Mice might look cute in cartoons but there isn’t anything funny or cute about them. Mice are responsible for some of the most devastating outbreaks of disease of all time and are responsible for more than 10 million deaths. They can carry and spread up to 55 different diseases including Lyme disease, Typhus and the Plague to name a few. Deer mice are connected to outbreaks of hanta-virus, a rare but highly fatal disease. Mice are also the most destructive vertebrate in the world after rats. When mice decide to take up residence in your home, it can become a nightmare. Effective Pest Services delves further into why it’s so hard to get rid of mice below.
Why is it So Hard to Get Rid of Mice?
Mice are one of the smallest mammals in the world are found in every inhabitable continent. They are tiny and hairy with big eyes and ears and long tails with pointed noses. The two most common invaders of our homes are the Gray House Mouse and the Deer Mouse. They are brownish gray with varying shades and are 2 ½ to 4 inches in size weighing less than an ounce. They are nocturnal and they have poor eyesight but have a great sense of smell and taste. While they prefer to eat grains, they will eat anything we eat and can get inside your home through openings as small as dime. Mice have an alarming reproduction rate with the females going into heat every 4 to 5 days with gestation of 21 days. Female mice can go into heat 24-48 hours after giving birth with the young mice being sexually mature in five weeks. Gnawing on wires can lead to electrical fires and damage insulation when nesting can lead to costly heat loss and expensive replacement. They are constantly dribbling urine and dropping feces that will contaminate food. Mice will wage a continuous battle to gain territory within your home. This battle needs to end quickly and effectively.
Keeping Mice Out of Your Home
Take a walk around the exterior of your home to look for points of entry and devise a plan to fix them. Seal all points of entry with caulk or cement and wire, especially areas where utility lines enter the home. Control measures may need a combination of trapping, bait stations and pest proofing that will need to be followed up with inspections to evaluate bait consumption to determine where the highest levels of activity are and to look for missed points of entry. The amount of time for baiting and trapping will also be determined. Look for conditions that are making breeding easy and take care of them. Remove firewood that is stored next to the home and rake grass and leaf litter away from the home. If you suspect that neighbors are contributing to a possible re-infestation, talk with them. If they still manage to get in, try to get an idea of the size of the infestation to determine the best course of action.
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
Mice are tiny which makes them easy to go undetected. They will enter and start populating before you know it. Preventing access and rapid population growth is crucial. Most pest control specialists get results in a 14-day time frame and can be warranted for up to six months. Call Effective Pest Services today!
