Did you know that in one year a female mouse reproduces approximately every three to four weeks? Each time she reproduces she gives birth to at least five to twelve babies. A mouse infestation is more than just an inconvenience. They eat and contaminate your food as well as damage structural units. Mice are also notorious for spreading diseases such as salmonella. Getting rid of mice in the attic starts with recognizing the signs. Refer back to this post if you suspect you have mice in your attic.
Why Mice Love Attics?
Mice climb extremely easily into the attic space via small spaces. Once a mouse finds food, it returns to that location. Attics generally house discarded items and cardboard boxes which are prime foraging locations of mice. The attic has entry points that make it easy for mice to access. Tree branches allow mice to enter attics easily. Ways in which you can identify mice in your attic are if you notice mouse droppings around the attic floor. While you search your attic for mouse droppings look for mouse nests as well. Mice nest will look like matted material and will be in a hard-to-reach spot. In mice nesting spaces you will find an abundance of droppings.
Beware of where you store your food as well. Food storage areas are prime hunting grounds for mice. People sometimes make the mistake of storing food in their crawl spaces. Get in the habit of not doing that because that is a sure way to cause a mouse infestation. To avoid a mouse invasion in your crawl space and storage areas you can put a light in there to deter mice. Seal any holes in those areas as well to ensure no mice find their way into your crawl spaces and other areas of your home.
What to Listen For In Your Attic and Ceiling for Rodent Control?
It's possible for mice to appear from ceilings and attic sounds. It sounds like they are skittering with claws in your walls or occasional noises. Scratching and digging noise can indicate parasitic infection. The mice's nocturnal nature means they can be heard most clearly when nightfall arrives. Because mice are active nighttime it makes their voices loud in the ceiling. Don't get surprised by the wakefulness! If you hear noise and confirm mice are coming from ceilings or the attic, it would be a good idea to inspect the suspect area visually before getting rid of them.
Listen for scratching and digging noises in false ceilings, in the walls, basements, and in lofts. By calling a pest control expert, they will be able to identify any entry points to help you get rid of mice in home. They use ultrasonic pest repellers to repel mice from your home.
How do I get rid of a mouse infestation in my attic?
After you have identified that you have a pest problem in your attic, you're going to want to get rid of them as soon as possible. It is simple to get rid of mice in your attic. After you have sealed any holes in the crawl spaces of your home, the next step is to trim the tree branches near your home. The mice climb the limbs of the tree to gain access to the warmth of your attic on a cold winter's day. Then, store all dried grains in an air-tight sealed canister.
Once you have completed all those steps and made your home mouse-proof the next one is to look for an area where to put a mouse trap. Using snap traps is the best way to capture the mice nesting in your home. Snap traps are traps that are triggered when the mouse bait is disturbed. When the trap is triggered, a spring mechanism snaps a metal bar killing the rodent. Setting these particular traps where you have a rodent infestation will help to take care of your rodent problem.
How Pest Control and Mice Infestations Can Impact Your Life?
Mice reproducing in large numbers is very important. One pair of reproducing mice can create thousands of colonies within one year. The attic could be a target for mice if not properly managed. Like most mammals, a house mouse chews through electrical cords and electrical components. This can cause an outage or cause serious damage to property. Mice are widely recognized for harboring and spreading pathogens like Hantavirus and Salmonella.
Dead Mice in the attic are a Threat to your Health.
The decomposing carcass may activate airborne agents and bacteria. These agents and bacteria can easily find their way into your lungs, digestive system, and your skin. Also, dead mice will emit a foul odor for at least a week, maybe more. The best way to determine if you have dead mice in your walls or home is to call a pest control company. Pest control companies have expert employees who know all about rodent control. They know how to get rid of mice from house and will take the time to look for a mouse infestation even in the attic.
Find and close all entry points
Make an assessment of your home and look for any open spaces on either the floor or roof that mice can enter. The problem may involve venting, opening gaps in rooflines, worn down doors, seals, or missing bricks on walls, etc. Check every vent in the attic and roof if you want to totally get rid of them. Remember, mice can squeeze in a few places at once. Use a strong sealant that prevents mice from entering the house.
Practice proper sanitation/food storage techniques
It is an extra precaution, but still very efficient. If you are keeping your food clean and storing your food out of sight, it is possible you could eliminate the food source that is causing the attraction of mice. If mice are allowed to survive without more than 2 grams per day, it's important that you clean out any tiny messes. It will also ensure that the mice do not have the food they need for the attic.
Check your traps regularly
In other instances, mice are often unable to escape or set traps. Regular inspection helps keep traps on track and allows re-setting when necessary. If you are afraid to do this your self a pest control company will be able to assist you.
Trim trees & shrubs near your home
Mice can easily be jumped down to 7-8ft in the air depending upon the tree height. By trimming overgrown branches near a house you'll remove that ladder for those mice. When cutting shrubbery, you eliminate the hiding spots mice use throughout the day. This means they cannot access the attic of your house.
Clean up and repair
After the pest control personnel has left, it is time to clean up and repair any mess the mice have made. Remember to never sweep or vacuum up mouse droppings or nests. This will cause dust which can be inhaled and inhaling droppings can lead to severe illness.
Open all of the doors and windows in the room you are going to clean, allow the room to ventilate for approximately thirty minutes. The next step to get rid of mice droppings is to put on a pair of durable rubber gloves and soak the droppings thoroughly. Use a bleach and water solution to clean the area or a common household disinfectant such as Lysol. Allow the bleach solution or the disinfectant to soak on the droppings or mice nests for five minutes. After the five minutes have passed, use a paper towel to pick up the mouse waste and put it directly into a plastic bag. Seal the bag tightly and put it into a garbage can with a tight-fitting cover.
Can mice get into the attic through the roof?
Rodents enter a home by removing imperfections on your walls and roof such as the rafters, and the roof.
Do mice leave the attic at night?
Mice tend to have nocturnal behavior. Their eyesight can be found in dark places. Immediately after midnight, the mice begin to dwell. Often mice are travelling into a wall hole in your attic and enter areas of the house where food and water are found.
Can mice in your attic make you sick?
Virus infections from rat-bite fever and bubonic plague are commonly transmitted in animals from rodents to humans. The transfer of infection from an infected animal to a human may take several forms.
How do I get rid of mice in my ceiling without access?
Use poison bait in trying to get rid of the mice if the attic has not been easily accessible. Put bait out every 15 days. Bait with warfarin kills and dehydrates mice in a blood-soaked way. In cooled rooms and ceilings in warm, dry environments, a mouse corpse could easily dry and not have unpleasant odor issues.
Conclusion
The mice in your house do nothing to cause problems or concern. The non-kill trap is easy to use to remove from your house safely. Then you have several DIY solutions for stopping them. If a large infestation occurs it is best to call in a professional pest control specialist. The professionals offer services to control mouse problems in homes in order to prevent them.
