A home library is an ideal place to store collections of books and other media like DVDs. When storing a special collection like this, you do not want your items getting disturbed or ruined in any way. One of the biggest threats to your home library are pests that invade your home. More specifically, mice can be a major nuisance to the home library. If you suspect that there are mice invading your home library, then you can look for four specific signs. If any of these signs are observed, then you can contact a pest-control worker to help eliminate the mice from your home and have them add extra protection to your home library.

Chewed Edges and Corners

As mice make their way through your home library, the books that you have are more like toys to them than reading material. As mice look for ways to wear down their teeth, they will seek the corners and edges of books. While pulling out books, you should check on the inside edges to see if there are any bite marks or nibbled edges. It's a good idea to look in the books near the edges or corners or the bookshelf. If you see a lot of chewing and missing sections of books, then the mice may be using the pieces of paper to build nests for babies. Before searching for a mouse nest, it's a good idea to contact a pest-control company. They can help properly get rid of the nest and keep the mice away from your home. This can help prevent breeding in the future and eliminate the growth of mice populations in your home.

Mice Droppings

As you pull a novel off the shelf, you may notice something falling off the book that is not a bookmark. Mice droppings are small, discrete, and often shaped like a small grain of rice. By using a flashlight, you can see these droppings more easily and detect whether they are on your shelves. Along with looking for the mice droppings on or around the books, it's a good idea to look for them on the bottom of the bookshelf. Small droppings can easily accumulate on the bottom of a bookshelf. A pest-control worker can help you clean up the droppings and locate the entry point for the mice. By doing this, they can block off areas and help deter mice from entering the home.

Claw Marks

Book covers are often made of soft materials that can easily scratch or rip. As a mouse makes it way around your home, it uses your books to climb, crawl, and make its way around. Pull out books, especially hardcover ones, and examine them for any scratch or claw marks. These marks may be subtle, but they can be a sure sign that mice are invading your home. A pest-control worker can often see the size of the claw marks and determine whether they are from a mouse or another critter like a rat.

Following the Dust Trail

If your home-library shelves have not been cleaned in a while, then the dust that is collected can help you look for signs of a mouse. Footprints and trails are seen a lot easier when looking at the dust. A high-powered flashlight makes it easier to see the dust and the patterns that appear there. By leaving the dust trail there, a pest-control worker can follow the different paths to help determine where the mice had gone. Once the trail is found, the worker can help eliminate mice, nests, and any damage that has been done.

It's best to examine your home during the day when mice are not as likely to be roaming around your bookshelves. Call a pest-control company like Bug Busters Inc for help with your mouse problem. 

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