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Mus
domesticus
Characteristics –
Size: Small,
its body rarely exceeding two inches long and one ounce in weight.
Color: Usually gray in color, but some may appear darker.
Mice are more numerous than rats and are more widespread throughout
urban and suburban communities. A mouse can be distinguished from a
young rat since the rat's head and feet will be overly large in
relation to its body.
Behavior –
Few people really like rats or mice, and no one wants them in their
house. Rodents live everywhere outside and could enter at any time,
but fortunately, this does not occur often. Usually, most home
invasions occur in the fall, not because of cooler weather, but
because the seeds and plants on which rodents feed outside are gone.
Rats and mice must then seek new food sources. Unfortunately, one of
these sources may be your home. Mice are excellent climbers and are
capable of gaining entry through holes around soffit vents and
around cables entering the building, through holes in gable vent
screens, and through turbine and box vents on roofs. Most garage
doors on homes allow enough space for mice to fit underneath, as
well.
Habitat – Mice are found in almost every part of
the country from urban to rural areas, and are especially prevalent
in urban and suburban communities. Mice are found in buildings more
often than rats because they are smaller and are able to find more
available entryways into a building. Mice can fit through a crack or
hole 1/4 of an inch or larger - or about the width of a pencil. Mice
will make their nests in many areas in and around the home,
especially in stacked firewood, stones and bricks, and piles of
leaves or other debris.
Tips for Control – The best way to avoid
invasions of mice is to (1) provide as little harborage as possible
that might attract rodents, and (2) seal as many holes and cracks in
the outside of the home through which mice might enter. Follow these
recommendations to help prevent rodents from seeking the shelter
provided by your home:
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firewood stored as far from the home as possible and store it
off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next
to the house to burn every couple of days.
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| If
possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks, etc. If
these are near the foundation of the home they serve as
harborages to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step
for rodents to enter the building itself.
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| Do
not allow piles of leaves to accumulate next to the home's
foundation. This also serves as attractive harborage for rodents
- mice in particular.
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| Seal
any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. A good rule of
thumb is that if a pencil can fit into it, a mouse could too.
Large holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire
mesh before sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could
chew through to enter.
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| Install
good, thick weather-strip on the bottom of all doors to prevent
rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult to
seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must
be sealed tightly.
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installation of one or two wind-up mouse traps in the garage can
catch many mice as they enter. These traps can catch up to 15
mice with one setting. Ask your Curtis Pest Control professional
for more information.
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| Curtis
Pest Control inspects for signs of rodents to
maintain preventive control measures.
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