Imagine — you are in your attic, rummaging through old boxes of family heirlooms. You go to pull out a treasured photograph, only to find that something has chewed it all up, rendering it almost unrecognizable. You look around and see that most of the boxes in your attic have holes in them. There are droppings scattered on the floor, and you see a handful of rodents scurrying from one tight spot to the next.
If the potential loss of priceless material items doesn’t spur you into wanting to take professional action for the mice infestation in your home, this should: the presence of mice in your home increases your chance of contracting illnesses such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis. Believe it or not, but mice still have the potential to give fleas infected with the bubonic plague a free ride right into your home. The best thing you can do as a Jacksonville homeowner is to limit your exposure to mice and the diseases mice carry.
Why Mice Have Infiltrated Your Jacksonville Home
What makes your home inviting to the common house mouse?
- Easy access points: If your home has holes (no matter how small) and otherwise easy access points to the indoors, a house mouse will use them. They are capable of squeezing through the tiniest of spaces, so even the smallest opening has the potential of being an entryway into your home.
- Clutter: Mice like setting up shop in spaces where there is a lot of stuff cluttered together. They use places like your attic and garage to hide, make nests, and breed, so the messier your house is, the more likely mice will want to move in.
- Access to food: You are likely to find mice in your kitchen if food is not properly stored. Mice are capable of chewing through the boxes and containers food typically comes in, so your cabinets and cupboard are a prime location for mice to gather and possibly spread diseases.
There are many other reasons a house may be inviting to a mouse — they provide warmth, safety, and a convenient place to mate and reproduce. While it may seem like an impossible task to ensure that mice are not attracted to your home, there are just as many things you can do to prevent mice from infesting your home.
How to Prevent Mice from Invading Your Home
Below are several ways homeowners in Jacksonville can prevent mice from infesting their homes:
- Seal up entry points: Mice are capable of squeezing through even the tiniest of holes. One of the easiest ways to prevent mice from invading your home is to ensure that all around your house, you have sealed up any possible entry points.
- Clean: Mice are burrowing animals. Cleaning out the spaces in your home and maintaining a clutter-free environment takes away that sense of security, discouraging mice from wanting to live and reproduce there.
- Proper storage: Store your food in containers that are made of material mice cannot chew through. Wipe up spills and crumbs promptly, and leave behind nothing that would attract a hungry mouse.
Prevention of a mice infestation is always the preferred method. However, owning a home is difficult and time-consuming, and sometimes, things like mouse-proofing your home fall to the wayside, allowing for mice to move in and set up shop. So, what can be done if mice have already invaded?
Trad’s Pest Control Can Help!
Trad’s Pest Control in Jacksonville, FL, has many years of experience with the prevention of mice infestations and the extermination of established infestations. They can work to ensure your home is properly sealed up and clutter is maintained in a way to prevent mice from even thinking about invading your home.
If mice have already begun to wreak havoc on your home, contact Trad’s Pest Control today for a free quote. A friendly technician will work to dispatch an expert to your home, who will utilize much more effective methods than traps to safely and completely exterminate the infestation in your home.
Trad’s Pest Control knows how important it is to be safe from the diseases mice carry, especially in your own home. Let us apply our knowledge and expertise to your home and help you keep your home safe, clean, and free of mice.