Of all the reasons people suffer from restless sleep, the least expected culprit is pests. There are all kinds of pests that can make good sleep difficult to obtain, and while bed bugs and fleas are the most common pests to disrupt slumber, nocturnal pests like mice can also make a good night's rest seem impossible to achieve. If you're at your wit's end with all of their midnight chewing, scratching, and squeaking in your Fort Worth home, it may be time to find a solution for keeping rodents out of your home.
House Mice In Fort Worth – Appearance, Habits, And Dangers
The house mouse is the most common home-infesting rodent in North America, regularly infesting homes in every single state in the US. They're very small, and only grow to roughly five to seven inches in length, tail included. They have gray to light brown fur with lighter underbellies, pointed noses, rounded ears, strong incisors, and long hairless tails. Like all rodents, house mice have incisors that never stop growing, so they'll chew on pretty much anything to keep them filed down.
This constant need to chew can create a very big problem if they infest your Fort Worth home. They can chew through all kinds of materials, from wood-based products to metal, which can lead to broken pipes, damaged weight-bearing wooden beams, and electrical hazards from chewed and frayed wires. Unfortunately, destruction isn't the only danger they bring into homes. Dust and dander induce asthma and allergy flares, dried urine and fecal matter cause respiratory infections to develop, and these pests spread all kinds of dangerous pathogens:
- Hantavirus
- Salmonella
- C Difficile
- Gastroenteritis
- Plague
- Listeria
- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis
- Other pests like ticks, fleas, and parasitic worms
Prevention Tips To Keep Your Fort Worth Home Safe From Mouse Infestations
Most pests are difficult to prevent, but rodents are especially difficult because of their ability to create their own entry points. While this does pose significant challenges in keeping your Fort Worth home safe from house mice, prevention can still reduce the likelihood of an infestation:
- Keep the exterior of your property clean and tidy by removing mulch piles and yard debris
- Make sure gutters are cleared and free of blockages
- Repair any potential entry points around the exterior of your home, and add a thicker gauge metal siding around the foundation of your home
- Trim tree branches and overgrown shrubs away from the exterior of your home
- Keep tight-fitting lids on all interior and exterior trash cans
- Replace any worn-down insulation around doors and windows
- Store all dried and pantry foods in airtight containers
- Sweep, mop, and vacuum regularly to keep food particles off the floor, and always clean up spills immediately after they occur.
- Wipe down counters and eating areas daily
- Get rid of excess clutter to decrease the number of hiding spots
The Only Fool-Proof Method To Keeping House Mice Out Of Your Fort Worth Home
Whether it's inclement weather, the promise of easily accessible food, or just the need for shelter, mice are tenacious creatures that will find a way inside if they can. Prevention won't always stop them from infesting your Fort Worth home, But our pest experts at Lonestar Safe Pest can. We use Integrated Pest Management techniques to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals in your home. We always use the highest quality rodent control products in our treatments. Every treatment comes with our pest-free guarantee. Don't let rodents disturb your much-needed slumber; give us a call today to start discussing your options.