Mouse in the House!

I was on an inspection of a home and we could see that a few mice had made themselves home.  As we continued our inspection of the vacant property it was evident that mouse population might be significant.

I didn't notice any obvious places for mice to gain access to the home.  The next day I met with my client and a pest control company representative.  The pest control person walked the outside of the property just like we had done.

He shared with us that one of the areas that are like open doors to homes is the corner trim spots on siding.  Here I thought you put out mouse traps and you would be rid of the uninvited guests shortly.

Nobody like these spring loaded little traps.  The new traps introduced a few years ago is the mouse "Hotel".  You put bait inside and wait for them to walk inside.  Then dispose of the "Hotel" without looking inside or seeing the little pest that makes your life miserable.

The pest control guy has a large bag of steel wool in his hand.  He opens the bag and starts putting it underneath the siding corners.  He gave us this silly grin and says this works every time.  You stop the paths to get into the house and you won't need all those traps, hotels and bait to get a mouse.  They just go to the next house if they can't find an easy way into your home.

I would have never given these areas a second thought.  I was glad I met with the buyer and pest control company to go over the infestation of mice.  Usually we are talking about termites or water damage, drainage, roofs, windows or flooring issues but rarely do I get in on a conversation about mice or the possibility of mice taking over a home.

The sale is going to happen now that the buyer feels like he can control the problem.  He said his wife would "freak out" if she heard a mouse.  If she actually seen one she would be on top of the counter, table or bed.

The mouse traps had a cheese smell built into the little plastic bait plate that didn't work at all.  Then when they were baited the mice thought it was nice of the homeowner to furnish a fresh meal of cheese!  They didn't trip the trap.  The "Hotels" didn't work either, they just walked in ate and left without leaving a tip for the free meal!

Try using steel wool up in the corners of your siding to stop mice from coming into the house.

Any tricks you have learned to stop mice.  No...they didn't want a cat! :-)