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By mid-fall of every year, through out most of the U.S. and similar temperate zones, domestic mice and rats and some other local outdoors species will ,have already found the places they plan to spend the winter. There may not yet be enough signs for you to notice them, their droppings or other signs, but that could change quickly. They have most likely begun producing their next litters, and have found and laid down trails to the places where you keep the food and nesting materials they will need for the next several months. One morning soon, you may be surprised to find a hole chewed in your cereal box or rodent droppings on your kitchen counter, or even mouse hairs on your dishes. · The house mouse is the most common pest in and around human living and working places. They damage and destroy materials by gnawing, eating your food (especially cereal products or nuts), attacking decorations such as floral or harvest/grain" arrangements. They can carry human diseases and ectoparasites that may bite people or pets. The house mouse has a head-plus-body length of about 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and is gray with dull white belly fur. An adult only weighs about an ounce, but they eat often (nibble) and leave their typical `calling card' droppings at places where they sat down to feed for a little while. Mouse droppings are long and pointed compared to the larger, blunt droppings of rats. Mice may look cuddly, but they breed rapidly. A house mouse can breed 35 days after it was born, and can have its own first litter of up to eight pups by the time it is 60 days old. Although they usually live only about a year, if all their offspring lived and reproduced at a similar rate, one pair of house mice could produce a population of more than 500 mice in one year. Mice are good at climbing and jumping. They can jump about a foot straight up, and can jump down more than six feet without getting hurt. An adult mouse can squeeze through a crack or hole as small as 3/8-inch across and can quickly climb straight up an eight-foot wall of brick or wood paneling in less than half a minute. Even though one mouse doesn't eat much, as their population grows, they can eat a surprising amount of food. They also damage food containers, and their droppings and urine droplets contaminate a lot more food than they eat. In a year, one mouse produces up to 18,000 droppings; and it will deposit hundreds of micro-droplets of urine every day as it marks its trails. Mice can spread more than 20 kinds of organisms that can cause diseases of humans and pets. These include a variety of food poisoning bacteria like Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, and others; tapeworms, mites, ticks, and rickettsial pox. Other rodents, which are widespread and may also come indoors for the winter such as deer mice and white-footed mice which can carry and spread other disease organisms like Hantavirus, plague and Lyme Disease.
Hantavirus is a deadly disease spread over most of the U.S. As of June 2002, of the 318 human cases reported by the CDC, from 31 states, 37% have been fatal. Deer mice
(Peromyscus maniculatus) are a major host of the virus. The virus is transmitted to humans via dust that is inhaled after it has been contaminated by the mouse’s saliva, urine, and feces.
Interesting Facts:
Why Rodent Control:
Mice are nocturnal creatures, and, therefore, are rarely seen by the homeowner. The most obvious indicators of their presence are droppings (1/8 - 1/2-inches long, dark and pointed at both ends), sounds of them running, gnawing or squeaking, or damage to stored food or materials used for nesting. Compared to rats, mice forage only short distances from their nest -- usually not more than 10-25 feet. When food and shelter are adequate, their foraging range may be only a few feet. For this reason, traps and other control devices must be placed in areas where mouse activity is most apparent. Mice prefer to travel adjacent to walls and other edges-- another critical point to remember when positioning control devices. Mice are very inquisitive and will investigate each new object placed in their foraging territory. If control devices are not initially successful, move them around to a different location. Mice feed on a wide variety of foods but prefer seeds and cereal grains. They also are fond of foods high in fat and protein such as nuts, bacon, butter and sweets (an important point to remember when choosing a bait for snap traps). Mice are "nibblers" and may make 20-30 visits to different food sites each night.
To control mice, you must "think like a mouse," keeping in mind the behavioral traits noted above. The best way to control mice is to prevent their entry. Mice are able to squeeze through extremely small openings narrower than the diameter of a dime. Cracks in the foundation 1/4 inch and larger should be sealed, as should gaps and openings under doors and where utility pipes enter the structure. Good sanitation and food storage practices are helpful in reducing problems with house mice. Since seeds are a preferred food, all adjacent to the building should likewise be eliminated. However, because mice are able to occupy such small nesting areas and survive on minute amounts of food, sanitation alone will not normally eliminate an existing infestation.
Other than calling a pest
control firm, homeowners have three control options available for ridding
their · baits, known as rodenticides, Live traps or Lethal Traps or glue boards.
Rodenticides Marketed to homeowners are formulated almost exclusively as food-based baits containing seeds or grain as an attractant. Most rodenticides sold over the counter are anticoagulants containing brodifacoum, chlorophacinone, diphacinone or warfarin as active ingredients. They kill by interfering with normal clotting of the rodents' blood, causing the animal to die from internal bleeding. Since mice forage only short distances from their nests, optimum results are achieved with multiple bait placements as close to the mouse harborage as possible. Extreme care must be taken to position baits in areas inaccessible to children or pets. Dogs, in particular, will seek out and find baits placed in areas which are accessible.
Traps are generally preferred over rodenticide
(baits) when only a few mice are present. Traps
are less hazardous to use around children and pets. Because
mice are caught by the trap, there is less chance of odor from mice dying
in wall voids or other inaccessible areas. Trapping
efficiency will be enhanced by placing small pieces of bacon, gum drops, peanut butter or raisins in the trigger hole. Research has shown that
traps with an expanded trigger catch This device can capture and hold a dozen or more mice before needing to be emptied. We have expanded trigger Snap-E Mouse Traps and the multiple-catch mouse trap 24/7 Trapper right her for your purchase.
Regardless of which design is used, traps should be placed up
against walls, behind objects, and in secluded
Glueboards also are very effective against mice. Mice become entangled in the glue when they run over the boards, soon dying of suffocation. In addition to traps, they are the method of choice in homes and other sensitive locations where toxic baits are a concern. Should the glue from a glue board contact the fur of a pet or the skin of a child, it can be removed with mineral or vegetable oil. Snap-E Mouse Traps the 24/7 Live Trap 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.
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