All about mice
What you need too know!
Mice have been living alongside humans for a very long time now.
Thriving equally well in both urban and rural settings. These small rodents can be difficult to exclude from your property because they can squeeze through such tiny gaps.
They are also capable of climbing 20 feet or more up a vertical brick wall to gain access to your premises under the eaves or via a loose tile.
About mice
Unlike rats, mice require very little in the way of water and so can survive in quite dry environments.
In the majority of cases, the mouse infestations we treat are families of mice living in the loft space of buildings, and travelling around via the cavity walls. In many cases the homeowner or manager is unaware that they have a mouse problem until chance takes them up into their attic.
The presence of mice in a commercial premises is a real threat to business, particularly if the proprietor is in the business of serving food to the public. If you have a mouse problem in a restaurant or hotel, it really does need sorting out rapidly.
Why are mice a danger to health and safety?
Whilst you may quite like the look of these little creatures, unfortunately they can transmit some serious diseases, such as Weils disease and some types of food poisoning.
Mice are largely incontinent and each mouse leaves over 50 droppings behind it each day and dribbles urine frequently. For these reasons alone, a mouse problem needs to be treated whether in a commercial setting or within the family home.
In addition to the health hazard that they pose, mice have teeth which grow constantly throughout their lives. This means that they need to chew a great deal in order to keep their teeth at a manageable length. The outcome of this characteristic is a serious threat to the wiring in your home. Mice are a very real fire hazard.
The biology of the mouse
Each female mouse can produce up to eight litters of up to sixteen babies each year. Each of these babies can themselves breed just ten weeks or so after they are born. You won’t need a calculator to work out that this does not bode well for the owner of a recently infested property.
Mice feed on a variety of foodstuffs and their specialised teeth can work their way through formidable barriers. Weighing less than 25grams, these are quite tiny animals with a life span of less than a year.
No such thing as one mouse
Remember that there is no such thing as ‘one’ mouse. Mice always bring their friends and relations.
If you see a mouse, or find mouse droppings, anywhere in your house, it is time to take a look in your attic.
This is likely to be where the problem stems from. You can place your own traps or have your pest control contractor survey your loft space for you and put down poison baits to kill the mice.
A regular domestic servicing contract with quarterly loft inspections is a good way to prevent re-infestation.
If you are concerned about mice on your property, you can call us now on
01428 714031
Further information
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This article was originally published in 2011 and has been revised and updated for 2015
