The Great Mouse Detective

Mice are tiny, quick, and quiet. It is easy to ignore tell tales signs of mice activity until the mouse has become many mice. In this article, we review ways to quickly identify mouse activity and “find them, before they find you!”

In reporting there are the five W’s, Who, What, Where, When and Why. In mouse locating, they are a little different. One must be trained on how to look for mice. You have to think; Underneath, around, behind, and on top of. Mice like to keep out of your way, they are programmed to avoid places that they will be noticed. So think like a mouse, and go look where you normally wouldn’t.

Often times when I have had trouble with mice in the past, I would ignore seeing flashes out of the corner of my eyes. Thinking that I was just finally giving in to madness or losing my eyesight, seemed easier than facing the fact that I might have mice. So, we would recommend to you, pay attention with all of your senses (excluding taste).

Become a mouse detective and respect what each sense can tell you; sight, hearing, touch, and smell. Are you smelling an unusual odor in your home that you just can’t place? Do you hear noises in the evening after your home quiets? Be aware of WHERE those noises are originating? Do you see droppings? Finding any gnaw marks? All of these items can give you clues if your house has an unwanted rodent guest.
These items are important, because when treating your home for mice, the closer to the source of the mice that you get, the better chance you have of eradicating them.

By the source, I mean, are they nesting somewhere in your home? Are they creating a little mouse colony that will be repopulating your home frequently? If you know the main source of your problem, the better you will be able to choose the best treatment option for ridding your home of rodents, as well as place the treatments where they can do the most benefit.

One other item that you should check for is entry ways. Do you have easy access entry points for mice? Have you reviewed the outside of your home for cracks/crevices, utility/cable lines, or gaps around your doors and windows?

If these areas are adequately sealed and a treatment regimen conducted to remove the mouse pests from your home, mice should be a problem no more. But, never forget your mouse detective skills, and utilize them regularly to reduce the incidence of reoccurrence.