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Mouse Infestation

Summary: When you find evidence of a mouse or mice, it's time to take action. Here's some information that will help you catch these rodent pests in no time.

It’s fairly natural to think your entire house is infested with mice when you discover your first mouse hiding in your pantry. When that little fellow jumps off the shelf and runs across your foot you feel totally violated. What nerve that mouse has fouling your fresh, clean shelves. Sort of makes you want to clear out the entire house and start over fresh.

Before you back up the dump truck to your back door however, let’s understand how a mouse is likely to operate should one gain entry to your fortress. We know mice have poor eyesight and are somewhat timid in new surroundings. So, let's assume it has not gained the confidence to travel much more than fifteen to twenty-five feet from its nest.

That small radius is about all that mouse really needs to satisfy its need to explore during its entire lifetime.

Armed with that information you need to discover where that mouse might be nesting. So, what does a mouse nest look like? Look for a tight little pile of torn up paper and cellophane, string, cotton and other miscellaneous bits and pieces of stuff. It should also have lots of little mouse droppings mixed in, a sure sign of a mouse home. Once you locate the nesting materials you will know exactly where to lay out your mouse traps and how many traps to put out.

We suggest purchasing a couple dozen small mouse glue boards and placing them out all along the walls of the entire room where the nest or fresh droppings were found. Be sure to place the traps directly flush against the baseboards. Mice normally like to travel along walls to “feel” their way around a room.

There is no reason to place traps in every room when you understand the size of the roaming territory of the average mouse. This little bit of information will most like result in a fast catch and problem resolution.

Comments

martieg@verizon.net
26 Jul 2008, 15:42

My friend insists that there is only one mouse that not only comes to her apartment but to her parents apartment downstairs. I have ALWAYS heard that if you see one there are others. Is what she said true or am I mistaken?

Ask the Exterminator
26 Jul 2008, 23:44

Mice live in nests. That means more than one mouse. But, understand that a single mouse will claim an area of about 15 to 25 feet from its nesting area. So, both apartments could be seeing the same mouse.

You are both correct.

Joe Wagner
20 Aug 2008, 03:16

We have a bad mouse infestation in our house. they somehow got into the house from the basement and the basement ceiling has insulation covered with a barrier. you can hear them skittering above the barrier. they have come through the kitchen floor and into the pantry. we've blocked the holes in the floor and the pantry but they managed to still get through, they made a new hole in the living room and we stopped their attempt through the bathroom. But they are now on the second floor. We have a lot of stuff in the basement and when I tried to remove the barrier and the insulation there's a lot of feces so I stopped. We have set traps in several places. We got several in the living room, bedroom and the kitchen. and we can smell the urine in several places.
my concern is health. We need to get the stuff out of the basement and I suspect the mices got into them and I need to take out all the insulation. But if it is such a bad infestation it would be very unhealthy and I need to convince my wife that the stuff may have to go if the mice got into them. and I can't take the insulation down until we clear out the basement. any suggestion or insight to help my cause

Ask The Exterminator
20 Aug 2008, 09:38

Where to start? First, you need to locate the possible rodent entry points. If there is a hole the size of a dime, it needs to be repaired because that is all that is required for mice to gain entry. Sounds impossible, but it is true.

Second, clutter is a mouse's best friend. They love lots of boxes and piles of stuff that people accumulate. Gives them lots of places to nest. Time to do a thorough cleaning. Throw out those old rugs and boxes of old clothes.

Third, stop trying to seal in the mice. You cannot trap mice if you seal them in places you cannot see. It is better to know where they are so you know where to set your traps. Don't skimp on traps. You can greatly reduce the mouse population if you set out (in your case) three dozen traps. Be sure to read my article "Mouse Trap" to lean how to properly set traps.

Jesse
05 Oct 2008, 11:55

My husband and I have seen several mice in the house and out in the yard. We live in a rural area and before last year our lot was just a field. We know they are nesting in the crawl space. We are using traps and have caught many, but they keep coming and coming. My husband is going to seal all the holes he can find in the crawl space will steel wool and foaming isulation. I was wandering if there is anything else we can do to get rid of the problem, without using rat poison because of our dog and we have a baby on the way, any faster and what precautions do we need to take when cleaning up after the mice?

Ask the Exterminator
07 Oct 2008, 08:55

Forget trying to seal up the house with the foaming insulation product. The mice will chew through that like a hot knife through butter. Sealing holes is the best way to prevent mouse infestations. Keep in mind that mice can squeeze through holes the size of a dime.

Clear high grass and any clutter from along the foundation of the house. Remove all the "comfort" zones for the mice.

You may also want to think about purchasing some locking rodent bait stations and secure them to the ground with a ground anchor. If you do purchase those, don't skimp. Get the best you can buy. I recommend products like Protecta traps by Bell Labs. Place the traps directly against the foundation of the house at twenty foot intervals.

