If you’ve ever stepped into your garage in the evening or early morning and noticed droppings, chewed cardboard, or the faint sound of skittering in the corner, you’re not imagining things. Mice are most active at night, and your garage can become the perfect hangout spot when temperatures get low and food becomes harder to find. As a pest control company, this is one of the most common concerns we hear from homeowners: “Why do mice keep coming into my garage at night?”
The answer usually comes down to a combination of shelter, warmth, food, and easy access. Rodent control services can help you find the problem and keep the rodents out of your home!
1. Your garage is warm, dark, and safe
Mice are natural survivors. During the day, they look for quiet, hidden spaces where they won’t be disturbed by people, pets, or predators. At night, they come out to explore and gather food. Garages offer exactly what they’re looking for:
- Darkness
- Heat from your home or nearby appliances
- Little human activity late at night
- Plenty of hiding spots
Stored boxes, unused furniture, bags of soil, and cluttered corners all give mice safe places to nest and hide. If your garage isn’t regularly disturbed at night, it can quickly feel like home to a mouse. Ashburn Rodent Control can help with home sealing to make sure no rodents are getting into your home.
2. You might be unintentionally providing a food source
Even if you don’t keep obvious food in your garage, mice are incredibly resourceful. They can survive on small bits of spilled bird seed, pet food, crumbs, or even insects hiding in stored items. If you have:
- Open bags of grass seed or fertilizer
- Pet food stored in thin plastic containers
- Trash cans without tight-fitting lids
- Cardboard boxes that once held food
…those can all attract mice. Once they discover a reliable food source, they will return night after night and even invite others.
3. Tiny gaps are all a mouse needs
One of the most surprising things about mice is how small an opening they need to get inside. A mouse can squeeze through a gap as small as a dime. That means:
- Cracks around the garage door
- Gaps in weather stripping
- Openings where pipes or wires enter
- Small holes in siding or brick
- Vents without proper screens
All serve as easy entry points. Once a mouse finds a way in, it will use that same route repeatedly, often creating a regular nighttime routine of sneaking in and out.
4. Nighttime is when mice feel the safest
Mice are nocturnal, meaning they’re most active after the sun goes down. This is when the house is quiet, the lights are off, and humans are asleep. They use the cover of darkness to search for food and building materials for their nests. So, even if you never see a mouse during the day, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. In fact, by the time you spot one, there may already be several hiding nearby.
5. Seasonal changes drive mice indoors
Mouse activity in garages often increases in the fall and winter. As outdoor temperatures drop, natural food supplies disappear, and shelter becomes scarce. Your garage becomes a warm, protected environment compared to the cold outside. Even in warmer months, garages can act as a transitional space between outside and inside, making them the perfect staging area for mice before they try to enter your home.
6. Garages often go unnoticed during infestations
Many homeowners don’t spend as much time in their garage as they do inside their homes. That means early signs of a mouse problem can be missed for weeks or even months. Droppings in corners, chewed boxes, shredded paper, or a musky odor are all warning signs that mice have already made themselves comfortable. Since garages are less frequently cleaned or inspected, mice can multiply without being disrupted.
How to stop mice from coming into your garage
If mice keep showing up in your garage at night, it’s important to tackle the issue at the source. Here are some effective steps you can take:
Seal entry points
Inspect the perimeter of your garage carefully. Fill cracks and holes with caulk or steel wool, and replace damaged weather stripping. Check around the garage door for light gaps. If you can see daylight, a mouse can get through.
Store items properly
Switch cardboard boxes to plastic bins with tight-fitting lids. Avoid storing food of any kind in your garage. Keep bird seed, pet food, and grass seed in thick, sealed containers.
Reduce clutter
The fewer hiding spots mice have, the less appealing your garage will be. Try to keep items elevated on shelves and away from walls.
Keep it clean
Regularly sweep your garage floor and remove debris. Even small crumbs can attract rodents.
Set traps or call a professional
While traps can help catch individual mice, they don’t always solve the larger problem, especially if the mice are entering from outside. A professional pest control company can identify how mice are getting in, eliminate the current population, and help prevent future infestations with exclusion work and ongoing treatments.
When to call a pest control professional
If you’re noticing repeated signs of mice, hearing scratching at night, or seeing droppings regularly, it’s time to get expert help. Mice reproduce quickly, and what starts as a small problem can turn into a full infestation before you realize it. Beyond being unpleasant, mice can also carry diseases and cause damage by chewing on wires, insulation, and stored items.
A professional pest control team can assess your garage, locate entry points, and create a customized treatment plan to eliminate mice and keep them from returning.
Related
Robert
Source link