Eco-Friendly Home Protection For House Mice In Durham

Where Do Mice Like To Hide Inside Homes?

Mouse noises are often the first way Durham residents realize they have a mouse problem. But mice don't always make noises. In fact, most of the time they don't make any detectable noises.

That means you will need to look for evidence of mouse activity in your home if you want to get an understanding of how big your infestation may be, and where it is generally located.

• Mice hide as close to food as possible. Inspect your kitchen and pantry for mouse droppings or the scent of urine.
• Mice like attics because they're mostly undisturbed. Look for nests and droppings in attic spaces.
• Mice like tight spaces. Move appliances and look for droppings behind them.
• Mice move along walls. Look for grease marks on baseboards.

When you find signs of mice in these or other places, you have an idea of where mice are moving about. The next step is to use pest maintenance to get rid of mice naturally. A popular way to do this is to use traps, but before you go out and buy a bunch of traps, there are a few things you should know.

These Traps Aren't Working!

Do traps work to catch mice? Yes. They can be the fastest way to get rid of mice, and they're all-natural. Unfortunately, they don't always work. Mice are smart animals. Here are a few ways mice may outsmart you:

• Mice are curious animals, so they're likely to take an interest in your traps. If they detect a trap that seems suspicious, they may learn to avoid the traps you set down. One example of how this might happen is that you touch your traps with your hands and leave your scent on them.
• Mice eat 20 times a day if they can. But there are some foods that are not a preference for them. Cheese is one of them. If you use cheese on a spring trap, you may not get any bites. It is best to use peanut butter or mushy rice. Nuts and grains are far more interesting to mice than cheese.
• If you place your traps in the wrong places, mice won't be able to easily find them. Mice tend to stay near walls. A trap in the middle of an attic won't have much impact.
• Mice are fast. They can often eat the food off a trap and avoid the spring-loaded arm when it triggers. This is why you'll find traps sprung and no mouse in sight.

Traps can be effective at catching mice, but there are many ways traps can fail. This isn't the worst part. When traps fail, you're not likely to know it. Mice can continue to move about in your home, impact your health, and damage your property. The best solution is to use natural mouse control and prevention methods to drive mice out of your home and keep them out.

Natural Prevention Tips For House Mice In Durham

If you currently have an infestation, you can follow these steps to drive mice out and keep them out of your home:

1. Deep clean. Mice eat food particles in all the nooks and crannies of your home.
2. Contain food. Make sure no food is left out for mice to eat, including dirty dishes with food matter on them.
3. Protect food. Consider storing food products in sealed containers, particularly if they come in cardboard or paper packaging.
4. Address plumbing issues. Droplets of water from a leaking faucet are enough water for a tiny mouse.
5. Clear away any organic debris next to your home. Mice hide in this.
6. Address moisture around your home. One way to do this is to clean your gutters.
7. Remove food sources, such as bird feeders and open trash receptacles.
8. Seal your exterior. This is the last step because you want to try and get the mice out and away from your home naturally before you seal your exterior.

Once this is done, you may be done. No more mice spreading germs. No more mice damaging stored items. No more mice chewing wires.