Mice

ABOUT MICE

Mice can multiply quickly and will do significant damage to your home, business and furniture through their gnawing activities. They will also contaminate food and other materials through the droppings they leave behind.

SIGNS OF MICE ACTIVITY

• Mouse Droppings: mice leave 50-80 droppings a night, which are small and dark (approx. 3 – 8 mm in length) and scattered randomly. Look for droppings particularly along walls, in cupboards or under sinks. Not only are mouse droppings unsightly to come across, but this is one way in which mice can spread diseases.

• Grease marks (smudges or smears): these are caused by mouse fur constantly brushing against walls, floors and skirting on regular routes. You may find dark smears around holes or around corners.

• Urine and urine pillars: mice urinate everywhere they go to keep track of the places they’ve been and as a way of leaving messages behind for other mice. In established or heavy infestations, body grease, combined with dirt and urine, builds up into small mounds, up to 4cm high and 1cm wide.

• Scratching noises: people often report hearing unusual scratching noises at night when mice are most active. Listen for noises between partition walls, under floorboards, in false ceilings, basements and lofts.

• Nests: mice use easy to shred materials, such as newspaper and fabrics, together with other soft materials to line their nest. Check lofts, suspended ceilings, cavity walls, under floorboards and behind fridges, under stoves and in airing cupboards. Nests will often contain young mice.

• Tracks (footprints): rodent tracks and tail marks can show up in dusty environments such as unused lofts and basements. To check for activity, sprinkle flour, talcum powder or china clay and check for fresh tracks the next day.

• Live or dead mice: spotting a mouse during the daytime can be an indication of a heavy mouse infestation.

• Strong smell: mice urinate frequently and their urine has a strong ammonia-like smell. The smell may be very strong near the main site of activity or in enclosed spaces. This smell can linger for a long time (even after an mouse infestation has been removed).

WHAT ATTRACTS MICE

There are various ways in which a mouse can enter your home or business. Mice are agile and are capable of running and jumping at great lengths, as well as climbing almost any surface. Below are the most common ways that mice gain entry indoors:

• Pipes and cable paths: If mice can’t fit through a hole, their sharp and strong teeth will equip them with the means to gnaw at a preferred point, until they are able to squeeze through (they can even gnaw through some metals!) Because many buildings and complexes are adjacent to each other, mice can easily travel between cables, telephone lines, ceilings, floors etc. Mice are also excellent swimmers, so they can also gain entry through drain pipes.

• Food pallets: Mice will inhabit areas where food and shelter is abundant, and for them, a food production plant is paradise! Once food gets transported and distributed, mice easily hitch a ride and arrive at the destination along with the food parcels.

• Via roofs: Since house mice can easily scale walls of 2m, this means that they can easily climb roofs and enter your premises.

• Via holes or gaps: Mice can enter through gaps in the basement, through unsealed holes around old or new pipe work, structural weaknesses such as damaged flooring and also through air vents.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET RID OF MICE

• Mice spread diseases: Mouse droppings and urine trails are one of the main causes of rodent-borne diseases. These harmful pathogens could be contracted via touch or sometimes they mix with dust, which if disturbed can be inhaled. A number of different diseases can be contracted from mouse droppings and urine, such as the hantavirus. The hantavirus infects rodents, they become carriers of the disease and infect people via their droppings, saliva and urine. Other common viruses spread by mice are E. Coli, Lyme disease, Murine Typhus, Rickettsial Pox and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis.

• Mice cause damage: Because a mouse’s incisors continuously growing, they need to constantly gnaw on objects to wear them down. As mentioned earlier, mice also gnaw at specific points to gain entry to nesting areas or areas that contain food (which can be anything from wooden areas such as door frames or skirting boards to drain pipes and indoor plumbing!). Mice also chew on wires and cables, leaving the rubber casing open, which can lead to short circuiting and fires; and even nibble at the wiring of your car, and this can lead to big financial burdens.

PREVENTION TIPS

Wondering how to catch a mouse? Do you have a mouse problem and are planning on eliminating mice with mouse poison or mouse traps? It is important to keep in mind that in the case of a heavy mouse infestation, DIY mouse killer products do not always prove completely effective at exterminating mice. Various DIY mouse control products can be obtained from your local supermarket – such as mouse traps and mouse poison – although these may only be effective in managing mice in low risk areas.

DIY Mouse Traps

There are many types of mouse traps such as snap traps, glue traps, electrical and homemade DIY mouse traps. Whilst some professional companies might use glue traps, there are voluntary codes around regular checking of these traps to minimize the amount of time a rodent may spend trapped or suffering.

Snap mouse traps are also used by professionals and can be very useful for catching rats and mice; especially those that appear to elude alternative control measures and bait stations.

DIY Mouse Poison and Bait

People prefer not to use the word “poison” but the rodenticide used by professionals as a bait for mice is exactly that. Mouse poison can be very successful in eliminating mice. Various different forms of rodenticides are available on the market, and they vary in the length of time they require to take effect:

• Anticoagulants: The bulk of mouse baiting activities are carried out through a group of compounds called anticoagulants (AVKs). The blood clotting activity of Vitamin K is blocked by these compounds. One of the reasons for their efficacy is that AVK’s produce a delayed reaction; taking at least 3-4 days to take effect, during which time the rodent learns that mouse poison is ‘safe’ and continues consuming it.

• Alphachloralose: This rodenticide offers a much speedier course of action. Alphachloralose has the ability to kill a mouse within 24 hours by acting as a sedative. It is able to achieve its desired effect in very small doses (as little as 0.1g of bait).

Compared to anticoagulants, alphachloralose is a more humane form of mouse control bait and has a greater margin of safety for larger non-target animals. It is best applied as a short term ‘knock down’ treatment, followed by the use of anticoagulants or some other control tactic to control surviving mice.

SOLUTIONS

Need help on how to get rid of mice in your home or business? Contact us for a free quote on the most efficient mice extermination methods. Act now if you have spotted signs of a mouse infestation. Using our expert knowledge and proactive approach, we can provide you with expert solutions for getting rid of mice, enabling you to keep your family safe or to focus on your customers.

Rodent Bait Station

Our innovative rodent bait stations contain bait which attract mice inside and are specifically designed to be tamper-proof – making them safe for use in areas where children or pets may be present, and is only accessible by rodents, causing no harm to other animals. Many of the rodenticides used in these bait stations contain Bitrex which is the harshest taste known to the human tongue. If it is accidentally consumed by humans, the taste will cause you to spit it out immediately.

Our Treatment Plan

We guarantee to be in touch to arrange an appointment at a time that suits you. One of our certified Surveyors will carry out a thorough inspection, assess your problem and make recommendations for an  effective treatment to get rid of mice. Working with mice day-in and day-out gives us expert knowledge and insight into these rodents.

Our certified Technician will visit at a time chosen by you to start treatment once you have given us the go-ahead. All our treatments are safe for children and pets and offers minimum disruption to your family or business operation. The technician will then make several follow-up visits until your mouse problem is solved. We provide advice on mouse prevention, offering long term solutions.