Mice infestation

[tsm]

I've got mice that keep getting into my basement via pathways and openings that aren't obvious to me. I'm keeping them under control with poison feeding stations just outside the house, so they don't last long, but I could use someone experienced in finding and repairing entry points.

Anyone have any recommendations for companies or individuals who could help with this problem around the Fort Wayne area? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[grunt soldier]

A couple good out door cats will take care of the problem for you.

 

[Woobie]

They can get through a hole that is 5 or 6mm wide. You can install some glue boards on the inside along walls until you find all those holes. Don't use foam to patch. Use masonry products and/or steel wool. Seal up any hole you can put a pencil in.

Dont know of any good companies in Allen county. I don't really go that far north.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Menards has Rodent Foam. Expanding with a Rodent deterrent so they wont eat it. Look for gaps @ the basement wall/bottom plate and around pipes, vents etc.

 

[churchmouse]

Gas line and A/C line penetrations.
Loose siding at ground level.
Cable penetrations.
Anything like this.

How old is your house..??

 

[Woobie]

Menards has Rodent Foam. Expanding with a Rodent deterrent so they wont eat it. Look for gaps @ the basement wall/bottom plate and around pipes, vents etc.

Doesn't work.

 

[natdscott]

Doesn't work.

Really?I haven't had the first IOTA of penetration where I've used it. They don't even touch it.

To the OP: I recommend crawling. Literally crawl around the foundation with a good light, and fill anything that looks like a hole. THEN, wait until dark, illuminate the basement/crawl really well, and do the same crawl (obviously the same can be done to some extent with the sun, and crawling around the INside, but it's usally tougher to get around the crawl).

Once you are pretty darn anal-retentively-certain that all the holes are filled, all drain pipes have mesh, etc...all that remains is to kill off any that are living in the house.

That last bit is conceptually simple, but...

-Nate

 

[Woobie]

Really?I haven't had the first IOTA of penetration where I've used it. They don't even touch it.

To the OP: I recommend crawling. Literally crawl around the foundation with a good light, and fill anything that looks like a hole. THEN, wait until dark, illuminate the basement/crawl really well, and do the same crawl (obviously the same can be done to some extent with the sun, and crawling around the INside, but it's usally tougher to get around the crawl).

Once you are pretty darn anal-retentively-certain that all the holes are filled, all drain pipes have mesh, etc...all that remains is to kill off any that are living in the house.

That last bit is conceptually simple, but...

-Nate

My theory is that the strains they test on are not always representative of strains found in the wild. This happens all the time with pesticides. I've seen where they've chewed right through the stuff like it wasn't even there.

 

[natdscott]

Huh. And I only use just the regular yellow "Great Stuff".

Seems to work here.

-Nate

 

[Vigilant]

Since I live in the land of cornfields *** subdivisions, mice are a regular occurrence. Cats are the best answer indoor and outdoor. I feed the local stray a little bit at a time, to keep them coming back outside, and my indoor cats make it a point to prove they are earning their kibble!

 

[CampingJosh]

I can't keep cats, as the dogs won't even begin to allow it. They love people, and they like dogs, but they try to kill anything else that breathes.

I use silicone caulk where possible. When I do use spray foam, I embed steel wool within it. (Fill the gap with steel wool, then foam over it on both sides.) Mortar is better still.

And then I put a lot of poison in the crawl space.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

We're in the land of corn fields as well... As soon as the crops come down, the mice try to get into the crawl spaces. Just tossed some dcon blocks into each crawl space last night.

 

[ws6guy]

I have a similar issue, except I have chipmunks creating the entry point. I have bump out in the front of the house where the basement wall doesn't extend to the bump out area. Basically it creates a mini 3'x3' crawl space that is open to the basement (at least above the drop ceiling).

I have these damn chipmunks that keep burrowing under the bump out creating tunnels for the mice to get in. Fortunately I haven't had any issues with the munks coming in but mice sure as hell do. I also think this might have been how I got mice in my attic a couple of times, little bastards climbing inside the walls. Anyway when they dig a new hole I put some poison in the hole and that seems to take care of the issue until more munks decide to do it again. They must leave behind their scent which attracts more. I'm not sure what else I can do. I'm about to start peeing down the hole

 

[1775usmarine]

Check your dryer vent. Found out our flap wasn't working allowing them to get inside.