We have all seen how resourceful wildlife can be when it comes to gaining entry into your home. Raccoons can scale walls and shimmy down chimneys. Squirrels can use overhanging branches to jump down onto your roof and gnaw through soffit to get into your attic but don’t discount the ingenuity of a mouse looking for a house. At Skedaddle we have seen mice entry points in all sorts of interesting places.
With the freezing winter weather fast approaching, mice have been scurrying around looking for food and a warm spot to nest. And what better place to survive the worst of the winter than in a nice, cozy home with a good supply of scraps, crumbs and warmth? How do they find their way inside a home? You might be surprised to learn that the utility lines running to your home play a part.
How is That Elusive Mouse Gaining Entry to Your House?
We are the experts at locating mice entry points and we have seen many cases where mice use utility lines as highways into your home. These utility lines lead the mice directly to a potential weak spot on your property and they will be quick to exploit even the smallest opening.
Most utility lines for water and electricity, as well as exhausts for air conditioning and heating, run through exterior walls and if the gaps around the utility lines and exhaust pipes are not properly sealed mice will have the perfect opportunity to get into your building. Once inside the mice will explore and move throughout your home using ducts and holes cut for pipes and wiring. Mice defecate and urinate wherever they go and one of the most common signs that mice have found a way into your home is the trail of droppings.
One of our customers found evidence of a mice invasion in her kitchen and called us in to find out how they had got into her home and found their way under her sink. We were able to identify their initial entry point and route around her house and we showed her how the mice had used pipes, ducts and utility lines to navigate around her home.
Traditional Mouse Control Treats the Symptoms Rather than the Cause
Traditionally mouse control has always been done with traps and poison and while these methods do work, they are at best only a temporary solution to the problem and this form of mouse control needs to be maintained all year round. A common device used often is a glue trap. These traps use a strong adhesive that causes the mice to get stuck but doesn’t actually kill them. This type of removal is inhumane, as it prevents the mice from getting food or water which means they will suffer and die slowly. It doesn’t matter if they are considered a pet or pest, no animal deserves this type of treatment.
When you use poison and traps you only eliminate the mice that have already entered your home, but you do nothing to stop new mice from coming in and this means that you are not able to break the cycle of invasion.
According to Corey Lewis, Director of Technical Operations, “20 years ago, Skedaddle began experimenting with comprehensive, permanent, “mouse-proofing” of homes and businesses. The goal was to stop new rodents from entering the building, therefore eliminating the need for poisons and traps inside the home. Part of this mouse exclusion process, of course, requires the removal of any mice from the inside the home before the mouse proofing of the exterior can be carried out and this is where the one-way-doors come into play.”
Many people think that using poison or traps is a quick and easy solution to a mouse problem and one that they can carry out on their own without hiring a licensed professional. But as we have said many times before, DIY pest control is not the answer and there are health and safety risks associated with trapping and putting poison down in your home, especially if you have small children or pets.
How Skedaddle Humanely Deals with Mice
By using Skedaddle’s extensive knowledge of urban rodentology, Corey explains that “Skedaddle technicians are able to select the best locations and timing for one-way-door installations. It’s this skill set that allows us to humanely “evict” rodents from your home or commercial property without the need for traps and poisons. And it also enables us to effectively break the cycle and keep the mice out for good.
Most homeowners can expect to see results in a couple of weeks or so and when you compare this to potentially having to trap or poison mice forever, it is a no-brainer.”
Skedaddle has years of experience dealing with all sorts of wildlife that gain entry into people’s homes and since mice are a common problem, the staff have become experts in the study of “urban rodentology”, meaning they have an intimate knowledge of mouse biology and behaviour.
Choosing Professionals
When we visit your home, our Skedaddle technicians will do a thorough inspection of your property, paying close attention to the foundations and the points where the utility lines, vents and exhaust pipes enter your home. At Skedaddle we use our extensive experience and knowledge to keep wildlife out of your home and in nature where it belongs. Call us today to help ensure that you do not have to share your home with any unwanted house guests this holiday season.
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