Rodents of all shapes and sizes are found all over the world, and Colorado is no exception. The most common rodents the locals deal with are Norway rats, Deer Mice and House Mice. In general, rodents are very problematic as they are huge risk to health and cause a lot of damage to the structure, utility lines, contaminate food, and other issues. Though any rodent infestation is not ideal, today, we at Effective Pest Services would like to share the basics of house mice and signs of their infestation.
How Do You Identify a House Mouse?
Usually pests, house mice included, will infiltrate homes in search of food and water as well as to escape extreme weather or predators. Mice are also opportunists, especially house mice. Both house mice and deer mice prefer the outdoor living but will be driven inside under the right circumstances. House mice have light coloring or white underbellies and their primary fur ranges in grays, browns, and blacks. Though house mice are omnivorous and will eat nearly anything, they primary feed on nuts and seeds. Typically, house mice limit their activities to the dark hours to better evade predators but if they are in great need of food or water, they can be seen scurrying around during the daytime. When it comes to house mice, they multiply extremely fast and brushing off suspicion, or even confirming they are inside your home or business and do nothing can be a hazard to you and your family’s health and financial mistake from the food they contaminate and structure they destroy.
Signs of a House Mouse Infestation
1) Mice bodily waste. Wherever house mice happen to be, is where they urinate and defecate. In places where they raid for food, the common routes they take, and their nesting areas will have tiny pellet-like poop.
2) Nesting remnants. Mice will construct nests in preparation to reproduce. Debris from the insulation, books, or other nesting materials can be found trailed behind them as well as seeing the claw or gnaw marks.
3) Darting Movement in the peripherals. House mice have a tendency to establish specific and predictable travel patterns as they emerge from their hiding places. People often catch a glimpse of their darting movement in their peripherals. Though many will brush off their mind playing tricks, generally, if you think you saw a mouse, you likely did.
4) Crumbs. House mice will not only gnaw and claw at the nesting materials they harvest from your possessions and housing materials, but the evidence will be seen on the packaged food along will spilled crumbs. Mice can easily get through packaged food like paper, light plastic, and cardboard wrap. The food left behind may also have teeth marks.
5) Noises. Mice are frequently heard behind the walls or on top of ceilings. When the house is still and quiet especially, mice can be heard scratching and the pitter-patter noises of their footsteps, in addition to the noises coming from the pantry as they rustle the wrappings.
Mouse & Rat Rodent Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado
If you suspect mice or any other rodent in your Northern Colorado home, or know for a fact they are inside, call Effective Pest Services and let our certified pest control technicians eliminate the rodents before the spread diseases or destroy your home.
