How to Spot Rodent Entry Points and Get Rid of Them

Rodents in the house are an unpleasant problem that you may encounter in your home. Mice and rats can bring a lot of problems both physically and morally. They can also become carriers of various diseases.

Unfortunately, according to statistics, at the moment the number of mice in homes has increased, this is largely due to the fact that people have begun to lead a more relaxed lifestyle and often cook at home without cleaning food on time.

Hence a large number of mice and rats. But don’t be scared, rodent exclusion is not that difficult. Let’s see how to spot rodent entry points.

What is rodent exclusion?

Rodent exclusion helps you get rid of rodents completely. You will be able to find entry and exit points, and thus prevent further visits by uninvited guests.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to make an exception yourself, since sometimes the mice entry points are unexpected. In some cases, it is better to consult a specialist for this process.

Why do rodents enter a home?

There are three main reasons why mice and rates can appear in your apartment.

The onset of cold weather

With the appearance of the first frosts, the mice are looking for a new shelter for themselves. She moves from damp basements to warm apartments. It can settle on the balcony, above the stretch ceiling, in the walls, climb under the drywall, settle in the bathroom, and in other hidden places.

Therefore, with the onset of the first cold weather stripping, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures. If there is a cat or a dog in the house, rodents will never get started here.

Food

Food left on the table lures rodents. Even if the kitchen cabinets are suspended to a height of more than one meter, they will easily get to it. This problem is especially relevant for those who have a special room in their apartment (house) for storing cereals and other bulk stocks in bags or bags.

If traces of the presence of these “cute” animals in the form of excrement, gnawed bags, or packages are found, urgent measures must be taken.

Violation of sanitation standards

It cannot be said that this is the most common cause of the appearance of mice. Most often they are started in dilapidated houses in which repair work has not been carried out for a long time.

Here they have all the conditions for survival: holes in the walls and under the baseboards, leaking pipes, clutter, and other factors.

In addition, there is access to food in unsanitary premises: breadcrumbs left on the table, and garbage not taken out in a timely manner. But in such situations, neighbors suffer more, because these pests can easily move to them through holes, and cracks in partitions.

How to find mouse entry points

There are eleven of the most mouse and rodent entry points that mice can get into your house. Let’s look at each in more detail.

Gaps between Vinil Siding

Vinyl siding is a favorite mouse entry point to the house. Usually, vinyl siding has a lot of mouse entry points, for example, J-channels and corner posts, through which they can get to you.

They crawl into an empty space, and then with the help of claws and teeth unload the passage to your house. They can also get into the house through a mouse hole in the vinyl siding through the attic. By the way, here are some tips for protecting your home’s loft in this post Do Rats Leave the Attic During the Day and What Else to Know.

To avoid this, even before installing the corner siding, it is recommended to stretch a combination of steel mesh. If you don’t have it, then pull it on. It is not expensive, and the work will not take much time.

Brick wall weaknesses

Sometimes there are problems with brick walls in houses. This may be due to damage or poor work of the builders. It is very easy for rodents to get inside through such cracks. To avoid this, use a special mortar for the foundation and cover all the holes with it.

If this has already happened, see How to Get Rid of Mice in the Attic and Walls.

Foundation cracks

It often happens that common rodent entry points are cracks that form in the foundations. In this way, rodents gain access to your home. To avoid this, you need to eliminate all the cracks from the outside.

Garage

A common rodent entry point in the house may also be an attached garage. Mice and rats can get to you through the garage. They climb through the unequal garage door, or just through an open hole. Rodents can also stay in garages for a long time, as food sources or pet food are often stored there and there is a lot of space where a person cannot be disturbed. In this way, rodents gain access to your home.

To avoid the appearance of uninvited guests, reduce the number of necessary things to a minimum. Carefully check your garage and garage door, if there are small holes and rodent entry point, then fill them with silicone or cement. Do not leave the garage door open for a long time. Make sure that the garage door fits snugly to the ground.

