Mice Control

HOUSE MOUSE APPEARANCE:

The adult house mouse is small and slender and about 1-2 inches long, excluding tail. The house mouse has large ears (as seen the the photo below), pointed nose and small eyes. The tail is as long as the head and body combined. The fur color varies, but it is usually a light grey or brown, but could be darker shades. It has an overall coloration.

Since mice have a higher population number than rats, they are more widespread.

Do I have a house mouse or a young rat?

A rats's head and feet will be proportionally larger to it's body than a mouse's head or their feet.

HOUSE MOUSE DIET:

A mouse will eat almost anything, but prefer cereal grains, seeds, or sweet material. They require very little water, obtaining most of their water needs from their food. Mice can consume large quantities of stored seed and grains from farmers and granaries.

HOUSE MOUSE HABITS AND BIOLOGY:

If there are good living conditions(food, water, and shelter),they can multiply rapidly. They sexually mature in two months, producing about 8 litters in a one year life time. Each litter has 4-7 pups.

A house mice in a city environment may spend it's entire life in buildings. In rural and suburban settings, it may not only live inside, but be found outside near foundations, in the shrubbery, weeds, crawl spaces, basements, or in garages.

They survive well on weeds, seeds, or insects, but when their food supply is shortened by the colder months they move inside nesting closer to a food supply. They make their nest from soft material like paper, insulation, or furniture stuffing. These nest are found in many places including: in walls, ceiling voids, storage boxes, drawers, under major appliances, or within the upholstery of furniture. Outside the nests are found in debris or in ground burrows.

House mice have a characteristic musky odor that identifies their presence.

Mice while being "nibblers" eating many times at different places, they do have two main meal times...just before dawn and at dusk...they simply "snack" at other times at intervals or every 1-2 hours. They can eat about 10 to 15% of their body weight every day, the adults weighing about 5/8-1 oz. Mice also cache food as supply permits. They get much of there water from food products.

Mice are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight hours.

A house mouse is an excellent climber and can run up any rough vertical surface. It will run horizontally along wire cables or ropes and can jump up 13 inches from the floor onto a flat surface

HOUSE MOUSE INSPECTION:

Their droppings(feces)are about 1/8-1/4 inch long, rod shaped. They gnaw small, clean holes about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Many times in kitchens you will find gnawing damage on the corner of boxes and paper, shredded for their nest. They will gnaw at bar soaps.

Mouse Dropping,fresh gnawing and tracks indicate areas where mice are active. Mouse nests, made from fine shredded paper or other fibrous material, are often found in sheltered locations

Sanitation , exclusion and reducing the mouse population is what is involved for prevention and control.

House Mouse Exclusion and Prevention

A house mouse can squeeze through openings slightly larger than 1/4 inch across, eliminate all openings through which they can enter a structure Stuff It Copper Mesh:

Seal any openings larger than 1/4 inch to exclude mice.

House mice frequently find their way into homes in the fall of the year, when outdoor temperatures at night become colder.

Eliminate all openings through which they can enter a structure. Seal cracks and openings in building foundations and openings for water pipes, vents and utilities . In order for the mouse not to chew or pull out patching compounds, the patching materials need to be smooth on the surface. Doors, windows and screens should fit tightly. All food that is stored, processed or used should be made mouse-proof. Dried grain and meat products should be stored in glass jars, metal canisters or other resealable airtight containers.

DEER AND WHITE-FOOTED MICE

Deer Mouse

Both the Deer and the White Footed are similar in appearance The deer and white footed mouse rarely invades homes, and is found in rural areas. Both species may enter houses, garages, storage sheds, and stored campers during the cooler months. The average body length is about 6 inches, including the tail. Bicolored: darker upper body coloration compared to the white undersides. They breed during the spring and summer months. Their nests may be underground in cavities about the roots of trees or shrubs, beneath a log or board, or in a tunnel built by another animal. Aboveground nest may be found in hollow trees, unused equipment,cabinet voids,unused furniture, wood piles,fence posts, and old bird or squirrel nests. Deer and White footed mice are the primary carriers of the hanta virus and Lyme disease.When present, this virus is spread through the rodent's urine and feces. Nocturnal These mice live in burrows they have made, abandoned burrows of other animals, beneath rocks, in stumps, in soil cracks, in debris, or in any other protected location. Control: As with the House Mouse, control can be accomplished by snap traps, glue boards or multiple mouse traps. They have a tendency to store food. If using a baiting program it is best to use a bait blox used with a rod in a Mouse Protecta Bait Station, so they don't carry the bait off for storage(such as pellets)for later consumption. Baits should be placed in the same way as for the House Mouse, close to the suspected activity.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND TREATMENT FOR EFFECTIVE CONTROL FOR MICE:

TRAPPING

Trapping has several advantages:

Safer than potential hazardous poison baits

Quick, immediate results

Easy disposal of dead rodents avoiding odor problems that will occur if rodenticides kill rodents in inaccessible areas. Place mice traps up against walls, behind objects, and in secluded areas where mouse droppings, gnawing and damage are evident. Snap traps should be oriented perpendicular to the wall, with the trigger end against the vertical surface.

Multiple-catch traps should be placed with the entrance hole parallel to the wall.

Traps and glue boards should be checked daily and dead mice disposed of in plastic bags. Gloves should be worn when handling mouse carcasses to prevent any chance of disease.

Place mouse traps about 6 to 10 feet apart, since mice tend to travel very short distances.