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Mice
Not only do mice multiply quickly, but they can also do significant damage to your home and business through their continuous gnawing. They pose health risks as their droppings will contaminate foodstuffs.
How to check for the signs of a mice infestation:
Your home or business could provide the common house mouse with an ideal spot for food and shelter. Identifying a potential infestation from signs of mouse activity is often a lot easier than trying to spot an actual mouse. Be on the look-out for the following signs:
- Live or dead mice: spotting mice during the daytime is the most obvious indication of a heavy infestation.
- Scratching noises: these noises can be heard during the night when mice are most active. Listen for noises between partition walls, under floorboards, in false ceilings, basements and lofts.
- Droppings: mice leave small, dark coloured droppings behind, especially along walls or in areas of significant mouse activity such as in cupboards or under sinks, on shelves and countertops.
- Urine pillars: in established or heavy infestations, body grease, combined with dirt and urine, builds up into small mounds, up to 4cm high and 1cm wide.
- Distinctive smell: mice leave a trail that has an ammonia-like smell that will be particularly strong in enclosed areas, such as under cupboards.
- Damage: mice have incisors that grow continuously, so they need to gnaw on wood, plastic, cables and other hard materials to keep their incisors in check. This gnawing can even cause house fires is they gnaw electrical cables.
- Mice nests: mice build nests with shredded material such as newspaper and fabrics. These will tend to be in hidden, out of the way places, such as behind the fridge.
- Grease marks (smudges or smears): this is caused by mice fur repeatedly brushing against walls, floors and skirting on their most frequented routes. You may find dark smears around holes or around corners.
- Footprints: rodent tracks and tail marks can show up in dusty environments such as unused lofts and basements. To check for activity, sprinkle flour or talcum powder and check for fresh tracks the next day.
If you have noticed any of the above signs of a mouse problem, contact the experts at Rentokil for a mouse control solution for your home, or business.
How to get rid of mice: Tips
The best way to prevent entry is to mouse-proof your property. Did you know that mice have soft skeletons and can fit through holes the width of a pencil? It’s therefore important to seal any holes, gaps or cracks to the exterior - no matter how small - to prevent mice from gaining entry to your home or workplace.
Proof your property against mice
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Store food away - It is important not to attract mice with food. Where possible, store food in plastic or metal containers. Regularly clean under cookers, fridges and cupboards.
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Doors - Doors: fit bristle or brush strips to the bottom of doors to prevent entry.
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Pipework - seal holes around pipes with coarse grade stainless steel wire wool and sealant.
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Holes - These are often made in exterior walls for piping and wiring. Any holes that are larger than 5mm will allow mice to gain access because their jaws can fit into tight spaces like these and quickly chew larger openings that allow them to enter a building.
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Air vents - Cover these with fine galvanised wire mesh, especially if they are damaged.
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Ceilings and roofing - Ceilings and roofing: Fix damaged roofing and use wire mesh to seal gaps.
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Vegetation - Trim tree branches back from the house and where possible avoid plants growing up the sides of your property. To get rid of mice from entering indoors, also be sure to cut down or trim vines or over-hanging branches that can be used for mice to get onto roofs. Overgrown vegetation close to the walls will offer mice shelter and potential nesting sites.
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Lawns - Keep grass mown short to reduce shelter for mice to pass through. Ideally leave a gap between the building foundations and the garden.
Professional mouse control solutions
If not treated, a mouse problem can quickly escalate. A range of DIY mouse control options are available at your local supermarkets for light infestations, such as mouse traps, rat traps and rat poison options. However, we recommend a mouse control treatment by our qualified technicians if the problem persists or for heavier infestations.
We’ll put in place the following treatment plan for mouse control
- We’ll to be in touch to arrange a mouse control appointment at a time that suits you.
- One of our surveyors will carry out a thorough inspection, assess your problem and make recommendations for an effective treatment in getting rid of mice. Working with mice day-in and day-out gives us expert knowledge and insight into these rodents.
- Our skilled technician will implement the treatment once you have given us the go-ahead. All our treatments are safe for children and pets and offers minimum disruption to your business operation.
- The technician will then make several follow-up visits until your mouse problem is solved.
In need of a mice control solution? Contact the Rentokil experts for a free survey for your home or business.