Chimney

Telltale signs: the chimney is another way for entry point in which an animal can get into your house. This method is difficult for rodents, but some individuals use it. Clinging to the bricks with sharp claws, they climb up the chimney and get inside the house.

As a protective device, you can install a small grate through which mice activity and rats cannot get through. To find out more, go to the post How to Get Rid of Rats in the Attic.

Utility lines and HVAC and laundry room floor

Various engineering and gas lines can form mouse entry point to get into your house. Make sure that there is no potential entry point, and if there are any, then carefully fill them with sealant.

These lines may also include washing machines, hot water heaters and air conditioning, and other experienced technicians.

Holes in roof

Following signs – the mouse entry point through which can get into your house is the roof. They can climb into the cracks and common entry point that appear in the paint after the installation of ventilation. Make sure that there are no potential entry points or cracks on your roof.

Weep Vents

Ventilation holes are special gaps in the wall, which are made so that the air is filtered in the room without forming condensate, etc. But unfortunately for the smallest rodents, this is a great common entry point to get into your house.

A good option in this situation would be to put a grid on the vent, so rodents will not be able to get to you.

Gaps Between Buildings

Another potential entry point may be a gap in the base of the building. Often, during construction work, small gaps are formed in buildings. Common entry points for rodents are formed. Such problems can form:

• the gap between the roof and facade
• the gap between siding and foundation
• roof fascia

In such situations, it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of rodents on your own. Call pest control specialists who can help you. They will seal all gain entry point and eliminate mice.

Door and Frames

With poor installation of exterior doors and windows, cracks can form through which rats and mice can also get into your house. You should carefully inspect all doors and windows for depressurization and then try to fix the problem by gluing everything with sealant or silicone.

Roof vents

Another way that mice can get into your house is through a ventilation hole on the roof. They slip through the gaps that are formed as a result of the installation. Therefore, it is so important to hermetically seal all common rodent entry points when installing a ventilation system. Unfortunately, this is not always easy to see, so we recommend that you seek help from pest control specialists.

They will carefully complete an inspection of the entire house, find entry points, and prevent future infestations.

Most often, entry points are found in the corridors, in the kitchen cabinets, and in places near the air conditioners.

To know what all of the above rodent entry points look like, watch this video:

How to seal mice entry points

After we found out how you can rodent proofing entry points, let’s talk about how rodent exclusion and seal.

The most important thing in rodent exclusion is to take different materials that will be very difficult for rodents to break. It can be a sealant or silicone. Steel wool or concrete. With the help of such materials, rodent activity will either break their teeth or get stuck (steel wool).

You can also use a steel mesh, but it is important that it is shallow. So, rodents will not be able to get into your house. If you decide to fight on your own, then you can try to place special vertical surfaces.

Of course, there is not always time, opportunity, and strength to prevent future infestations yourself, then you can contact a special rodent pest control service.

Hazards of rodent infestations

Rodent infestations carry on their bodies the most dangerous viruses and bacteria that can cause great harm to human health. This is their main danger. Carry disease control that can be contracted from mice and rodent activity are often deadly.

Rodent infestation carries the risk of getting sick with toxoplasmosis, salmonellosis, leptospirosis, tularemia, bartonellosis, hantavirus infection, Lassa fever, Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and many other types of fevers.

Why hire professional pest control company for an inspection

To cope with rodents – use a professional pest control company. They will fully analyze your house for the presence of rodents, as well as entry points. After that, they will carefully seal all possible entry points, providing you with security. As an alternative, they will treat the premises with a special tool that will scare away all the mice.

As for the cost, such work can cost several hundred dollars for several visits. But believe me, this is clearly better than giving money for repairs or buying new furniture and appliances.

 

Conclusion

Preventing mice and rates from your home will help you avoid a lot of problems. Follow the instructions and pay attention to the signs that we talked about above. If grease marks that you don’t have mice will be completely clean and undamaged the home’s interior.

The rodent problem is solved easily, the main thing is not to worry and ask for help from specialists or do everything yourself.

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