Waukesha County Home

living behind fiberglass insulation in a basement ceiling. In order to extricate the mice, Wiorek had to remove all of the insu- lation. By that time, the critters had already chewed through the fiberglass and had made their way through the walls and the home's piping system. Luckily, there are many ways people can both detect the presence of rodents in their homes and prevent them from entering in the first place. Obvious signs include drop- pings and chew marks on wood and plastic bags, but there are subtle indicators as well. According to Kusnierek, mouse fur contains an oil called sebum, and when mice rub against indoor surfaces such as walls, they leave behind black smudge marks. Removing food sources By doing simple things such as cleaning up food crumbs and spills, and by not leav- ing food out, homeowners can help prevent rodents setting up camp indoors. Outdoors, birdseed and grass seed should be stored in tightly sealed metal containers, and bird feeders should be placed on the edge of the yard, away from the home. Keeping plastic bags of seed on high shelves in garages or other outbuildings is no deterrent to rodents, who are great climbers. "They will climb up sides faster than you can blink an eye," said Kusnierek. Garbage bins should not be overflowing, according to Wiorek, who said that rats are very aggressive and can even gnaw through thick plastic for the promise of tasty refuse inside. All trash should be kept in the bins, not outside them. Seeing the light Chris Mancuso, owner of Accurate Base- ment Repair in Milwaukee, recommends filling larger gaps under doors, in walls and outdoors from the inside with a copper mesh, as rodents are unable to chew through the metal, then sealing the mesh with black foam spray. Mancuso said home- owners can find gaps in the basement by waiting until the room is pitch-dark and checking for light filtering through any cracks in the walls or foundation. "Take a flashlight or a smartphone and mark the cracks off," he said. Wiorek urges people to adequately plug holes and gaps in attics to discourage squirrels, which can also cause home damage, from entering their homes. Also, orkin.com encourages people to "cut back bushes and tree branches to at least three feet away from homes to avoid giving rodents a 'jumping off' point to access the gutter, roof, or other openings." If homeowners are experiencing prob- lems with rodents, they can use tried-and- true removal methods such as poison and snap traps. Live traps are also an option for the squeamish, but they are not effective in ridding homeowners of mice. Kusnierek said catching and releasing mice might seem like the humane thing to do, but once outside, mice are likely to re- enter the home or be killed by hawks or other predators. "People think they are doing them well, but mice don't have a long life span when out in the elements," he said. Depending on their food source, mice can live up to a few years within a home, which may be an ideal situation for them, but not for homeowners. HOME NOVEMBER 2017 2 Distributed by: ©2017 by Conley Media Waukesha County Home is published monthly by Conley Media - Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. A publication of Conley Media Sales Director: Jim Baumgart 262/513-2621 jbaumgart@conleynet.com Editor: Dan Muckelbauer 262/513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262/513-2690 pscheel@conleynet.com Home Volume 6 ■ Number 11 ■ November 2017 18 Full-size Doors On Display, Our Installers Are Licensed & Bonded 16'x7', 25 Gauge...Non Insulated Steel $ 795 Lifetime Door Co. TRUCKLOAD SALE on Garage Doors & Door Openers Installed Tax Included $ 995 • Other Sizes Available • 2000 Garage Doors in Stock Special! - Take down and haul away old door for FREE! 16x7 SAVE $ 240 NOW Model 8365 ORDER A LIFTMASTER 1/2 HP GARAGE DOOR OPENER & GET 2 REMOTES & KEYPAD. $ 355 Installed Tax Included • Two-Sided Pre-Finished Galvanized Steel • R-10 Insulated • 5 colors to choose from 12645 W. Townsend (2 blocks N. of Burleigh, enter off 124th St. only) Free Estimate 262-783-4004 Monday - Friday 7am-5pm www.lifetimedoor.net 2 5 3 5 2 7 0 0 7 Full Year Warranty, parts and service on installed operators. FREE Internet Gateway with order Rodents: Prevention and detection advice from local experts Photo courtesy of Dave Kusnierek/Batzner Pest Control The professional term is sebum, but signs of mice urine and black oil rubbed from their fur are nasty. They also pose a health concern. One mouse can leave 3,000 droplets of urine and 75 droppings in a single night. Continued from Page 1 Photo courtesy of Accurate Basement Repair Cracks of this size in the basement can let in rodents.

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