Mice can get into your house by squeezing through tiny cracks and gaps in the wall, foundation, floor, and ceiling. Such openings allow mice to find food, water, and shelter in your house. Once they have established themselves in your home’s walls, they start to multiply. Recognizing a mouse issue, the damage they cause, and how to eliminate them in walls are important components of pest control. A Seattle exterminator will help you get rid of all the mice in your house and prevent them from coming back.
What Invites Mice to Your House
Mice are drawn to your home due to the presence of food and shelter. When it gets cold outside, they are attracted to the warmth and food that your house can offer them. These rodents are not picky eaters. They will consume anything they can have access to in your pantry or kitchen including leftover crumbs and insects. Also, they chew up cardboard boxes, insulation, and paper to be used as nesting materials. Other things that can attract these pests are clutter around your attic, basement, or garage. They will use piles of clutter as hiding spots and nesting sites.
Weeds, tall grasses, and bushes near your home’s foundation can also become hiding spots for mice. These rodents will also use them to access your house. Thus, you need to maintain the landscaping near your exterior walls and foundation, ensuring it is free of debris.
How to Know Mice Are Within Your Walls
Knowing what exactly to look for will help you identify the nesting sites of mice. Spotting more mice means a great chance of having an infestation that must be addressed by experts. Some signs to watch out for include the following:
- Sounds. When mice are within walls, they can make loud sounds, particularly during quiet times in your house. Sometimes, they can sound like bigger animals since the more rodents are present, the louder the sound.
- Droppings. Mice droppings are left behind wherever these pests travel while they forage for water or food. they look like small black pellets that have pointed ends.
- Holes. Mice tend to chew out tiny round holes and tunnels they can travel through. These holes allow them to get to their sources of food and other nests. They can also chew through cookie or cereal boxes.
- Food debris. If you find crumbs or debris near the kitchen cabinets or near nesting sites, this means that mice are getting into your food supplies and pet food.
- Shredded materials. Mice shred paper and fabric to make nests. Find shredded items in areas you don’t usually use to determine the presence of these rodents.
- Odors. Mice release a musky scent through their urine, which they leave behind when they move from one area in your house to another. This odor can have a stale ammonia smell if the infestation is big.
- Tracks. Mice that run around your home may leave runways or tracks that can be detected with a flashlight. Such tracks are composed of smudges, feces, urine stains, or footprints.
