During the winter months they may be more of a nuisance as the cold and scarcity of food will often drive them indoors where warmth and food sources are plentiful!

Some tips to help reduce the incidence of mice in your home are on the preceding page. One of the first and most obvious details to consider is the identification and removal of all possible entry points. It is important to remember that mice are resourceful and can find entry points such as the occasional open door, holes in walls and baseboards, pet doors and laundry vents. They can even squeeze a through cracks as small as a penny!

Gaps that result from worn thresholds can also be an “invitation” for mice.

There are a variety of devices that unit owners can avail themselves of to remove mice from their units. Some include metal snap traps, which are easy to use and very effective, if well positioned and properly set. There are also more humane traps that will not allow the mouse to escape once it enters, and will require that someone open the device to free the mouse outside of the unit.

Even though mice are a reality when living in the prairies, these tips can help minimize unpleasant mice encounters.

To discourage the invasion of mice in your unit consider some preventative practices, which include, but are not limited to the following:
•    Use appropriate weather stripping on entry doors, patio doors and windows.
•    Inspect your home for visible cracks and holes and secure them accordingly. Scrutinize all closets, pantries, laundry rooms, and basements in your unit.
•    Follow the same practice with units that have garages.
•    Refrain from the tempting practice of leaving the patio door, back door and screen door ajar for children, pets, and fresh air. If opening the doors with the screens in place, be sure that they are secured and that the sreens are free from holes or cracks.
•    Consider placing steel wool around pipes with exterior access, before caulking or plastering.
•    Make sure that your home has no tempting sites that mice would find fitting for nesting. Take care that storage boxes and clutter do not become mice havens and breeding grounds.
•    Secure garbage in containers with tightly fitting lids and remove all trash from the unit on a regular basis, thus removing a potential food source.
•    Get rid of water sources such as leaky taps, sweating pipes and open drains.
•    Store pantry items such as rice, potatoes, onions and other dry goods as well as pet foods in proper containers.
•    Keep the areas below the kitchen and bathroom sinks clean and free of garbage and clutter.
•    In condominiums where bird and squirrel feeders are allowed, be cognizant of the fact that the same offerings can become mice food.

For best results, try some of the following tips:
•    Setting the traps at right angles to walls, with the baited end of the trap closest to the wall.
•    Set a large number of traps to maximize the coverage.
•    Allow a trail period of 3 to 4 days by setting the traps with no bait, so that the mice will more readily take the bait once the trap is baited.
•    Consider using baits with pungent food odors such as peanut butter, bacon grease, cheese, mixed oats with molasses, raisins or gumdrops.
•    Re-use the traps – as it has been thought that they are more attractive to the rodents.
•    Rotate traps if the bait is not consumed regularly.
•    Continue setting traps 2 to 3 weeks after catching the mature mice to ensure the eradication of the younger rodents.

Marc Bateman, BA, ACCI, CPM, is the President and Broker of Acclaim Condominium Managers. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and the following industry designations: CPM (Certified Property Manager), ACCI (Associate of the Canadian Condominium Institute), CMOC (Certified Manager of Condominium) and ARM (Accredited Residential Manager).

Ana Bateman, BSc, MEd, is an Agent and the Managing Director with Acclaim Condominium Managers, which has specialized in Condominium Management in Calgary and surrounding areas for the last decade.