You’re smart about leaving food out around your home. You keep the place clean and don’t do anything that might attract attention from potential invaders, like mice. The problem is that there’s only so much you can do if you’re not watching the two main superhighways that lead right from the ground level into your home.
Mice will take any opportunity they can find, and your basement windows and vents will lead them right to the warmth, food, and shelter they want. If you’re ready to shut down their operation, you need to know how they’re accessing your joint.
Basement windows sit low to the ground, which means they’re easy to access for any mouse running the perimeter of your foundation. Even windows that look tightly closed can have worn weatherstripping, small cracks in the frame, or a corner that doesn’t quite seal. If there’s a window well, that’s even better.
If the basement windows are the side door, foundation vents are the main gate. Dryer exhaust vents, crawl space vents, and HVAC returns are designed to move air in and out of your home. The problem is, they move other things in and out, too.
Where do you think your dryer vent goes? Right to the outside. And if the screen at the end of the vent tube has holes or is missing entirely? If it’s not fit securely into the outlet? There’s your mouse entry point. The warm air from those vents is enough to attract mice, too, especially in fall and winter when all they want is to find somewhere safe and warm.
Mice test entry points repeatedly. They also remember routes that worked before, and are incredibly persistent. They’re also fast breeders. Just one single female mouse can have five to 10 litters a year.
Walk through your basement and look at every window frame, vent cover, and gap where pipes or wires enter the foundation wall. You need to check for gnaw/tooth marks, mouse droppings, or dark marks along the edges (signs that someone’s been casing the place).
Think mice have already made it inside? Don’t wait for the problem to grow. Contact Mice Mob today to schedule an inspection.
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