How Do Mice Enter Homes And How To Get Rid Of Them?

Mice are one of the most commonly found pests in homes all over the UK. Even though they are more common in urban areas, it is not unusual to find them in more rural areas as well. One of the ways to keep your home safe from mice is to find out how they are entering the home in the first place. As the old saying goes- prevention is better than cure.

Typically, mice will enter the home by finding holes and cracks in the foundations of the building, floors and walls. Usually, homeowners are not able to identify these cracks and holes until they notice that their home has already been invaded by mice. Despite the fact that they are small, mice have a specific body shape and they are very flexible which means that they have the ability to go through small holes. So, many homeowners leave the holes they have noticed because they believe that mice can’t go through them. Unfortunately, they are wrong!

Another method that mice use to enter our homes is through gaps found in ceilings and windows and through sewer lines. If drainage pipes are not sealed in a proper way, mice can enter the home via bathtub drains and sinks. There are also many cases when mice use holes found in oven gas lines and plumbing to enter homes.

Although people report mice sightings throughout the year, it is usually the autumn months when temperatures go down when homeowners witness mice infestation. If a colony of mice gets inside a building and gets a warm and safe place and access to food, they will stay there during the cold months. Mice will proliferate very fast and it takes just a few months for a colony to spread to over 200 or more.

If you want to make sure that mice will stay away from your home, you must seal the holes and cracks that you find in your property. In addition, every window and door must be sealed effectively too.

Finding mice in your home can be a bit of a shock. It’s bad enough finding them in your shed or garage but once they enter the home it feels as though they’ve really crossed a line!The types of mice that enter houses are either house mice, wood mice or yellow-necked mice and you can usually tell that you’ve got a problem by the mess they leave behind such as gnawing and teeth marks, a nasty acetamide smell, greasy fur marks on your woodwork or droppings.The place you will usually find them is in wall spaces, roof spaces, cellars or cupboards and left to their own devices they can cause quite a bit of damage such as attacking your food cupboards, causing a fire hazard by chewing your electrical wires and generally damaging furnishings, insulation and woodwork.

So how do you get rid of them?

There are a few ways you can do for mice control such as:

Snap Traps – these are humane but a bit violent

Live Traps – these enable you to capture them and put them back into the wild. This sounds humane but it will probably lead to their death because they will be easy prey to predators.

Electromagnetic and Ultrasound Devices – these can drive mice out of the home if you use them effectively.

Anti-coagulant Poisons – these can cause an unpleasant death and may also endanger other wildlife if the mice get eaten before they die

The best thing to do if you have a mice problem is not trying to deal with the problem yourself but call in professionals like Pestbusters. We will always find the most humane way to get rid of the problem and advise you on how to avoid an infestation in the future.

Prevention is always better than cure so we would always advise you to repair holes in outside walls, broken air bricks, and any damaged floorboards or skirting boards you may have. Mice will see these as an invitation to come in so it’s always best to remove the opportunity.

If you are experiencing a mice infestation and need professional advice, please contact us now.