Replace Old Materials
Are your home’s dryer, attic, or roof vents damaged, outdated, or both? It’s time to replace them. Rodents and squirrels have no trouble tearing through ducts to get into your attic or house.
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Don’t Hang Bird Feeders
Both mice and squirrels have been observed eating from bird feeders. Squirrels enjoy breaking into bird feeders due to their exceptional climbing abilities. Birds will eat from your bird feeders even if squirrels do not. Birds scatter seeds as they eat, forming mounds on the ground. This convenient source of food attracts mice and rats to your property. What’s the next stop? In your own home.
Seal Cracks & Holes
Go for a stroll in the area surrounding your home. Check for craters and fractures that can be filled with steel wool or sealed with foam. It is crucial to do it properly the first time since mice cannot feed through steel wool. Mice may squeeze through openings as tiny as 14 inches due to their small size. Mice that have entered your house will create their nests in the insulation, attics, refrigerators, beneath stoves, and dishwashers. As soon as these dangers are noticed, it is best to take preventive action.
Avoid Using Essential Oils
They are useless for pest control. If it were so easy, pest control businesses would cease to exist. You must seal the entry point if mice or squirrels enter your house. Consider it in this light. If a bird kept flying through the window, would you fix it or spray essential oils into the broken opening?
Maintain Order
Sweep up crumbs in your home regularly. Pay close attention to trouble spots that are easy to miss, such the space behind stoves and dishwashers. In garages, grass and bird seeds are stored in Tupperware or other containers with tight lids.
Properly Store Pet Food
Mice that have infiltrated your home can access dog and cat food.
Pet food should be discarded overnight rather than left out during the day.
Watch Your Garage
Garages serve as convenient entry points into your home. Water can enter your garage through small cracks around your foundation and gaps under garage doors. Mice can easily fit through a carport and into the basement. Have you discovered any droppings in your basement? It could be the fault of your attached garage.
Cover Your Gutters
Covering your gutters and repairing or replacing damaged drains can help prevent mice and squirrels from entering your attic through open gaps.
Even more pests, such as mosquitoes, prefer to breed in standing water, which can be caused by gutter clogs or neglect.
Don’t Release Pests Into the Wild
Even though it appears to be a gentle method of squirrel removal, this method causes more harm than good. If you move a squirrel, it will almost certainly die. It will suffer if the squirrel is left in an unfamiliar location without access to water, food, or shelter. As a result of being pushed out of the area, squirrels risk becoming prey to predators and losing access to temporary protection. You may inadvertently separate parents from their children, leaving them defenseless and vulnerable.
Do Frequent Inspections
Take a walk around outside of your house. Inspect the utility pipes in your basement for any holes that may have gone undetected. If you notice cracks in your home’s foundation, follow the line to look for potential spots. Do you have any fruit-bearing trees on your property? Throw away fallen fruit and tightly close trash cans to keep squirrels at bay. Enter your basement with a flashlight. Examine any cracks you find, then look for a sight line outside. If you can see, it’s probably big enough for a mouse to fit through. Cover all of these areas to avoid potential infestations.
