When sealing up cracks around the house, resist the urge to use only rubber or silicone caulk. While these materials do seal up holes, they also can be easily chewed through by wild animals like mice. Instead, plug the cracks with a bit of wire mesh from things like pot scrubbers. Then fill the openings with something called “expanding foam insulation.” The combination of the two will both insulate your home and make it completely unappealing to wild animals.

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Some of the most common entry points for mice entering your home include where outside utility pipes or wires come in, if there’s any rot or deterioration of your home’s siding or if there are cracks along the foundation. Take the time to do an inspection outside your home to see if you have any of these and seal them up. One thing you can do if you think a mouse is entering your home through an entry point is sprinkle baby powder on the ground; if you see tracks, that’s an entry point that needs to be sealed up.

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If you’re battling to keep hungry squirrels from completely emptying your bird feeder, the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States has a solution. One of the key ways to stop squirrel poaching is to hang your feeder from a tree branch with a wire that’s at least 10 feet long. They’ve estimated that length makes it nearly impossible for squirrels to maneuver down the wire. You also should hang the feeder at least 8 feet away from the trunk of the tree or other structures from which they can leap. If you can find the perfect spot that meets these measurements, you should be good to go.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION