Summer Mouse Infestation: 4 Locations To Look On Your Property

During the winter, it is natural for mice to seek shelter inside of a warm home. This is one of the more common times where you will find mice roaming through your walls and attic. Even though this occurs mainly in the winter, it's also important to be aware of potential mice problems in the summer. Cool and moist areas in your home can provide a breeding ground for mice that eventually turns into a large infestation by the time winter rolls around. Instead of waiting for the colder months to arrive, you can look in four different locations for a summer mouse problem and contact professional mice extermination workers to help eliminate the problem. Each of these locations may not be directly noticed unless you are personally searching for them during the summer months.

Vegetable Gardening

Summer is a great time to grow vegetables outside and eat healthy through the summer. Not only are vegetables great for your dinner plate, but they can easily become a part of a mouse's diet. When planting vegetables, you should keep them as far away from your home as possible. This will prevent the mice from seeking food from the vegetables and shelter inside of your home. As you look for signs of a mouse, check the actual vegetable instead of the leafs or roots. On the vegetable itself, you will see small scratches or bite marks. A mice control professional can help you eradicate mice from your garden area and set up different methods to prevent them from returning to the garden. This includes garden perimeter treatments and possible poison placements near nesting areas that have been located near the garden.

Winter Storage Areas

As you prepare for summer festivities, you may start packing a lot of items away from the winter. Boxes of Christmas decorations, clothes, and other winter items may be stored in a garage or attic. These boxes can attract mice as nesting spots. By examining your winter storage area, you can check the boxes for small shreds or holes in the corner. A mouse can fit in a very small location, so the hole doesn't need to be very big to indicate a mouse infestation. To help prevent mice from getting into your winter boxes, you can replace cardboard with plastic tote options. An exterminator can also treat the various storage areas of your home to prevent mice from coming inside.

Other Property Structures

There may be some areas on your property that mice are attracted to in the summer. It's easy to ignore these structures in the summer, but recognizing signs of a mouse can help prevent mice population growth and an eventual infestation of your home. Sheds and tree houses are two of the main structures you should examine. Look in the corners of these structures for scratch marks or mice droppings. Mice droppings are tiny brown specs with pointed edges on them. They look similar to a grain of rice and are often found in small piles. An exterminator can help clear these structures of mouse droppings and prevent the mice from coming back inside. By examining all of your outdoor structures, you can help prevent mice from being on your property at all.

Outdoor Eating Areas

Similar to vegetable gardens, mice may be attracted to outdoor eating areas in the summer. More specifically, you may find signs of a mouse near outdoor cooking items like a grill. Mice can easily climb up inside of a grill to eat crumbs and leftover food particles. Food preparation areas and garbage bins may also attract mice. Look for droppings or check garbage bags to look for holes that are chewed through. Using pesticides in these areas may present health risks when cooking outdoors. For these areas, a pest control worker may use different methods to capture mice and deter them from returning to your home. For example, a worker may use electronic mouse repellents. These small devices emit high-pitched sounds that are irritable to mice and will ward them away from your outdoor dining area.

Contact a pest control worker to arrange an inspection of your home. They can use professional skills to spot areas and signs that you may have missed.