Why Do I Struggle To Keep Mice Out Of My Greensboro, NC Home?

• Mice have an acute sense of smell. The scent of garbage will attract a mouse from a distance. If you have trash receptacles that have an odor, you can expect to catch the attention of mice.
• Mice use their whiskers, noses, and ears to navigate. Their whiskers touch the things around them like a blind man using several canes. Their noses pick out the smells around them and they build a map of where those aromas are located. Their ears pick up sounds that reflect off objects and this acts almost like sonar. If you have clutter in your yard, a mouse will be able to move through your yard more easily.

How Your Perimeter Can Be Welcoming To House Mice

When a house mouse finds its way to the exterior of your Greensboro home, it will either feel welcome or unwelcome. Which do you think is better? The last thing you want is to encourage mice to hang out near your home. This will increase your chances of an interior infestation. Not only will it increase the possibility that a mouse will find a way inside, house mice prefer to live as close to food as possible. If a mouse finds a food source near your home, it will only be logical for that mouse to create a nest in your home. Here are conditions that are conducive for a mouse infestation:

• Bird seed scattered on the ground beneath a feeder is an ideal food source for mice.
• An open trash container can provide a food source. Mice can jump a foot in the air, scale some exterior building materials with ease, and jump three feet from ledges. 
• Objects sitting on the ground near your home provide shelter.
• A void underneath a deck can be a great place for a mouse to hide, particularly if there are leaves to hide under or behind.
• Firewood piles, scrap wood from construction, stacked branches, and other wood sources are perfect hiding places for mice.

How And Why Mice Get In

It is common to find evidence of mice in ductwork. These animals often scale exteriors and get in through unprotected ventilation. They can also climb up through downspouts and gain access to rooflines. These rodents are incredible climbers.

It is common for mice to chew through weatherstripping, door sweeps, and door frames. They may also gain access simply by squeezing through a small gap that already exists. An adult mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime.

It is not uncommon for a mouse to chew through a rotting sill (also referred to as a sole plate). These are the horizontal wood members just above your foundation. When moisture creates conditions for wood rot, house mice take advantage of the softened wood.

How do you address mice in ductwork, mice on your roof, and mice chewing on your door seals? Here are a few suggestions.     

• Make sure all of your vents have covers and inspect those covers.
• If your home has louvers, consider installing hardware cloth to keep rodents out.
• Put steel mesh in your downspouts to stop mice from climbing up.
• Routinely inspect your exterior doors for changes. If you see an area where something is gnawing, you may use metal flashing to stop the mice. If they're chewing on your weatherstripping and door sweeps, replace these things and make sure you have a good seal. It may be that the mice are attracted to chew on them because they smell food inside or they feel heat leaking out.
• Inspect your foundation all the way around your home and address areas of wood rot.