AN expert has warned that making four common household mistakes could turn your house into a haven for mice this autumn.
As the , and the nights begin to draw in, you may have started to notice signs that have invaded your home.
Mice can wreak havoc in your home
Mice seek shelter from the cold weather inside cosy homes, and, as food sources outside become scarce, your kitchen cupboard becomes more and more attractive to them.
The pesky critters may look cute, but they can contaminate food and surfaces with diseases like salmonella, and even chew through wires and cause damage to your home.
So how do you keep your home rodent-free? Frederic de Ryckman de Betz, CEO of HOLD Self Storage has revealed the common mistakes you should avoid to prevent your home from being overrun by pesky critters.
Leaving clothes and blankets in unsealed boxes
When packing away your duvet or switching to your wardrobe, you may think there’s no harm in just chucking things in an unsealed box.
However, Frederic revealed that this can create a haven for mice to nest in.
“Mice see soft fabrics as premium nesting material and will chew through everything from wool jumpers to down duvets to create cosy homes for their growing families”, he said.
“I’ve seen families lose entire wardrobes because they stored their summer clothes in open boxes.
“Mice don’t just nibble, but shred fabric to line their nests, and once they’ve established a territory, they’re incredibly difficult to remove.”
To avoid this, simply pack your belongings away in airtight containers, and consider vaccuum packing larger items such as duvets.
Storing pet food and bird seed in original packaging
Homeowners often keep dog biscuits and cat food in the plastic packaging it comes in, but Frederic revealed that by doing this, you’re pretty much “rolling out the red carpet” for mice.
“Mice can smell food through packaging from remarkable distances,” he explained.
“A single bag of bird seed left in a garage can attract every mouse in the neighbourhood.”
Instead, Frederic advised keeping birdseed and pet food in plastic airtight containers and making sure it’s placed on high shelves and not on the floor.
Stacking cardboard boxes on the floor
According to the expert, if you stack cardboard boxes on top of a concrete floor, you are creating ideal conditions for mice.
How quickly can a mice infestation multiply?
IF you want to keep mice out of your home, here's everything you need to know...
Rapid Reproduction:
- Breeding Age: Mice can start reproducing as early as 6 weeks old.
- Gestation Period: The gestation period for mice is approximately 19-21 days.
- Litter Size: A female mouse can give birth to a litter of 5-12 pups.
Exponential Growth:
- Frequency of Litters: A single female mouse can have up to 10 litters per year.
- Population Explosion: Under optimal conditions, a pair of mice can lead to a population of over 100 mice in just a few months.
Ideal Conditions:
- Shelter and Food: Warm environments with abundant food sources accelerate population growth.
- Survival Rate: High survival rates of young mice contribute to rapid infestation escalation.
Control Measures:
- Early Detection: Quick identification and intervention are crucial to prevent a full-blown infestation.
- Professional Help: Engaging pest control services can effectively manage and eliminate the problem.
By understanding their rapid reproductive cycle, you can better appreciate the urgency of addressing a mice infestation promptly.
This is because the moisture from the ground, the chewable cardboard and the dark spaces to hide in create a playground that the critters are sure to flock to.
“Damp cardboard becomes soft and easy to chew, while the gaps between boxes provide perfect hiding spots,” said Frederic.
“I can’t count how many times we’ve encountered mice that have turned entire stacks of boxes into multi-level apartment complexes.”
If you don’t fancy an infestation of mice, it’s best to store boxes on shelves at least six inches off the ground, to prevent moisture damage and make them harder to get to.
Ignoring small gaps
Mice love squeezing through tiny gaps to get inside homes, and can fit inside spaces as small as a 10p coin.
“You can have the most organised, sealed storage in the world, but if there’s a gap under your shed door or a hole where pipes enter your garage, you’re still vulnerable,” Frederic said.
To make sure there’s no way mice can enter your home, be sure to seal any tiny holes with steel wool, caulk and expanding foam.
