Mice are freeloaders. It's true. They live in your house. They eat your food. And they refuse to get a job to help out. It's like having a dozen extra teenagers laying around. Only your teenagers don't climb around in the neighbor's trash and then walk all over your counters. Well, at least, we're guessing they don't. Mice in Schenectady aren't just a nuisance, they are spreaders of illness. If you've noticed that you or your spouse have had more sick days than usual or that your kids have been home from school more than last year, it may be time to do a check for mice. Here are some quick ways to detect mice in your home, and tips to fix your mouse problem.

• Finding mouse droppings or urine in the back of your cabinets, on food shelves, and in the corners of rooms is a sure sign that you have mice. Though it may be disgusting, check to see if those dropping are fresh by pressing down on them with a pencil. If they are dark and moist, you have a current infestation.

• An inspection of attic crawl spaces can be fruitful when checking for a mice infestation. Often you will be able to see nests where mice are sleeping, or gathered material that looks like it has been matted down by a sleeping animal.

• Noises in the walls are good sign, but those noises may not be coming from a mouse. You could have a squirrel or bats or some other wildlife invader. Mice also prefer to nest near their food source. If your master bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from your kitchen, you may never hear those mice scrambling down for their meals.

• Bite holes in food packaging will alert you to a mouse infestation. But if you've already taken the precaution to protect foods that come in paper or cardboard by placing them in sealed plastic containers, you may not have this sign to go by.

What to do if you find mice in your home.

Your first instinct may be to lay down some traps and remove the mice yourself, but understand that using mouse traps to fight mice is like trying to seal a serious wound with a band-aid. Sure, you might catch some mice. You might even catch a lot of mice. But if you don't seal your exterior walls, disinfect areas where mice have been, and fully eradicate all mice living in your home, you will continue to fight with mouse-related illnesses and home damage. It's just not worth it. This is definitely a job for a professional. Learn more about how Thomas' home pest control services can help you keep these pests out all year long.