Does It Get Too Cold for Mice?

Content Summary

• Rodents need a warm environment in the winter.
• They are skilled at digging tunnels if they can’t get inside your house, through your walls or utility lines.
• To keep rodents out of your home in winter, try the following prevention strategies

Do Rodents Hibernate?

It’s a common misconception that rodents like mice, rats, and even squirrels hibernate during the winter. This is, unfortunately, untrue. Even though they may become less active outside in the colder months, rodents are active all year long.

Rodents need a warm environment in the winter. They will try to get inside your house, like other pests, searching for a warm place to stay. To gain access to your home, rats, in particular, can chew through concrete, brick, glass, lead, aluminum, vinyl, and even cinder blocks.

They are skilled at digging tunnels if they can’t get inside your house, through your walls or utility lines.

Do you live in cold weather and are concerned about mice entering your home? It’s a common worry because the cooler weather can force these rodents indoors, where they can cause damage.

But how far will they go to find protection from the cold? This blog post will look into the answer to that query and advise how to prevent mice from entering your home during the winter.

Continue reading to learn more about what you can do to protect your residence from trespassing rodents!

Recognizing and Seizing Opportunities

Rodents are extremely creative when it comes to surviving. They can adapt to almost any situation. Rodents have the perfect place to spend the winter because of the convenient openings in our homes’ walls, attics, basements, and between-the-floor spaces that shield them from the elements.

These hiding places frequently include insulation, giving them the ideal nest material. They have perfect living conditions all winter when we turn on the heat and provide food scraps and other food sources.

To keep rodents out of your home in winter, try the following prevention strategies:

1. Seal Every Entry Point

Check your home’s exterior for any cracks or holes that could be used as entry points by rodents, and seal them.

2. Store Food Properly

Maintain appropriate food storage by keeping food in airtight containers and routinely cleaning up spills and crumbs.

3. Reduce clutter

Rodents like to hide in stacks of papers, boxes, and other stuff, so do your best to reduce it.

4. Use Traps

Put traps in places where you’ve noticed evidence of rodent activity.

5. Remove or Seal Trash Properly

Rodents are attracted to food odors, so make sure your trash cans have tight-fitting lids. Seal outdoor trash cans.

6. Use Pest Repellent

Consider using a natural rodent repellent like peppermint oil.

Aside from using peppermint oil, consider a few other repellents:

Ammonia: Rodents do not enjoy the strong, pungent odor of ammonia.
Chips Made from Cedar: Rodents don’t like the smell of cedar, so it can deter them.
Cinnamon: Rodents are said to be repelled by the powerful aroma of cinnamon.
Bleach: Spray bleach all over your house after mixing or combining it with water. Use bleach carefully because it can be harmful if swallowed or inhaled. For safety, put on gloves and a mask before handling this product. Check to see if the rodents are gone after a few days.

It’s important to remember that not all repellents work well against all rodent species, and some may only work temporarily. Getting in touch with a pest control expert at Van Den Berge Pest Control is best to find the solution for your situation.

Why Should You Hire a Pest Control Specialist?

Specialists in pest control have the knowledge and training needed to identify and eliminate any rodent or pest infestation. This also involves using innovative tools and equipment to locate and seal any potential entry points or hiding places for these rodents.

As rodents may be likely carriers of infections or diseases, you should also consider safety when dealing with them. You don’t want to get involved in such dealings, as they call for expert care. Call 616-392-7367 to speak with a pest control specialist at Van Den Berge Pest Control. For eight years running, we have received the Best of West Michigan Pest Control award.

Rodents spend the winter in about 21 million homes in the United States. Unfortunately, these pests can seriously harm property and pose health risks to homeowners.

If you had encountered these intrusive guests, you might have been looking for ways to keep them away in the future. The methods listed above help prevent them from entering. Hire a pest control expert if you think you cannot handle the stress of dealing with them yourself.