Things begin to cool down as fall approaches in Maryland.
It's also time to clean things up and prepare for winter. The chill weather feels refreshing after a long, hot summer. And the bugs and annoying critters like mice begin to die down to the point where you don’t see them much. Being outside feels pretty nice.
But while things seem quiet on the rodent front, autumn is not a time when you want to neglect preparing your home for a peaceful, pest-free winter.
In fact, pests feel the cooling weather and take it as a cue to get moving and find a new place away from the elements that can give them warmth, shelter, and food. And your home has all three, making it look like pretty attractive new digs. And we’re betting you don’t want to share your Thanksgiving and Christmas with a new mouse family that just moved in.
It’s time to prepare your home for the season. Keep rodents out of your house in winter with these tips.
How to Prevent Winter Rodents Using These 4 Strategies
Want to protect your Central and Southern Maryland home from a mice infestation this winter? We’re with you. No one wants rodents in winter running around their home causing trouble.
Here are some things you can do now to ensure your home stays secure to help you keep rodents out.
1. Start With Exclusion Tactics
Rodents love shelter, water, and food – things your house has in abundance, unfortunately.
But you shouldn’t have to change your lifestyle because it attracts mice. These critters will always be drawn in by these basic necessities.
The solution? Begin your quest to keep rodents away from your house with exclusion tactics.
A mouse can squeeze through any hole that is ¼ inch or bigger. So you want to seal or repair any holes or cracks that give mice easy entry into your home, garage, or shed.
When you call in a pest professional like Natural Green Systems to inspect your home for mice, we look for these entry points inside and outside. If we find holes up to a few inches in diameter, we like to seal them with caulk and copper mesh. This deters mice because they don’t like chewing on copper mesh.
2. Keep Things Clean
Exclusion can keep mice from seeking warmth and shelter in your home. But food is also a huge attractor of rodents in winter.
Mice can be drawn to cereals and grains and even pet food and birdseed. Store these foods in tough, plastic, metal, or glass containers with airtight lids so mice can’t smell or reach this food.
But rodents don’t even need big bags of food to be lured into your home. Any crumbs or spills you drop on the floor during cooking can be enough to entice them. Clean your floors and countertops regularly to reduce these rodent temptations.
3. Place Traps in Areas Mice Are Commonly Found
Now is also a good time to prepare mice bait stations or snap traps so if rodents get near your home, you can stop them.
Prevent winter rodents by setting traps. You can place snap traps in garage corners, enclosed attic spaces, and behind appliances – all places you might notice mouse activity. Place traps at right angles to walls with bait nearest the wall.
You can also use glue traps in similar locations to trap mice.
Rodents bring filth and disease into your home, and then they multiply, so this isn’t the time to worry about stopping them. But setting these traps properly is crucial to stopping rodents.
4. Hire Pest Control Services
If you’re worried about placing snap traps or glue traps yourself or aren’t sure if your mouse entryways are sealed properly, hiring an exterminator can ensure the job is done effectively and quickly to help you prevent winter rodents.
In addition to these tactics, pest control services can scout for mice and remove nests or messes if they find any, as well as set up bait stations, which need to be placed properly to work well. Exterminators use bait stations that are pet- and tamper-proof to ensure they are safe for use in your home. They also place them properly and check on them regularly to make sure they are intact.
Pest professionals can also recommend the right mix of tactics to keep rodents out of your house in winter.
Keep Mice Away With Natural Green in Central and Southern Maryland
Mice can be pretty sneaky. They move along walls, avoiding open spaces. They are active during the nighttime, so you may not see them or hear them, but they do leave evidence of their comings and goings that you might spot.
If you’re worried about how to prevent winter rodents, you’re not alone. No one wants the hassle of mice taking over their homes when the weather cools.
Let Natural Green help. We can assist you in preparing your home for a mouse-free winter, so you can rest assured those critters won’t get in and ruin your holidays.
Ready to prevent rodents from entering your Central and Southern Maryland home? Request a free quote today. We’ll review our options together so you can make the best choice for you. Then you can sit back and enjoy your home -- rodent free!
