It dipped below 60 degrees last night, and we all know what cooler weather means! Mice! Mice are amazingly successful and adaptable creatures, and can be found on nearly every continent and region on earth. They can thrive in nearly any geographical terrain, including grasslands, forests, mountains, deserts and urban areas—including a recent uptick in mice infestations in areas like Dallas and Fort Worth.
Great.
“Why are mice so dangerous? What can I do to prevent mice from entering my home?” These are the most common questions we hear at Cantu Pest Control, and we’d like to take a moment to share our knowledge with you. When it comes to mice, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Are mice really something I should concern myself with? An infestation sounds like something that happens to “other people, up north. Right?”
WRONG!
Mice are no laughing matter, and running into one of these pests somewhere in your property is more likely than you think. Most mice are nocturnal, meaning that if there happens to be an infestation in your home, you’ll likely hear them scratching around during night hours, especially towards twilight and dawn.
Wild mice tend to be very timid around humans and other animals, but are actually quite sociable around other mice; they have the ability to communicate with other mice through ultrasonic and normal sounds, and use the scent of their urine to mark their territory.
These pests will eat almost anything, and when food becomes scarce during the winter months, mice are more likely to invade your home looking for any kind of food they can get their hands on.
They’re tiny little things, so how am I supposed to know if they’re inside my home?
A common sign of mice in the home is the appearance of chewed up boxes, wood, books, and insulation. Mice aren’t eating these items, though—they’re usually taking pieces of them and adding them to their nest.
These nests are often centrally located and have ready access to food and water. Another sure sign of the presence of mice of an abundance of droppings and urine stains around the entrance of the nest.
So what kind of threat do they pose? I find it hard to believe that these little animals can be so dangerous.
Every mouse infestation comes the risk of disease. Even the smallest traces of mouse urine can trigger allergic reactions, especially in children, since their immune systems are not fully developed. Mice are also vectors for the particularly destructive hantavirus, which is spread through contact with a mouse’s feces.
Mouse droppings should be removed with extreme caution, which means that vacuuming and dusting are not usually viable options for removal.
Mice also have a tendency to traverse food preparation areas both indoors and outdoors, which means that all the bacteria that they carried can be directly albeit inadvertently transferred to your food.
This is distressing news! Surely there’s something I can do to mitigate the chances of mice entering my home and spreading hideous diseases all over the place!
There are a variety of things we can do to protect your home from mice. Even if mice are already inside, it would be our pleasure to help you remove them.
If mice have made an unwanted appearance around your home, call Cantu Pest Control at 972-885-3618 and schedule an appointment today with one of our friendly, experienced pest control experts.
Cantu Pest Control is a locally owned pest control business that has been providing pest control and pest management services to residential and commercial customers for over thirty-two years. We provide safe, customized solutions for all of your pest control needs—using the most advanced technology in the pest control industry.
