Answering Common Questions About The Mice In Lake Worth, FL

Pests in the home can be scary, especially if you’re aware of how dangerous they are to your health. When you fear an infestation of any kind, you probably have a lot of questions. Mice are one of the most common home-invading pests, so in this article, you’ll find answers to your most common mouse questions, including how to protect your home against them.

Understanding Mice: Can They Climb Walls?

Not all mice are equally agile, but climbing is one of their best acrobatic feats. Not only can they jump a foot high, but they can also climb up a vertical wall if it has a little bit of grit. On a smooth wall with virtually no grit, they can climb up to about 13 inches. If there are small spaces between vertical pipes, they can also “shimmy” between them to reach high places. These qualifications make stairs no obstacle for them and attics are definitely not out of reach.

Do Mice Have Night Vision?

No rodents have good vision, but house mice are especially blind. They don’t see well in any light conditions, so their low-light vision is bound to be poor as well. Estimates of their range of vision top out at about 6 inches, which is not even as long as the length of their body from nose to tail.

They’re also probably color blind, according to our current understanding. These limitations don't necessarily mean that they can’t navigate well in the dark, though. Because of their highly sensitive whiskers, they can feel their way around obstacles and navigate pretty efficiently.

What Attracts Mice to Your Home?

Pests are attracted to houses for the same reason humans are: food, water, and shelter. Mice are no exception, and in fact, they’ve been living with humans in our homes since the dawn of agricultural living, so they are well adapted to eating our food and hiding in impossible places. Good sanitation and proper home maintenance aren’t a perfect deterrent to an infestation, but keeping your home in good working order will probably do most of the work to keep your home safe.

Effective Strategies to Keep Mice Out of Your Home

Cutting off the pests’ access to these resources is the best way to keep them out of your home. Start with this list of prevention techniques to get most of the way to a pest-free home:

• Seal any cracks or holes around the home as small as a dime with silicone-based caulk or steel wool.
• Keep door and window screens hole-free and make sure doors and windows can completely seal.
• Don’t keep any doors or windows open, especially not from an alley, backyard, or garage.
• Keep your home and storage spaces clutter-free. If you must have boxes, make sure they’re sealed plastic boxes that can’t be infiltrated.
• Fix any sources of standing or leaking water around your home, including leaking pipes or landscaping issues where water collects.
• Keep outdoor trash sealed and away from the property, and keep indoor trash sealed and regularly taken out. Wash the bins once a week.
• Clean surfaces regularly, and don’t let spills or crumbs sit, even outdoors.
• Store cabinet food in glass or metal containers.
• Install a screen in openings that lead from the outside, such as in your chimney.
• Keep attics and basements well-ventilated and dry. Use a dehumidifier and keep air circulating.
• Store firewood and other hiding places at least twenty feet away from the home.
• Cut back tree limbs that reach over the roof, and don’t plant bushes underneath windows or very near to the home.

Does One Mouse Indicate a Larger Infestation?

Unfortunately, if you’ve seen even one mouse, you most likely have an infestation on your hands. Mice are social creatures that often have large networks of other reproductive members. In house mice, their hierarchies include one dominating male, some lower-ranking males, and a large number of females. In a year, one female can produce around 35 young with litters of up to six every three weeks. Their need for a social network and their reproductive capabilities make a large population far more likely than one measly mouse.

Contact Us for Professional Mouse Removal Services

Above and Beyond Pest Control is the only fool-proof method to keep mice away. Because mice are probably running in larger networks than you can see, do-it-yourself extermination is not only impossible, it’s also dangerous. The safest and most effective way to deal with an infestation is to call Above and Beyond Pest Control for our effective rodent control service.

When you schedule your first appointment, we will inspect the interior and exterior of your home for risk factors that could cause pest activity and for signs of current pests. After the inspection, we will work with you to find a solution. Call Above and Beyond Pest Control to discuss your pest control solutions in Lake Worth.