A Word about Weep Vents
This amazing footage was captured using a night vision camera that we set up over a mouse entry point. It shows just how easily mice can freely come and go through a brick home.
If you live in a home built from brick at any time during or after the 1980s then chances are you’ll find weep vents or holes between the bricks along the base of your house. Those openings are not an oversight or a mistake on the part of the builder, they serve an important function. Brick is a very porous and has a tendency absorb water and snow. Weep holes allow water a place to run out from the wall while at the same time allowing air in to get in behind the brick to help dry things out.
Weep holes can vary significantly in size, from a narrow sliver to nearly an inch wide. Mice have an amazing ability to squeeze themselves into the tiniest of cracks and crevices so an easily slip in through most weep holes. Weep holes are conveniently placed at the base of the brick where mice are love to travel. Mice identify the holes using their sensitive whiskers that can detect air flow between the exterior and interior of the house. Mice simply make the short climb up the brick and tuck themselves right into the wall where they can comfortably nest and breed.
How can Skedaddle help?
Solving a recurring mouse infestation means attacking the problem at the source. Trapping and poisoning mice inside does nothing to prevent all the other mice in the neighbourhood from finding their way in. The key is to mouse proof the house from the outside and that means blocking weep holes against future entry.
Plastic weep vent inserts are no match for a mouse’s powerful bite
To preserve brick, weep holes need to allow water and air to pass through them so caulking, sealant or cement should never be used. We use steel screen inserts to fill weep holes. They allow water and air to move freely but cannot be chewed through by mice. Plastic weep vent covers cannot stand up to mouse chewing and are easily compromised.
If you’d like to learn more about how Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control can help solve your mouse problems then check out our mice page or give us a call at 1.888.592.0387.
