When the temperature drops and the supply of food out in the wild becomes worse, the mice want to move into our houses. The mouse problem is most common between October and January and is usually greatest during November.

- The forest mice accumulate a winter stock with everything they can find and therefore they are very active this period and look at our homes, says pest technician Magnus Eriksson.

In Sörmland, where he works, the number of cleanups has increased from six in week 32 to 43 in week 38.

Causes problems

Mouse visits can cause some problems. Among other things, the mice like to gnaw on building materials, they make corridors in the walls and sometimes bite electricity lines that can lead to short circuits. But there are some measures you can take for preventative purposes.

- It is good to have an overall look at the home and make sure that there are no cavities that the mice can enter. Make sure to keep things tidy and keep your household garbage away. Also make sure not to feed birds or have fall fruit too close to the home, it attracts the mice.

Spread of infection

Do the mice spread any diseases?

- They certainly can, but it is very rare that we happen to find it. On the other hand, it is more common among their relatives the brown rat, mainly because they are part of our drainage systems. The mice do more material damage in our homes, says Magnus Eriksson.