Getting Rid Of Mice In Your Jacksonville Home

Mice are common and troublesome pests in Jacksonville. While they look small and harmless, these rodents can bring a lot of problems into a home. They're quick to breed, hard to eliminate, and have a knack for causing damage. At Lindsey Pest Services, we know how challenging it can be to deal with a mouse problem. Here's everything you need to know about spotting, preventing, and, most of all, getting rid of mice. 

Why are mice such a problem?

It isn't their fault. Mice are wired to live in our homes with us. Man-made structures offer two things mice can't resist. First, homes (and businesses) have many tight and confined spaces that mice can use to hide from predators. Second, most man-made structures have food in them somewhere. Mice want to live as close to food as possible. The larger the food source, the greater the attraction. For this reason, food storage warehouses have a lot of trouble with these pests. 

How bad is it to have mice in your Jacksonville home?

When considering rodent control, it is critical to understand why it is so important. Evaluating the risks will increase motivation, and motivation will lead to action. We strongly recommend taking action to keep mice out.

• Structural damage
  Mice chew on building materials to make access holes. Over time, this damage can add up. Structural holes also allow moisture in. This can lead to mold.
• Property damage
  Mice chew holes in stored items, such as furniture. They also damage stored items by soiling them with their feces and urine.
• Germs
  Mice crawl in dumpsters, sewers, and other dirty places. When they come indoors, they often bring germs with them. Tiny microorganisms cling to their fur and are deposited on interior, sanitary surfaces.
• Food contamination
  Mice are attracted to stored foods and can contaminate them when they gnaw holes in packages to eat the food inside. They also leave their droppings and urine behind on surfaces.
• Ticks and fleas
  Mice pick up these pests and bring them indoors, which increases health risks.
• Odors
  Over time, mice leave enough urine and fecal matter to create a foul odor. Dead mice inside wall voids and ceilings can also make a vile smell. 

As you can see, having mice inside your Jacksonville home is not good. Let's shift gears and discuss what you can do about these rodents.

How do mice get into your home?

If you're looking to spot mice, you must know their paths to enter structures. Here are a few common routes mice use:

• They squeeze through small gaps in weatherstripping or door sweeps. A mouse only needs a gap the size of a dime.
• They squeeze through gaps around pipes or utility lines. Not only can they squeeze through small gaps, but they can also gnaw on building materials to make holes larger. A determined mouse can even file down concrete.
• They squeeze through gaps between foundations and sole plates. Sole plates are horizontal wood timbers that are attached to a foundation. If a hole is too small, a mouse can chew on the wood to make it large enough.
• They scale rough exterior surfaces the way a squirrel climbs a tree's bark. On some structures, they can even climb up to gable vents.
• They climb trees next to structures and use branches to reach the roof. Once up there, a mouse can chew through the seal around a roof penetration.

These are the common ways they get into homes. Now, let's look at warning signs you may find in these key areas.

Signs of a mouse infestation

When mice explore your exterior, looking for a route indoors, they'll leave signs for you to track. They'll leave these same signs in interior spaces.

• Droppings
  Mouse feces are dark to black and slightly smaller than a grain of rice. They leave this material everywhere they explore.
• Gnaw marks
  Mice chew on wood, rubber, plastic, concrete, and other building materials. Look for tiny access holes about the size of a nickel.
• Tracks
  If dirt is near an entry point, you may see tiny footprints and marks their tails make.
• Smudges
  When examining small openings, look for dirty smudges. Mice leave oil on surfaces as they enter and exit.
• Nests
  Mice create fluffy, balled-up nests made from the soft materials they find. Look for these in your attic and inside stored items in your attic. One place mice love to build nests is inside drawers.
• Noises
  You might hear mice bumping, scraping, or squeaking as they climb inside your walls during the night.

If you have detected mice, what can you do about them? We'll cover that in a moment. First, look at what you can do to keep mice out if you don't find them.

Simple mouse prevention tips

• Trim vegetation in the landscaping near your exterior walls.
• Keep grass cut low.
• Remove leaves, sticks, and logs.
• Remove junk piles.
• Replace damaged screens, weatherstripping, sweeps, and vent covers.
• Keep trash receptacles clean.
• Remove bird feeders.
• Seal gaps with expanding foam.
• Seal framing with caulking material.
• Keep the interior of your home clean and free of clutter.

How to get rid of a mouse infestation

Mice are incredibly tricky to remove. They are gentle when removing food from trap latches and fast enough to evade the hammer when it comes down. But, if you can catch a few mice, there may be a bigger problem. Mice commonly outpace rodent control. This means they have offspring faster than home and business owners can remove them. Mouse control requires a systematic application of control and surveillance. We recommend having a licensed pest management professional handle this for you.

The Better Pest Control Plan

Whether you're battling a mouse problem or hoping never to have mice in your Jacksonville home, our Better Pest Control Plan is the right choice. It is our most popular home pest control plan for a reason. It provides comprehensive pest management, targets over 30 common pests (including mice and rats), and is affordable.

Our technicians use professional inspections to locate the trouble, develop a control solution to remove rodents from your home and perform follow-up inspections to evaluate the efficacy of your rodent control.

Are you searching for a comprehensive rodent control service for your business? We can help! 

Reach out to us to learn more and get started. We'd love to speak with you. 

This blog was originally published on January 30, 2022; it has been updated to reflect the most up-to-date information.