How to Keep Mice out of Your Home This Winter in Alberta

As temperatures drop in the evenings and crisp mornings start to set in, mice are looking for a safe haven to ride out the harsh winter. While these household pests may be small in size, they can make up for it by causing major damage in your home. They’ve been known to also carry dangerous diseases and can contaminate your food. Here at Major Pest Control, we have several years of experience dealing with mice infestations in the province of Alberta. Please continue reading as we discuss the common signs of a mice infestation, and the best ways to keep them out
of your home this winter.

Common Signs of Mice Activity

Some people will think that if they had a mouse infestation, they would know it
already; unfortunately this isn’t always true. Mice are crafty vermin and often skulk
throughout your home during the daytime; particularly most active at night when it’s
quieter. There’s a chance you could have an infestation and not even realize it. The
first step to controlling the issue is to properly diagnose it. The most common signs
of a mouse problem include:

● Audio clues: Scratching or scampering through the walls, floors and
ceiling areas can mean there are mice within the home.
● Evidence of scat: Visible feces or a heavy ammonia scent from urine.
● Shredded paper and insulation: Offices, pantry, utility, basement
ceilings and areas of clutter are prone to have this kind of activity.
● Physical damage: Mice often gnaw on hard surfaces like baseboards,
ceiling tiles and anything else to expand crevices.
● Damage to electrical wiring: The longer a mouse presence is within the
home the higher chance of electrical damage that can lead to a fire.

Common Ways Mice Enter the Home

Being thorough when reducing or eliminating the entry points in the home is crucial.
Mice are excellent climbers, agile and are very sneaky when it comes to penetrating
the home. They can jump 12” in the air, have been known to climb two dozen feet
vertically and can fit through crevices as small as a dime! Below are few areas to
keep an eye on and seal if you notice any openings:

● Corners and other crevices where the siding meets the foundation.
● Crevices around windows, especially basement windows.
● Holes or gaps in foundation
● Garages attached to the house; typically the door not sealing completely.
(Any light gaps means mice can enter!)
● Open chimneys and other areas that heat can escape. This is more of a
risk area when it’s colder outside as mice will become more desperate.
● Any and all utility lines, fans and exhausts entering/exiting the home.

Taking the time to check and seal these areas either by yourself or professionally is
very important to help severely reduce the likelihood of mice gaining entry into your
home.

The Consequences of Mice in Your Home

Most people would agree that mice are undesirable to have inside the home; unfortunately and sometimes commonly, knowing what exactly makes them dangerous goes without a second thought. Not only can mice cause physical damage to your investment by chewing, gnawing parts of the home, some species (ie, Deer mice) have been known to spread disease (ie. Hantavirus) through their scat. Mice are drawn to heat escaping the home and food sources, open or packaged dried goods like pasta, cookies, pet food, flour, etc are highly desirable for mice . Once inside the home, they will try their best to get into any accessible food source, potentially spreading germs and disease as it travels.

Some ways to protect your dried and packaged goods is to have them in sealed
containers, thicker plastic or glass containers work best. Leaving open or packaged
goods up high in the pantry or another cupboard doesn’t always mean they’ll be safe
from mice.

How to Prevent Mice

Prevention techniques are understandably important and sometimes can be
overwhelming to some who just aren’t sure where to start or how to do it. When it
comes to a pest infestation of any kind, this is especially true. The best way to avoid
the headache of a mouse infestation is to prevent them from getting inside your
home to begin with.

Here are a several tips to prevent mice this winter:

● Seal cracks and crevices around your home as mentioned above to
severely reduce the chance or stop entry all together.
● Remove any piles of leaves, stacks of wood or mulch around the
perimeter of your home. Further away from the foundation the better.
● Be sure to keep all food in containers with tight lids as mentioned above.
● Do your best to avoid clutter and food debris around the perimeter of the
home as well as indoors.
● Keep outdoor bird feeders away from your home. Closer to the fenceline
the better or at least 30’ away from the home. Dropped feed or feeders
close to the home will greatly attract mice to the area.
● In the unfortunate event mice gain access to the home, besides safe food
storage, make sure all pet food is stored well ontop of cleaning up all pet
food debris if not being currently eaten. Pet food is highly nutritious and
desirable for mice

If you suspect a mouse infestation, you can utilize baits and traps from local stores to
capture and control the mice. Be prepared for activity to continue for some time as
these are at the end of the day, wildlife and have a mind of their own. If the activity is
overwhelming your best bet is to let a professional handle it. Mice can be destructive
and are very unsanitary thus protecting your, your families and pets health and well
being should be top priority.

Always Act Quickly

If you spot evidence of mice or other rodents (such as droppings, chewed food,
baseboards and furniture, etc), do not hesitate to call a professional right away to
control the issue. Mice reproduce quickly, usually having litters between 5-12
averaging 10 babies within a few weeks. Finding one or two mice, small amounts of
droppings can turn into an overwhelming problem rapidly if the problem isn’t treated
quickly.

Mouse control isn’t normally a difficult task when you follow these simple tips and
tricks. Mice are persistent, but when you understand their weaknesses and
movement, you can get the upper hand. Here at Major Pest Control, we have the
best certified technicians available with years of related experience ready to help
anytime. We’re always just a phone call away, 24/7 when you need us.