Hi there and HELP! I just need to know exactly what products I should use
in order to make sure the little buggers (mice) do not come in here
anymore. Nasty creatures! Is it true that they will chew through caulking
as well as expanding foam? Do I use steel wool? Please give me whatever
advice you can. Mice seem to enjoy living in our cellar where we store a
whole bunch of stuff. I put almost everything now in Rubbermaid plastic
containers. There are droppings on shelves and I see one dead mouse on the
floor. He had eaten some poison. I can't stand to see them or their
droppings so must stop their entrance now. Also, it is November and I need
to know what works in this weather from the outside. Sorry to be so long
winded.
Thank you in advance.
Paula
Mouse Proof House
Summary: Rats and mice can enter your home or workplace through a passageway smaller than you can imagine. They can jump, climb, swim and wind their way through nearly any man-made barrier.
The first question pest management professionals hear when we are called in to eliminate rodents from a house or building is “How did they get in here?” There seems to be a great misconception about the size entryway that is required for a mouse or rat to successfully get past man-made barriers.
Let’s make it really easy. To achieve a mouse proof house figure a mouse can get past anything larger than a dime and a rat requires a hole only the size of a quarter. “No way!” everyone shouts. How in the world could an animal the size of a rat get through a hole so small? Rodents have the unique ability to elongate or stretch their bodies so that they need only worry about squeezing the bone structure of their heads through the holes they are trying to navigate.
If you look a comparison pictures of rats and mice it is easy to see that their heads are streamlined and certainly much smaller than the rest of their bodies. Noses are pointed and ears fold backwards, giving them a sleek appearance.The whiskers on their noses give them instant feedback as to whether they will fit through or not.
If you can see light coming from under a door threshold it is time to put on new door sweeps or entirely new threshold. Close up holes where pipes come through walls using quick setting concrete or hardware cloth.
Remember! Give a rodent an inch and he’ll…..squeeze through it.
Comments
Paula
08 Nov 2008, 18:28
08 Nov 2008, 18:28
Ask the Exterminator
09 Nov 2008, 14:16
09 Nov 2008, 14:16
Rodents will chew on most available surfaces in order to keep their front
teeth from over-growing their bottom jaw. So, the trick is to fill entry
holes with products they will not chew through. Expanding foam will not
stop rodents. Steel wool breaks down once it gets wet. You might want to
try quick setting concrete patch or a copper mesh called Stuf-It.
It is very important to remove vegetation growing along foundation walls. Rodents like to move hidden from view, so anything piled against the house needs to be removed. Eliminate clutter in the basement and you will make it less desirable for rodents.
It is very important to remove vegetation growing along foundation walls. Rodents like to move hidden from view, so anything piled against the house needs to be removed. Eliminate clutter in the basement and you will make it less desirable for rodents.