David
13 Nov 2008, 21:16

Is there any health danger to cleaning out a mouse infested crawl space (reinsulating, cleaning out areas where there are piles of things they might like)? Do I need to wear a mask, protective gloves or anything like this?

Ask the Exterminator
13 Nov 2008, 22:31

Any feces carries bacteria, so I would wear protective gloves and at least a rated dust mask. Read the instructions on the dust mask box and it will tell you what it protects you from. Depending upon the dust levels, goggles might be a nice accessory.

Tim
16 Nov 2008, 10:23

My wife has been having some bad sinus infections and allergies since we moved to our new house. I was worried that we had a mold problem. I suspected the basement and tore of a wall panel to inspect. What i found was not mold but "highways" and a smell of must along the bottom of the false wall. my insulation is shreaded and full of droppings. After i rid the house of mice do i need to tear all the wall panel's down to clean, or just removing the pests is enough.

Ask the Exterminator
16 Nov 2008, 12:54

The mouse droppings will dry up and probably not cause future problems. It all depends on the quantity of the droppings. If there are enough to fill a small garbage bag, and this is from my personal point of view, I would open the walls and get that stuff out of there.

Kyla
20 Nov 2008, 07:45

I always see mice in the same place in our apartment. We have caught several. How many mice usually live in a nest? And last night we caught a live one, I put the trap on the front porch and it got loose overnight. Will it be able to find it's way back inside to it's nest?

Ask the Exterminator
20 Nov 2008, 09:52

The house mouse has, on average, about one litter per month. Each litter has, again, on average, about six babies.

The mouse that escaped from the trap may find its way back in if it explores along the exterior foundation wall and discovers the original entry spot. Otherwise, no, it will not get back in.

Tera
20 Nov 2008, 13:49

We have been living in our new home for two years. We live next to fields as well. Several weeks ago I found one mouse dropping by the toilet..a week past and I found several more. We have set traps throughout the house and one next to the toilet...nothing has happend. The other night I heard something above the ceiling..and last night I heard scratching. We have a crawl space in our home. I'm thinking that the droppings are coming from the fan in the bathroom because its directly above the toilet. What would be the best way to trap this mouse/mice since they are up the crawl space. Also what can my husband do this weekend around the outside of the home to protect our home?

Samantha
20 Nov 2008, 22:19

I just moved into an apartment and found out there my next door neightbor has a bad mouse problem. Now my whole apartment is starting to smell like mouse pee and I hear them in scratching in the walls at night. It's driving me crazy! I have a cat so no mice have come in so far. I told the maintenance guy and he refuses to call an exterminator. He wants to do it himself. I am afraid that whatever he uses will harm my cat. Do you have any advice? I desperately want to get rid of this awful smell, but am also worried about something happening to my cat. What sort of solution would you recommend?

Ask the Exterminator
20 Nov 2008, 22:46

Most states require landlords to provide licensed pest control services. Look up "tenant protection laws" on the web for your state. If you are smelling rodent urine, sounds like it is way past time to have professionals handle the problem quickly and safely.

Kristina
06 Jan 2009, 13:07

Our cat caught her second mouse today. We live in an apartment in the city on the 2nd floor. When I talked to the landlord today he said it has to do with the cat dry food...could this be true? Did the dry food cause the mouse problem? Especially since we are on the second floor? Also, he is calling an exterminator...will the stuff that he sprays be dangerous to the cat?

Ask the Exterminator
06 Jan 2009, 14:32

Your cat has nothing to do with the reason mice are in the building. The mice are gettng in through openings in the foundation, under door thresholds and doors that are left open. Once inside the mice will search for food. If they have found the cat food you would know it by finding small, chewed holes in the bags or boxes.

The exerminator should not be using any liquid sprays for mouse control, nor should he use any rodent bait inside your apartment. The baits contain grains that could attract the attention of your cat. Snap traps placed inside closed rodent stations can be used or traps called Tin Cats can be used. Both methods would be safe to use around kitty.

Ask the Exterminator
07 Jan 2009, 01:06

Does ultraviolet light work for detecting mice urine? If so, which do you recommend? What can it tell me to help eliminate infestation? How is best way to clean up droppings, ...?

With a new house addition, and our new furry friends - 16 in 3 days - taking room in our basement, where are sure spots for their entry? Is not having a sill seal insulation placed on our concrete foundation a sure entryway?

Ask the Exterminator
07 Jan 2009, 15:33

Ultra violet lights do work, but you don't need them. You already know you have a problem. Just look for the tiny black droppings. Use any boom and dust pan to clean them up.

It is pretty obvious that your house is not sealed for rodent exclusion. Mice can get in via any hole the size of a dime. So, your job is to inspect the outside and seal up the entryways. Look for any pipe or wire that comes into your house. Check door thresholds to make sure they are snug.

The mice that are already inside can be caught quickly, but you need to put out dozens of traps along all the walls in the basement. Don't skimp! The more you put out, the faster you will get control.

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