During The Autumn Season Mice Seek Refuge In Homes – Is Yours Protected?

Autumn is usually the time of year when we get an increase of calls for mice removal from homes because as the cold weather of fall approaches, wildlife like mice start seeking warmer abodes. The increase in frigid weather means they’ll be leaving their outdoor homes and seeking the warmth of the inside of an attic or basement, or other sections of a home that will keep them warm and safe during the winter months.

Because of this behaviour, home owners are advised to take advantage of the warmer days leading up to the bitter winds of autumn by arranging a home inspection for mice and other wildlife.

Doing so could save you up to thousands of dollars in repairs and cleanup work, especially if mice get in and go unnoticed for a prolonged period of time.

Key points in this article

• Signs That Mice Can Get Into Your Home Easily
• What Will Happen During The Inspection of My Home?
• The Benefits of Proactive Mice Prevention
• Does My Insurance Company Cover Mouse Damage?

Signs That Mice Can Get Into Your Home Easily

If you own a home you may want to do a preliminary inspection yourself to see if it’s susceptible to mice intrusions. If it appears that your home is an open-door to mice and other wildlife, get in touch with your local mice control company to arrange an inspection.

The following are some of the signs that mice will find it easy to get into your home or that they already have:

• you see mice droppings anywhere around your home
• you frequently see mice rummaging around the external base of your home
• you see unusual holes around external appliances (e.g. electricity box, air conditioners etc.)
• you see unusual holes around your eavestrough, the soffit or the fascia of your home
• you see oily mice residue around the outside of your home’s weeping brick
• you see a mouse or mice debris in your home or attic
• you see mice in your water wells
• you find mice holes around your shed or deck
• you notice holes anywhere around the outside of your home
• you notice damage to interior appliances like the dishwasher

What Will Happen During The Inspection of My Home?

The inspection of your home will involve the following tasks:

• a thorough inspection of the outside of your home for signs of mice
• an inspection will be done to determine which and how many areas of your home are susceptible to entries
• if mice are found to be dwelling in your home they will be removed
• areas of your home susceptible to mice entries will be sealed up thus preventing future entries
• areas of damage will be repaired, cleaned and decontaminated

To summarize, an inspection will determine if you have a mice problem and if so, you should be provided with a long term remedy by your local pest control company. From there you’ll be able to make a decision as to which course of action you’re going to take to solve the problem.

The Benefits of Proactive Mice Prevention

As mentioned above, the cost of a full-blown mice removal job can cost upwards of thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars – we’ve actually had jobs where that was the case.

If you’re not proactive, and your home is still susceptible to mice entries you can expect the following:

• they’ll chew your wires
• they can severely damage your insulation
• the damaged insulation will affect your heating and air conditioning bills
• holes in your attic or elsewhere will affect heating bills and cause water damage
• your ceiling under your attic can be destroyed
• they chew through plastic pipes and could cause flooding in your basement
• they’ll create holes in your home’s foundation
• their droppings will contaminate your home and become dangerous
• they can destroy your appliances, e.g. your dishwasher, washing machine, HVAC
• they’ll damage the structure of your home, especially in your attic

Every home eventually becomes a target and the older your home is the more easily mice will be able to get in without notice.

Does My Insurance Company Cover Mouse Damage?

To date, the vast majority of home insurance companies do not cover damage due to mice and other forms of wildlife infestations. To insurance companies, the prevention of wildlife damage is considered the responsibility of the home owner, so when damage does ensue, it’s up to your to pay for repairs out of your pocket. In all our years in the wildlife removal business, we’ve get to hear of an insurance company that will cover damage repairs.

The best way to avoid potential headaches and unforeseen expenses is to preemptively hire a pest control company before a problem arises, or, if you already have a mouse issue, to get it resolved before it becomes worse. The choice is yours.