It has been a hard winter in Schenectady, and it isn't over yet. But while you've been waiting for that snow to melt, you may have heard something moving in your walls. Winter is when mice move in, and if you got those mice in fall, there is a good chance they're having babies. If you haven't done it already, now is the time to take back your home. When battling mice here are the things you should consider.

Finding mice.

• Mice don't always make noise. You can have mice and not be awakened at all hours of the night. Mice typically live near their food source, which means they aren't traveling past your bedroom to get to it. That is why the best way to detect mice is to look for their droppings in the back of drawers and cabinets and behind appliances.

• An inspection of your attic spaces can also reveal a mice infestation. A mouse nest will have insulation, wood products, and other household items matted down. Look in corners and between studs.

• Hire a pest control company to do a detailed inspection.

Blocking mice.

• When you find mice in your home, it is important to stop new mice from getting in. Do an inspection of your basement walls and use a caulking gun to fill in any gaps or cracks you find.

• Gaps around pipes that pass through your basement walls are common entry points for rodents. Use wire mesh to fill in those areas.

• Search attic spaces and seal gaps around window frames and in the walls and ceiling.

• Garage doors should have working door sweeps on the bottoms. A typical house mouse can push their way through a hole the size of a dime. Look carefully.

Killing mice.

• If you decide to kill those mice, be careful. You may hear horrible advice on the internet about putting poisons behind your appliances, where children and pets can't get at them. Those poisons may be out of sight, but they are not safe from the prying hands of a child.

• Also know that poisons often leave dead mice in your walls. This can create a smell that is hard to get rid of.

• If you decide to trap mice, the rule of thumb is: Use a lot of traps and use peanut butter or mashed rice. Cheese only works in cartoons.

Protecting your home and family from mice is best done by hiring a pest control company. They seal entry points, clean infected areas, safely remove all rodents that are currently infesting your home, and monitor for new infestations. Mice are a year-round problem that requires year round control. Perhaps this crisis is just the thing to get you on track with a pest plan. Once you've gone a year with pest protection, you won't ever go back to having mice, cockroaches, ants, and other pests creeping around your home. Guaranteed