SPOKANE, Wash. — Mice are not a new problem, but this year some people in Spokane are reporting more sightings of the pesky rodents than usual.
It's common for Janelle Pinsoneault to see critters running around her backyard in the summer but this year has been different.
"In the middle of the day, just running around the back yard and I wasn't going to stand for that again,” Pinsoneault said.
Imagine, just eating dinner on the patio when some mice decide to join in.
"They'll just race right around, they're pretty quick,” she said.
The problem was so bad she set up traps in her basement. Those worked for a while but when the mice kept coming, she knew there was a bigger problem and called in for back up.
"I think I said something about a ‘mouse-pocolypse’ or something because they were just everywhere," she said.
Aaron Noack, who works with Senske Pest Control in Spokane, walked through Pinsoneault’s home and looked for problem spots.
He turned off the lights so we could see all the places mice could sneak in. In the areas where light shined through, a mice could likely gain access. In fact, if the hole is the size of just your pinky, a mouse can squeeze in.
"The gaps that you see where you see the daylight coming in, those are the areas where the door needs to be adjusted so it closes that, so it's sealed,” Noack said.
Noack said any other mouse that comes along will follow the scents that's left behind from other rodents and that can become a pretty good access point for more to enter your home.
Pinsoneault isn't alone.Many of you contacted KREM 2 asking why there seem to be more mice this year?
"Definitely an issue this year, all around the neighborhood,” Pinsoneault said.
There are a variety of reasons, including what's causing mice to ‘move’ from their current situation.
"Changing of the temperatures the excessive amounts of moisture we usually get in those times of year will tend to move the mice,” he explained.
Noack admits, this year his company is taking in more calls about mice than normal. It's important to get rid of them because some mice carry hantavirus.
"Mice carry diseases and germs and nobody wants a mouse in their house,” Pinsoneault said.
If you're concerned about mice, here are five things you can do today before you call a specialist.
- Clean up your landscaping and eliminate places for mice to hide.
- Don't leave pet food out.
- Avoid placing bird feeders within 15 feet of your house.
- Fill in gaps or holes in your homes.
- Keep doors and windows closed.