By DoMyOwn staff
Learn how to prevent and control mice with mouse exclusion, sanitation, and eliminating the existing population by baiting and trapping.
Hi I’m Elizabeth from DoMyOwn.com. Today, we’ll be talking about how to get rid of mice.
As temperatures cools down, mice are seeking warmth and nesting materials to take shelter. Mice are aggravating pests and can be difficult to get rid of. Not only are they a nuisance around the home and damage property, but they are also known to carry various diseases as well. Mice infestations can be eliminated by following three easy steps which we will go over today.
Step One: Exclusion
Mouse proof the building or structure to ensure a new mouse infestation does not occur.
Check the foundation and repair any cracks or holes or gaps that roughly the size of a dime or measure ¼ inch or larger, as mice only need the smallest opening to gain access inside the home. Any crack, gap or hole that is 1/4" or larger needs to be repaired. In holes that are 2" or smaller, copper mesh or other suitable should be used. In larger holes or gaps you may need to use sheet metal or hardware cloth with less than 1/4" mesh to repair the area.
Check weather seals around all doors and windows and make sure they are tightly sealed. Also check under rooflines, soffits, and gutters for signs of pest entry. Be sure to repair any observable damage. If gnawing damage is present on siding, doors, or under rooflines, using excluder traps, metal kick plates, and exclusion materials should be installed to prevent any additional gnawing.
Inspect utility entry points. Make sure any gap or hole larger than 1/4" around the wire, cable or pipe is sealed using copper mesh, caulk, hardware cloth and mortar, sheet metal, expandable foam, or other suitable material where needed.
Step Two: Sanitize
Mice need easily available food sources, water, and nesting materials to thrive. Sanitation measures should focus primarily on reducing these sources and can make all the difference in eliminating them. To reduce house mouse populations, and to help keep them away, try the following sanitation measures:
Store food in sealed metal, plastic, or other airtight containers with tight fitting lids, rather than bags or boxes that can easily be gnawed through. This includes dry foods and pet foods stored in garages, sheds, or pantry areas.
Remove possible nesting materials such as paper, cardboard, and outdoor cushions which mice can use to build nests.
Keep a tight-fitting lid on storage bins and trash cans.
Outdoor sanitation such as removing yard debris, cutting back any ground cover, trees, and bushes back away from the home, and picking up fallen fruit, seeds, and nuts from trees.
Step Three: Eliminate the Existing Population
There are two popular methods to eliminating mice: Traps and baiting. There's variety of effective mouse traps. These include Snap traps, glue traps, and humane live catch traps. Traps should be placed in areas with noticeable rodent activity and baited with rodent lures or food grade ingredients such as peanut butter, nuts, bacon, or even nesting materials like cotton, string, insulation, or pillow batting.
Mouse baits come in many different forms. These include Pellets, blox, and soft baits. Bait should be placed in tamper resistant bait stations outdoors away from areas where children and pets may go. We don’t recommend baiting indoors, as mice can crawl into the walls or other hard to reach areas after taking the bait before finally dying.
In summary, following these steps to mouse proof your home, sanitizing, and eliminating the any existing mice population using traps and baiting will all help to avoid any future mouse infestations.
And it’s that easy with the expert help from Do My http://Own.com! Subscribe to our channel for more DIY and product videos!
