice. Harborage opportunities such as clutter, organic debris, and toys are also alluring to these problematic pests.
Some Prevention Tips To Keep Mice Out
Now that you know what attracts mice to properties and into homes, you need some ways to keep these pests away. Here are some quick places to start.
- Address moisture problems around your property and inside your home.
- Seal gaps and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation.
- Address other entry points around your home’s exterior.
- Keep your home and yard clean.
- Reduce the clutter in and around your home.
- Clean out your pet's food and water bowls before going to bed each night.
- Keep food off countertops and store leftovers inside airtight containers.
For more help keeping mice out of your home or to have a current infestation of these pests removed from your living areas, call the experts at Beeline Pest Control. We will send one of our highly trained technicians your way with a guaranteed solution to solve your property's rodent problems.