A pencil-width hole is enough for a house mouse. In an older Newark-on-Trent property there are usually several more gaps than you would expect, some of them out of sight.
A house mouse can flatten its body and pass through a gap of about 6 millimetres, roughly the width of a pencil. Its skeleton collapses enough to let it go wherever its whiskers and head fit. That means a missing patch of mortar, a loose kickboard or the space around a heating pipe is more than adequate. Mice also climb, jump and swim, so a first-floor entrance is not safe.
Newark-on-Trent is a historic market town on the River Trent with Newark Castle and a large market square, with older town-centre property and later housing. Older buildings often have worn mortar, floors with gaps beneath the boards, shared walls and old service routes. Later housing is not exempt: mice use the gap between a floor slab and a wall, air bricks and the points where utilities enter.
Mouse droppings are small, dark and pointed, found in cupboards, behind appliances and along walls. You may also notice gnawed food packaging, a stale smell, shredded paper nests or scratching at night in walls and ceilings. Mice leave a trail of tiny urine droplets that you can sometimes see under ultraviolet light, but most people simply notice the droppings.
Mice breed quickly and one female can produce many young in a year, so a small problem can grow in a matter of weeks. Traps and bait can reduce numbers, but without proofing, new animals will simply come in. For gaps, use materials that mice cannot chew, such as coarse wire wool pressed into the hole and then sealed with cement or filler. Foam on its own is not enough.
Keep food in sealed containers, clear crumbs and avoid leaving pet food out overnight. Move stacks of cardboard and paper that offer cover. A professional treatment uses bait or traps placed safely, followed by proofing advice. How long it takes depends on how established the infestation is.
Older buildings add one more problem: the gaps can be hidden. Under floors, behind panelling and inside the cavity between party walls, mice move freely without ever being seen. That is why you may hear them in a room where you can find no hole. A survey that checks the roof space, the sub-floor and outside walls, as well as the visible rooms, is more likely to find the route they are really using.
To arrange a visit, call 0115 937 5117. A free pest prevention survey and free advice come with all treatments.
Mice are mostly nocturnal and cautious in daylight. Noises from walls or ceilings after dark are typical, and droppings are a reliable sign of activity.
They can contaminate food and surfaces with droppings and urine and may spread germs. They also gnaw cables. Clean contaminated areas carefully with gloves and disinfectant.
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