When the temperatures drop during the winter, it’s common for mice to seek shelter inside your home. With access to food and water nearby, attics, basements, air ducts, crawl spaces, and wall cavities serve as inviting spaces for rodents to stay warm and safe during winter. As such, it’s important to take pest control precautions that will keep mice from getting in your house, causing damage, and exposing your family to disease. Here are a few tips to ensure your living space stays rodent-free.

How to Prevent a Wintertime Mice Infestation

1. Seal Up Entry Points

Mice can fit through tiny openings, making it fairly simple for them to enter your home. Therefore, you must seal up all potential access points to keep them out. Check for cracks, gaps, and holes around the foundation, windows, doors, pipes, chimneys, and roof rafters. Fill in holes with steel wool or hardware cloth, and use caulking or weatherstripping around windows and doorframes to create a barrier. You can also use vent caps or mesh screens to block off open vents. 

2. Eliminate Food Sources 

Keeping your kitchen clean is vital to pest control, including preventing a mice infestation. These rodents will eat almost anything, and readily available food will attract them to your property. Put food away in tightly sealed containers, don’t leave anything on the counters, and take the trash out daily. Don’t allow dirty dishes to pile up in the sink, wipe up spills and cooking messes right away, and clean the floors and countertops frequently to get rid of crumbs.

3. Maintain Your Yard

It’s easy to neglect your landscaping duties during the winter months, but your yard can provide the ideal place for mice to hide, giving them an opportunity to gain access inside. Keep woodpiles far enough away from the side of your house and make sure outdoor trashcans are tightly closed. Also, trim back any foliage they can use to climb onto your roof and into the attic.

If you have mice inside your home, don’t wait to contact Central Tennessee Termite & Pest Control in Cookeville, TN. Backed by more than 20 years of experience, they’re equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to handle your rodent problem quickly and efficiently. They provide effective pest control solutions throughout Putnam County and the surrounding communities and are proud to have won First Place in Pest Control in the Upper Cumberland area for the Herald-Citizen 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards. Call (931) 526-2033 to request an estimate, or visit them online to learn more about their pest control services.