If you’re having a problem with mice in your home in the dead of winter, it’s pretty certain that they are living and breeding within your walls. But how did they get there in the first place? Winter mouse problems usually start with mice that move indoors in the fall to escape the coming winter conditions outside.

HOW DO MICE GET IN?

Every home has openings to the outside and it doesn’t take much of a gap for a mouse to squeeze through. Probably the most common entrance point is through gaps around doors, especially the garage door. Garage doors rarely seal tightly at the bottom and sides, especially at the bottom corners (see Maintain Your Garage Door to Keep Mice Out). There are often gaps around lower level windows or doors especially when door thresholds or sweeps are missing.

Mice chewed through foam to reenter the home at the AC lines penetration. Z. Ciras

Mice also enter through damaged or foundation crawlspace vents, around openings left where utility or cable lines enter near the foundation, and through any other gap they can find. Our mouse exclusion methods, also known as “mouse-proofing,” can eliminate all of these entrance points.

WHAT IS MOUSE EXCLUSION?

Mouse exclusion is simply sealing all of the entry points on your house that mice can use to get inside. Examples of mouse exclusion jobs are repairing or replacing screens, screening attic and foundation vents, caulking cracks and other openings around foundations, adding thresholds, sweeps, and weather-stripping to doors, caulking around conduit and plumbing entry points, and so on (see Mouse-Proofing Your Home – Advice From the Pros).

FACE IT! YOU NEED AN EXPERT!

If you have mice, you can benefit from mouse exclusion work. The older your home, the more openings it is likely to have. Since mice are tiny and openings are usually plentiful, mouse exclusion can be a time-consuming job requiring a range of materials. But you don’t have to do the job yourself, contact a pest control professional.

Chewed acorns and insulation plus dark rub marks are signs of a mouse entry point. Z. Ciras

At Colonial Pest we specialize in pest exclusion jobs. Our technicians know where to look for mouse entrance points. We use high-quality materials and our work is guaranteed. Plus, once your home is sealed against mouse invasion, it will make it easier for us to eliminate any mice already living inside to provide you with a permanent solution. Call Colonial today and ask about our mouse exclusion work!

For more on mouse exclusion:

• Can Rodent-Proofing Work?
• It’s Time to Look for Mouse Entry Points Around Your Home