4 Tips to Keep Mice Out of Your Yard

No one wants a mouse in the house, but before a mouse can get in, it first needs to be in your yard. Many homeowners make the mistake of simply setting trap after trap. However, it is better to first find out what attracts mice to your yard.

Once mice are in your backyard, it won't take them long to find their way in the house. Here are four ways you can discourage mice from making the transition from outdoor vermin to indoor pests.

Mice love the protection an unkempt yard affords them. They can scurry through tall grass, unseen by their natural predators like hawks, snakes, and cats. So keep your grass cut short.

You also want to keep the perimeter of your home free from excessive vegetation. Shrubbery and flowers may look nice around your home, but this vegetation gives mice the opportunity to find ways into your home unnoticed. 

Consider using planters instead of planting directly in the soil, and keep them set back a few feet from the house. In addition, you can plant natural deterrents such as lavender, pennyroyal, and mint to help keep mice away.

Mice aren't picky about food. They will chew the bark off the base of your trees. If they chew through the bark and into the living part of the tree called the cambium, they could kill the tree. Paint the tree base with a mixture of black carborundum sand and white interior latex paint to deter them. Other options include using plastic pipe or hardware cloth to protect sensitive trunks from gnawing rodents. 

You also want to prune any trees that have branches that extend over the roof of your home because mice are excellent climbers. When branches overhang your home's roof, all a mouse has to do is jump down onto your roof. Once there, they will find a way into your home through the chimney or other suitable point of entry. Install a mesh-covered rodent proof chimney cap for extra protection.

Your yard likely has many food sources. If you have nut or fruit trees, you have a ready-made rodent smorgasbord. To prevent this, keep the trees picked. Any nuts or fruits that fall to the ground should be regularly raked up and either used or disposed of.

If you have a garden, mice will feast all summer long. From the time you plant the seeds until the plants develop, mice will browse your plot. While you can't deter mice activity in your garden 100 percent, pick ripe vegetables daily to help protect your harvest from mice. Pick the berries from your blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry bushes as they ripen too.

Bird seed and your pet's dog or cat food is also perfectly acceptable food for a mouse. Store bags of seed and cat and dog food in the garage, placed in a metal garbage can with a tight-fitting lid.

Some homeowners keep a stack of firewood for occasional backyard bonfires or for barbecue. While it may be more convenient to keep your woodpile near where you use it, it should be as far from your house as possible. A stack of firewood makes a perfect mouse abode.

Take proactive steps to keep mice from finding your yard hospitable. This will go a long way towards keeping them out of your house.

A pest control expert can point out other attractants on your property and in your home that also need attention. Contact us today for an assessment of your home and yard and to learn which methods of rodent control are right for you.