Every year, sometime in early October, the phone starts ringing. People hearing scratching in the walls. Droppings showing up in the garage. A mouse darting across the kitchen floor at night. It happens like clockwork in Walworth County, and it's not random.
Here's what's going on and what to do about it.
Why October
Mice don't hibernate. They spend the winter alive and active, and in Wisconsin, that means they need somewhere warm to do it. When nighttime temperatures start dropping into the 40s, they begin scouting for shelter. Your house is exactly what they're looking for — warm, dry, full of food, and if you've got a basement or a crawlspace or a garage attached, even better.
A mouse can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. They can climb siding, chew through weatherstripping, and find gaps you didn't know existed. Once one mouse finds a way in, others follow, and they breed fast. A pair of mice in October can be a serious problem by January.
The signs you've already got them
Most people don't notice mice until there's a real problem. Things to watch for: small dark droppings (about the size of a grain of rice) along baseboards, inside cabinets, or in the garage. Scratching sounds in the walls or ceiling at night. A musty, ammonia-like smell in enclosed spaces. Chew marks on food packaging, cardboard, or wiring. Greasy smudges along baseboards where they run the same routes.
If you're seeing any of that, you've got mice. Don't wait.
What to do before they get in
A few things that actually help. Walk around the outside of your house and look for gaps — around dryer vents, AC lines, gas meters, foundation cracks, garage door corners, and anywhere a pipe enters the wall. Steel wool or copper mesh stuffed into gaps works because mice can't chew through it. Keep firewood away from the house. Don't leave pet food or birdseed in the garage. Trim back any branches touching the roof.
That'll help. But if mice are already a yearly problem at your house, the do-it-yourself stuff usually isn't enough — especially in older homes, lake properties, or anything near woods or fields.
When to call us
If you're already hearing scratching, finding droppings, or seeing mice, don't mess with the hardware-store traps for three weeks while it gets worse. Call us at (262) 374-9371. We'll come out, find the entry points, set up the right control program for your house, and actually solve it. We've been doing this in Elkhorn and Walworth County since 2002, and mouse calls are about a third of what we do every fall.
The customers who call us in early October have a quiet winter. The ones who wait until January are a much bigger job.
Need help at your house?
Dealing with this at your Elkhorn home? We can handle it.