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The common house mouse can squeeze through tiny cracks and holes about the size of a dime. This ability allows them to easily enter people’s homes and apartments in search of food, warmth, and nesting spots.
Finding and sealing these entry points is an important part of long-term rodent control, since it prevents more mice from getting inside.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of searching for mice entry points and how to seal them.
Common Entry Points to Look For
The search for mice entry points requires you to look for any crack or opening larger than the size of dime. These can be potentially used by mice as a means of getting into your home.
To find them, you may need to look outside, inside, above, and below your home.
On Exterior Walls
- Transitions from one wall material to another
- Weep holes in brick
- Trees or branches near a window
- Plumbing pipes and faucets
- Cable and gas lines
- Plumbing pipes
- Dryer vents
Inside the Home
- Windows and windowsills
- Gaps between exterior doors and the floor
- Gaps between the floor and wall juncture
- Floor corners in closets
- Floor vents and dryer vents
- Fireplaces
- Basements and crawl spaces
- Pipes going to hot water heaters and furnaces
In the Kitchen
- Inside, below, and behind kitchen cabinets
- Stoves, refrigerators, and other large appliances
- Pipes under the sink
- Kitchen vents
In the Bathroom
- Shower and bathtub drains
- Pipes under the sink
- Bathroom vents
In the Laundry Room
- Household dryer vents
- Laundry room floor drains
- Pipes around washing machines
Around the Attic
- Roof rafters
- Roof eaves
- Roof vents
Signs of Mouse Entry Points
Entry points being actively used by mice to get into or around your home might have one or more of these common signs.
However, not seeing any of these signs around a particular crack, hole, or gap doesn’t rule it out from being an entry point. Any crack, hole, or gap can be an entry point for mice and rodents, or may become one in the future.
Tracks and Footprints
To help find footprints and tracks of mice in your home, try sprinkling talcum powder or flour along the floors in areas with suspected mice activity. This allows you to see footprints along the flooring.
Droppings
Spotting mouse droppings is a more obvious way to recognize if you have an infestation. The more dried up droppings are, the older they are. If you have a large amount of droppings, that can determine how big of an infestation you’re dealing with.
Gnaw Marks
Mice commonly gnaw on or chew through wooden objects such as door corners, baseboards, joists, or wall studs. They do this to find spots to burrow or create their nests. Mice tend to leave behind cleaner cut markings in comparison to rats that leave behind more rough markings.
Urine Stains
Urine stains can be found in similar locations as mice droppings. If you can’t clearly see the stains, you can use UV lights to detect them.
Sealing Mice Entry Points
Once you’ve determined where mice are getting into your home, you can take steps to seal these entry points to prevent more mice from getting in.
Here are some helpful materials for blocking off mice entry points:
- Steel wool or aluminum mesh: Mice are unable to chew through these materials. Use steel wool for small gaps around the house. Steel wool has a tendency to rust quickly. If you find that this is happening, try copper wool or aluminum mesh.
- Exterior caulking: Use exterior caulking to reseal holes once you’ve mended them.
- Wood putty: Use wood putty to reseal holes once you’ve mended them.
- Sheet Metal: Use sheet metal to seal any holes in the apartment’s foundation.
- Cement: There may be rules prohibiting the use of cement in an apartment building, however, it’s a great resource to permanently seal gaps around foundations and pipes.
Continually check your property for possible entry points even after you’ve plugged any holes to ensure no new holes have been formed. It’s also important to check on old holes you’ve filled up to ensure they are still intact.
Rodent Exclusion in New York City
Keeping mice out of your home permanently takes a great deal of patience. It may take you a while to pin down the location of entry points, and you also might have to try several different materials before finding one that successfully keeps these pesky rodents out for good.
For professional help with rodent proofing and exclusion around New York City, contact MMPC today! We offer one of the top-rated pest exclusion services in the Tri-State Area. Call (212) 219-8218 or contact us through our website to learn more!