Yes, woodpiles are one of the best places for rodents to build a nest on a property. They are dry and protected, not to mention usually close to a house.
Firewood is a great habitat for rodents. The trouble is that firewood often happens to be stacked right next to a house, so when a cold snap comes in, that can often send mice scattering inside through any crack in the foundation they can find. You want to avoid this.
Split logs never stack tightly. There are always little spaces in there and those spaces stay dry and shaded. A hawk or owl, predator to mice, is going to have a hard time reaching inside a stack of wood and flying off with a meal. And if the stack is right on the soil, mice and voles can easily burrow underneath.
When you carry an armload of wood inside, you carry whatever is living inside of it too. That might mean spiders and it might mean mice if you’re unlucky. You might even accidentally bring inside carpenter ants that can chew your home’s structural framing.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have a crackling fire inside with firewood you bought or split yourself. It just helps to stack it on a rack and off the ground. That alone makes it where rodents can’t easily burrow underneath. Move the pile at least twenty feet from the house if you can, because this will make it harder for rodents and other pests to go straight from firewood to foundation. Cover the top but leave the sides open so the firewood dries. Burn older wood first so nothing sits for years, and only bring in what you plan to burn within the next day.
If mice are nesting against your house, Mosquito Squad of Southeast Pennsylvania can help. Mosquito Squad finds where mice are nesting and getting in, clears them with traps and bait stations, and seals the entry points. Annual inspections will help you protect your home through the year.
