Understanding Mouse Activity in Your Home
Mice are highly adaptable rodents that enter homes through tiny spaces and creep throughout a home. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand when and where they are most active so that you can prevent infestations, even before the first signs of mice activity.
In this Precise Pest Control article, we cover the places where and times when mice make their moves so you can stop them in their tracks and live in a pest-free environment.
Daily Activity Habits of Mice
Mice are primarily nocturnal, which means they move around the most after dusk. This is when human activity typically decreases, and people feel safer venturing out to search for food. The prime times for mice activity are 30 to 60 minutes after your household quiets down. For example, mice commonly start moving throughout a home between 10 pm and 11 pm.
However, mice are also known to move within a house during the daytime, especially in areas with low human activity that remain undisturbed during the day.
Seasonal Patterns of Mice
Mice become very active during the fall, as they begin to seek warmth, shelter, and a consistent food source before winter. In New Jersey, our “mouse season” typically runs from September to November.
Mice in our area often remain indoors between December and February once they find reliable food and nesting areas. Mice remain active year-round and frequently breed in attics, basements, and wall cavities.
In the summer, mice breed, and young mice may venture out into the wild on their own.
Where Mice Prefer to Live
When mice are active indoors, they tend to gravitate toward basements, attics, crawl spaces, and wall voids. You may also notice mouse activity behind appliances and inside cabinets.
Other common areas for mouse activity include sheds, garages, HVAC shafts, and places with plumbing pipes. In the winter months, you may notice mice migrating towards warm places like furnaces and near open water sources.
Timing Your Pest Control Strategy Right
The fall season is a critical time to take preventive measures to control mice. This means sealing entry points, inspecting high-risk areas, and eliminating open food containers. However, it’s crucial to inspect your home for signs of mouse activity regularly and to repair structural vulnerabilities throughout the year periodically.
The best times to place traps and monitor mice activity are in the evening and early night hours. Before mice’s peak movement hours occur, you can increase your chances of catching them during this time frame.
Precise Can Help You with Mice Extermination and Prevention
For peace of mind that you aren’t living among mice in your home, contact Precise for a free mouse inspection. Our experienced, licensed technicians will implement proven mouse extermination methods and proactive prevention strategies to eliminate active infestations and identify entry points.
Whether you are already noticing the signs of mice activity or want to safeguard your home before they arrive, Precise is here for you and all your pest control needs.
Please contact us to learn more about our mouse control techniques and to schedule your appointment. With our extermination team on your side, you can enjoy a cleaner and healthier mouse-free home at all times of day and all months of the year.