How Do You Know If You Have A Mouse Problem?
Whether you’ve happily broken out the fall wardrobe or are stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the chilly mornings, the truth is fall has arrived in Maine and it’s time to keep an eye out for mice. This is the time of year when all types of rodents in Maine are on the search for a place to call home this winter. Unfortunately, if your home offers protection from the elements and also food and water sources, there’s a good chance you could have uninvited houseguests. In order to prevent a full-blown mouse problem, it would be helpful for homeowners to know how to tell if mice have come calling. In this blog post, we’re sharing five common signs of a mouse problem to look out for this month and really all year round.
5 signs of a mouse infestation
Live or dead mice
If you spot a live mouse scurrying along the edge of a room or hiding out in the base of a kitchen cabinet, you definitely have a mouse infestation. Now if you find a dead mouse in the dog food bag, behind the refrigerator, or elsewhere in your home, there’s a good chance there are other live mice lurking about.
Chew marks
To keep their incisors at a reasonable length, mice must constantly chew. Rather than carrying around a chew toy for just that purpose, mice will chew on anything they can find including, but not limited to food packaging, cardboard boxes, fabrics, electrical wires, baseboards, drywall, and cabinets. Unfortunately, this activity can lead to minor cosmetic damage to more extensive damage.
Scratching and squeaking noises at night
Mice are most active night so if you’re unknowingly hosting these pests, there’s a good chance you’ll hear scratching noises coming from within the walls or overhead in the ceiling as they move about. You might also hear noisy squeaking as they search for food.
Mouse droppings & urine
Mouse poop looks like small dark brown or black pellets with pointed ends. Droppings are often found in kitchen pantries, cabinets, and other food storage areas as well as in the attic, garage, closets, inside wall voids – really any place these rodents visit are likely to have droppings present. Likewise, mouse urine can be found anywhere mice are or have been.
Nests
Mice use insulation, fabrics, paper, and other items collected around the home to build nests. Their nests are often found in attics, closets, under floorboards, behind refrigerators, under stoves and cabinets as well as inside walls, and in other hidden areas of your home.
What to do if you discover a mouse problem in your home
If you’ve uncovered a mouse infestation in your home, your first inclination may be to grab some mouse traps and poison from the big box store down the road but we’d advise against that. In fact, we wrote a whole blog about whether or not mouse traps and other DIY rodent control products are effective. Be sure to check that post out if you’re even thinking about trying your hand at eliminating mice.
The best way to eliminate mice and house-infesting pests is to contact a licensed pest control company. At Advanced Pest Solutions, we offer home pest control services in Pittston, Augusta, and Boothbay Harbor as well as through central and coastal Maine. You can count on our team to use a modern pest management approach to get rid of mice and other nuisance and potentially destructive pests that commonly infest homes in our neck of the woods. Give us a call today to request an estimate!