Mice and the First Freeze in Indianapolis

In Indianapolis, mice show up with the cold. The leaves come down, the furnace kicks on for the first time, and a week later there are droppings in the drawer by the stove. It happens every year because the reasons are the same every year.

This guide covers what's going on and what to do about it, ideally before it starts.

Why They Come In

Mice spend the warm months outside in yards, fence rows, garden beds and the edges of fields. According to Purdue Extension, mice living outdoors breed mostly in spring and fall, so by October there are more of them around than at any other point in the year. Then the nights get cold and the food outside dries up.

A house is warm, it leaks heat through every small gap, and it has food. Mice follow the warm air to the gaps. Once they're in, they head for quiet, warm places like the furnace area, behind the water heater, the back of the kitchen cabinets and boxes stored on the basement floor.

Which Houses Get Them First

Old houses inside I-465 have the most gaps. Fieldstone and block foundations, old basement windows and coal chutes, and a century of pipe holes all add up. Old house basements goes through them one by one.

Newer homes out in Hamilton and Hendricks counties often back onto fields or common areas. Those mice are field mice, and their first stop is usually the garage.

A September Checklist

Most of this takes a Saturday and a flashlight:

• Walk the foundation and look for gaps around pipes, wires and vents
• Replace the garage door bottom seal if you can see light under it
• Clear leaves out of window wells and check the basement window frames
• Make sure the dryer vent flap closes
• Move firewood off the ground and away from the house
• Keep bird seed, grass seed and pet food in lidded metal cans

If They Beat You In

Set snap traps along the walls where you find droppings, out of reach of kids and pets. Don't put loose poison down inside. Clean droppings wet, with gloves on, never by sweeping or vacuuming.

If you keep catching mice week after week, they're still getting in. That's when it's worth having someone trap and seal the house. Traps alone just thin out the line at the door.

Services mentioned here: Mouse Control, Entry Point Sealing, Deer Mouse and Field Mouse Control