A Foolproof Method To Keeping Mice Out Of Your Nashville Home

Four Ways To Remove Food Sources That Attract Mice

Mice are highly motivated by the availability of food. A mouse eats 15 to 20 times a day and will establish itself as close to food resources as possible. If you provide food resources for a mouse, it will want to create a nest on your property or inside your home. Here are four ways you might be motivating mice to share your property with you.

• Mice love fruit. The most obvious food source that will make mice want to dwell in your yard or home is the availability of fruit. They'll dine to their heart's content if they can find apples on the ground in your yard or a discarded apple in a wastepaper bin within your home. Do your best to keep fruit picked up and properly stored in plastic bags to conceal the scent until this organic material is removed from your property.

• Seeds and nuts are dietary staples for mice. When a mouse comes into your yard and finds birdseed on the ground, or nuts and acorns under trees, it could get the idea that your property is a great place to live. Move bird feeders away from the exterior of your home and keep on top of nut and acorn cleanup to deter mice and other rodents.

• Mice eat certain vegetables. If you have a garden, you could have trouble with mice. Installing fencing around your garden can help to deter mice. Be sure to install it at least one foot below the surface. This will prevent mice from tunneling underneath.

• Mice eat the food you and your pets eat, even long after you would not be willing to eat it. You can deter mice inside your home by keeping all the food in your home protected and by removing decaying foods. You can protect your foods by putting stored foods in sealed containers and by storing fruit in your fridge. You can remove decaying foods as a food source for mice by keeping your home free of crumbs and morsels, and by managing your trash to keep mice from getting a bite to eat in your trash receptacles.

Hiding Places

Once you've considered food options, the next step is to consider the habitat around and inside your home. Mice don't like open spaces. When you remove clutter and ideal hiding places, you can reduce mouse activity.

• Move scrap wood, fire pit wood, and other wood materials away from your exterior.

• Remove objects from your yard that don't need to be out there, such as toys, objects stored on a wood pallet, tires, cinder blocks, etc.

• Keep your grass trimmed, landscaping neat, and leaves raked.

• Trim bushes, shrubs, and ornamental plants near the base to make it difficult for mice to hide in your landscaping.

• Keep things neat and orderly inside your home and address any cluttered spaces.

Exterior Entry Points

You're almost done. Once you've taken the time to remove food sources and to make your property less inviting as a hunting ground for mice, it's time to limit access. While a mouse can chew a hole to get inside your home, it is more likely to take advantage of an opening that already exists. 

• Replace rotting wood or fill in rotted wood holes with a caulking material.

• Replace damaged screens and repair glass panes and the framing around windows and doors.

• Make sure your exterior doors have an adequate seal all the way around. Replace weatherstripping and door sweeps and adjust double doors that are not properly aligned.

• Trim tree branches away from your roofline and put wire mesh in your downspouts to prevent mice from gaining access to your roof and roofline.

• Make sure all vents are properly covered.

When Targeted Control Is Necessary

In most cases, you can get control of mice by rolling up your sleeves and applying the mouse control tips above, but if you have higher-than-normal mouse pressures or conditions that can't easily be corrected, it may be necessary to have a service professional evaluate your Nashville property, establish a mouse control plan, and execute that plan. If you need assistance with this, reach out to All-American Pest Control. We use industry-leading rodent control methods and products to get control of Nashville rodents. We can help you find the right solution for your specific needs and budget with our effective residential and commercial pest control services in Nashville.

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