Did You Know that Pest Control & Football Have a Similar Principal?

That principal is you need a good defense as well as a good offense to make a great team. And the fall is when you see some of the greatest defensive plays in the pest control business.

For us the fall may be a season of football, back to school shopping, and pumpkin spice everything. For mice, fall is the season of preparation. This is when they are looking for a warm inviting place to spend the cold winter months, which means fall is the time that we need to make sure that that warm place is not our house. And before you think a few tiny mice aren’t that bad (maybe you watched the movie Stewart Little too many times), it is important to remember that even though they are small they can carry diseases and can causes serious damage to household wiring from their chewing.

One of the best ways to make sure mice don’t find your house inviting is by making sure they never get into the house in the first place. Mice are great at squeezing into small spaces so if you have a hole in your exterior wall that is as small as a nickel, a mouse can find a way in.  

There are four key steps to take this fall to prevent mice from invading your home.

• First, look for cracks and holes in your exterior walls. It is important to take a good look at the areas where utilities enter your home. If you see any voids in this area make sure to use caulk, or a combination of caulk and steel wool to fill those areas.
• Second, check the bottom of your door to see if you can see light coming through. If you can see light coming through, it is a sign that you do not have a tight seal between your door and the floor. Remember, mice don’t need much space to get into your home, so if you see any light make sure to install a door sweep. An added bonus of a door sweep is it helps to make your home more energy efficient.
• Next, check your windows. It is common for cracks and holes to appear where your window meets your walls. If you see cracks or holes, like we suggested for areas near utilities, fill the holes with caulk or a steel wool and caulk combination. It is also important to inspect the screens in your windows. Screens can easily be torn with day to day use. A tear in a screen makes for an easy entrance for mice.
• Lastly, putting screens over your vents (like dryer vents) and chimneys can significantly reduce the chance of mice entering your home. Mice are excellent climbers so just because the vent is a few feet above ground level or the chimney is on the roof, don’t under estimate a mouse’s ability to use them as an entry point to your house.

If all this checking seems daunting, don’t worry. Cowleys can help figure out the most likely places a mouse will enter your home and secure them.