Hidden Rodent Highways Inside Homes: How Mice Move Between Walls?

Where Do They Go?

Mice prefer to live in dark, warm areas that aren’t often disturbed, thus basements and attics provide them with the best hiding spots in your home. They can get into a house through holes in the walls as small as the size of a dime; once inside, they will move vertically and horizontally through the frame, utility lines, and insulation in the walls.

Let’s look at how the mice travel throughout these hidden routes:

1. Basements Are Where Mice Get In.

There are many houses in the Halton and Hamilton regions with either old foundations or unfinished basements that are ideal places for mice to enter. Mice can gain entry to a home by breaking through cracks in the concrete, through holes where the sealant on the window is damaged, through holes where utility pipes are run into and out of the house, and through poorly sealed vents.

Mice enter the house through the basement, where they will:

• Make nests behind appliances or in boxes that have been stored
• Get into the wall system where there are holes around the plumbing in the walls
• Use furnace vents or sump pump holes as a way to get around
• At this point, the mice can now get into the walls to continue to explore throughout the house.

2. Walls Are The Highways For Mice.

Mice travel throughout the walls of your home like they would on an expressway. Mice will travel through the walls of your home following the heat and smell of food that comes from your kitchen and pantry. Mice use electrical, plumbing, and other service lines that run vertically through houses as a method of movement between various locations inside.

For example, in both Oakville and Burlington, if you hear faint noises behind your walls, it may be from mice using those service lines as a transit corridor to get to your attic after spending time in the basement or main level of the house.

Once in the attic, the following are common ways that mice will use the area as a suitable nesting site:

• Mice will create nests in the insulation material,
• Mice will chew on cartons or other wood products as nesting material,
• Mice will also leave droppings throughout the insulation area.

Mice and Rodent Prevention

Many homes in the areas mentioned above are located near wooded trails, ravines, or old sewer lines. These environments create perfect habitats for rodents.

Signs You Might Have A Rodent Problem

The early signs of an infestation may be easy to miss. Mice will prefer to stay hidden but they will leave subtle clues in their wake. These include:

• Droppings found in drawers or cupboards
• Shredded paper, insulation, cardboard or fabric
• Noises inside the walls, usually heard at night
• Bite marks on food packaging
• Pungent or musky odors

If you are noticing any of these signs of infestation in your home, regardless of whether you live in Hamilton’s east end or rural Milton, you should inspect your home immediately.

Blocking The Highways – How To Prevent A Rodent Infestation

Getting rid of mice isn’t about just removing the ones you see. It’s about removing their access to hidden routes of movement throughout your home. Here are some ways to block the highways that allow them access to your home:

• Seal the basement
• Caulk all visible cracks, and seal around all pipes!
• Install proper weather stripping and a door sweep on exterior doors.
• Secure your wall construction (use steel wool to block any openings for pipes).
• Inspect all of your baseboards and seal all loose or broken edges.

Protect Your Attic

• Screen off all vents and any soffits that may lead into your attic.
• Trim back any tree branches that touch the roof.

General Maintenance

• Store any food in sealed containers.
• Declutter garages and basements.
• Eliminate any leaks and reduce the humidity levels in your home to eliminate any source of water for mice.

When To Get Help

While DIY means of prevention are helpful, it is best to consult a professional pest control service if you are hearing or seeing mice in your home. Pest control professionals in Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton and Milton will understand the local construction practices and the local rodent population patterns, so they can best help you.

They will:

• Locate and seal entry points.
• Use thermal imaging equipment to locate rodent activity.
• Safely remove nests.
• Provide you with long-term, ongoing solutions tailored to your home.

Conclusion

It is not just the presence of mice that creates a rodent problem in your home. The fact that they can move quickly and quietly through your walls, basement and attic makes it more difficult to catch them before they can create a problem. By understanding the routes that mice travel through your home, you will be better equipped to prevent them from entering your home in the first place.

Rodent highways are created by how houses are built, how nature meets housing developments, and how you live within your home. Once you know the signs of rodent entry points and the highways that mice use to travel, it becomes easier to take action quickly and effectively.

If you notice sign of rodent issue; Scratching walls, dropping on the floor, or seeing dead or running mice inside your home, don’t wait for the problem to get bigger. Contact the professional exterminators at Maximum Pest Control Services to help eradicate them the right way. Our insured and bonded exterminators apply only the best methods helping this issue to be solved, as well as other options available; outside exclusion with 10 years guaranteed, so you can rest in peace knowing Maximum Team at your side calling for mice control professionals (905) 582-5502.