Even if you maintain a clean home, mice could decide to move in with you. Find out why you have mice and how you can keep them away.
House Mice In The Bronx
If you find a small brown or gray rodent in your Bronx home, you may be looking at a house mouse. They are one of the most common house-invading pests. Typically, the adults, only grow to about two or three inches long and weight � ounce. They have tails that measure several inches long.
House mice typically eat cereal grains and other foods. Because they are great climbers, mice can climb up the surfaces of your home and get into your pantry. Their sense of smell helps them find food and their small size makes them capable of fitting through tiny cracks.
The Dangers Of House Mice
Although some house mice might look cute, they are quite dangerous. As they leave behind their feces, they contaminate your tables and counters. This can contaminate any food that comes into contact with the counters with the disease.
Mice can spread salmonellosis, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, and other diseases. Even if they don’t carry a disease, mice can still cause trouble. Their droppings often trigger allergies, which could make you or other members of your household ill.
What Attracts Mice
Most people assume that mice are only attracted to messy homes. While rodents do prefer homes with clutter and debris, they also find their way into homes that aren’t particularly dirty.
For the most part, house mice seek out homes that have food sources. They will eat food that’s left on the floors or counters as well as food that’s unsecured and in your pantry. Because mice have sharp teeth, they can chew through your cardboard boxes to get into your cereal and other foods. They’ll even eat pet food.
Mice like clutter. If you don’t have any clutter, they have fewer hiding spots. But homes without clutter are also attractive to mice. When the temperature drops, rodents look for a way to get and stay warm. The heat of your Bronx home may be enough to draw the mice inside.
Prevention Tips
So how can you keep away mice? There are several steps you can take to deter rodents, while none are a guarantee they will increase your chances of keeping mice out.
- Store Food Properly: If you leave your food out or don’t seal it right, you’ll likely end up with mice in your home. Place your opened items in plastic containers with tight lids. You should do the same with your pet food.
- Store Your Trash Properly: What’s trash to you is dinner for mice. To keep rodents away, keep your trash in tightly sealed containers.
- Clean Regularly: It’s easy to get behind on housework. However, you should do your best to maintain a clean home to avoid an infestation. That means vacuuming your carpets and mopping your floors on a regular basis. After meals, clean your counters and table off.
- Declutter: Over time, you accumulate more and more things. Leaving your items out is an invitation to mice. Every few months, go through your home and declutter.
- Seal Entrances: Think about how mice could enter your home. If there are any entry cracks or holes, a mouse could enter. Inspect the exterior of your home and look for entrances. Then, seal them up.
- Call The Experts: Traps won’t fix your rodent problem. Once mice are in your home, they breed quickly. Catching a few mice won’t get rid of them all. For results or advice, contact the professionals at Hello Pest Control.
