It’s the time of year when the weather is turning and the nights are getting colder. While we all start to retreat inside more and more over the autumn and winter months, so too do the various living things which are scampering into our gardens and often, into our homes thereafter.
Mice are extremely common in the UK, often spotted nipping into gardens, sheds, garages, greenhouses and our actual houses at night in particular. Mice, whether doormice or field mice, do not hibernate, which means they can become a problem all year round.
During colder months, when food is more scarce, you might even find them hunting for food in your house, having slipped in through a crack in a wall or a gap in a floorboard.
According to gardening website Polytunnel Gardening, you’re more likely to see mice in autumn and winter, so you need to be ‘particularly vigilant’ around this time.
It explains: “Wood mice and field mice can easily get in your home since they are small enough to squeeze in almost anywhere. However, they are more likely to shelter in garages, sheds, and outhouses because they provide easier access to the outside world. So, although the mice you see in your garden may come into your home, they are more likely to take refuge in your outhouses instead. You’re more likely to see mice inside during the autumn and winter months, so you should remain particularly vigilant around this time.”
To send them running in the opposite direction, there are several natural items you can leave around your garden which mice hate because mice have a very strong sense of smell.
Any one of these items left in your garden can work to deter mice and stop them entering your house too.
They added: “There are plenty of scents that deter mice because their sense of smell is so strong. Spread these smells around your garden, with particular focus on troublesome areas like food sources and nesting spots, regularly to notice a difference. Scents that deter mice include:
Cinnamon
Vinegar
Peppermint
Teabags
Mint
Ammonia
Cloves
Cayenne pepper
Of course, mice are an important source of food for other wildlife, including foxes and owls. Therefore you should only deter mice if they’re causing a problem in your garden or house.
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