Mouse Control
Mice are small in size but create enormous problems for homeowners. Mouse control is essential to preventing damage to your home, belongings, and health. These destructive rodents squeeze through tiny openings, invading homes and wreaking havoc. They compromise your food, chew through walls and wiring, and leave feces throughout your home. Therefore, it is necessary that you take quick action to stop them.
General Mice Information
House Mice Appearance
House mice are approximately 2.5 to 3.5 inches long with a smooth tail roughly the same size as their body. They are light brown or light grey with cream-colored bellies and have prominent round ears, black eyes, and a pointy snout. With poor eyesight, mice rely heavily on their other senses, such as their superior hearing. Therefore, mice see best in dim lighting with focal points of six inches or less.
Breeding and Lifespan
In addition to their social nature, mice can reproduce quickly. One reason mouse control is crucial is that a single female mouse has on average 35-60 babies, or pups, a year. Therefore, they can have a new litter every 3 to 4 weeks. Plus, female mice start reproducing at 4 to 7 weeks. The average life span of mice in the wild is a year to a year and a half. Considering their ability to breed young and often, it is easy to see how mice infestations take hold quickly.
Mouse Diet
Another reason mouse control is so important is that mice enjoy much of the same foods we do. They are omnivores and will eat insects and meat. However, their preferred diet is cereal grains and seeds. As nocturnal creatures, they eat primarily between dusk and dawn. Also, mice nibble, only eating small portions at a time. Therefore, any food not stored securely is at risk of contamination.
Common Nesting Habits
Ideally, mice make their nest within 10 to 30 feet of a food source. Additionally, they prefer dark and secluded areas. Nesting material generally consists of fabric, insulation, and paper products. Nesting sites include inside walls, under cabinets, and seldom used cabinets and drawers. Target these areas when implementing mouse control measures.
Additional Tidbits
- Mice are superb jumpers. They leap upwards of one foot.
- Most tend to mice travel along walls and edges.
- They possess the ability to flatten themselves to fit through gaps as small as a quarter of an inch, and holes as small as a dime, venturing into the smallest of places.
- Mice are great climbers and swimmers.
- Mice are masters at memorizing pathways, obstacles, and locations of food sources.
- A group of mice is called a “mischief.”
Mice Pose a Serious Health Risk
Besides the physical damage mice cause, there are considerable health risks making mouse control essential. They contaminate our food and spread disease. Mice carry diseases such as Salmonella and Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis. As well as disease, mice bring fleas, mites, and lice into homes. Another health risk includes allergies aggravated by the presence of urine and the dried feces contained in dust. Unaddressed, a mouse infestation can result in dangerous consequences. In addition to multiple health risks mice often chew through wiring and increase the risk of fire. Thus, making quick and efficient mouse control essential.
Signs You Have a Mouse Problem and Need Mouse Control
The first step in any pest problem is recognizing the signs. It is no different with mouse control. There are many telltale signs that mice are sharing your home. For example, you may find droppings around food, in cabinets, or on the floor. They are dark, the shape of a grain of rice, and roughly one-fourth inch long. Also, it is common to find urine odor around the areas they inhabit. Often gnaw marks are present around cracks and holes they have enlarged for easy access.
Additionally, inspect food containers and materials used for nesting materials, such as boxes and books. Mice are often the spaces between walls. Hearing scratching and the pitter-patter of their feet clearly indicate a mouse infestation.
Battling a Mouse Infestation
Exterior Mouse Control
Inspect the exterior of the home for entry points. Mice can fit through tiny cracks and holes. Also, mice will chew on cracks and holes to enlarge them enough to squeeze through. First, seal all openings using steel wool or caulk. Mice are unable to chew through these. Next, inspect existing screens and mend or replace any with tears. Then, add screens over open chimneys and vents. Properly trimming shrubs and not stacking firewood within 20 feet of a structure will also aid mouse control.
Interior Mouse Control
First, it is essential to locate any potential nesting sites and food sources inside the home. Close off any gaps leading behind or under cabinets and drawers. Additionally, secure all food in airtight containers. Avoid storage materials such as bags and cardboard that mice can chew through. Similarly, pet food is an enticing meal for mice and should be securely stored. Finally, look for possible travel routes, inspecting baseboards and doorways for cracks and holes. Placing traps is often the best form of immediate mouse control. When using mouse traps it is important to put them in areas where mice nest and travel. Also, choose a bait that will be enticing to the mouse, such as peanut butter. Check traps often, and try various placements.
Check traps often, and try various placements.
Contact Prime Pest Solutions
Contact the professionals at Prime Pest Solutions for all of your mouse control needs. Our professionals know the tricks and weaknesses of mice and will work with you to ensure your current pest problems. Additionally, we look beyond the immediate knockdown of pests, taking proper steps to prevent future infestations. Contact Prime Pest Solutions today to learn about our services and procedures.
