Mice

 

Finding mice in your home or business can be very distressing. Mice are known to spread disease as they search for food and shelter.
This poses great health risks in kitchens or where children play.

Their natural and constant gnawing habit means mice can also cause great damage to your property, furnishings and equipment.
Simple measures like mouse proofing your property can help to protect you.

 

Looking for common signs of mice will also help to identify a problem early and ensure quick and effective treatment.

 

How to Get Rid of Mice

 

Mice look for access to buildings for food and shelter. They search for easy, abundant sources of food and undisturbed areas to nest. By removing available food sources, your home or business will be less attractive to mice. You will also help to reduce food contamination risks and the spread of disease.
 

Mice are not fussy eaters and will seek out leftovers on worktops, possibly spreading pathogens and diseases such as Salmonella, Leptospirosis or Hantavirus, as they search for food.

 

 

Using cats or plants to get rid of mice

 

Getting a cat to deter mice is an old wives tale. Cats do instinctively hunt mice, but a pet is rarely effective mouse control.
 

There are also several plants that mice allegedly dislike, including peppermint, chamomile, lavender, cloves and chillies. These could be used as a minor deterrent, but none can promise a mouse-free home or business.

Learn more about preventing access to mice in the first place

It is natural to feel uncomfortable if you have mice, but there is no need to worry. This is a common problem that can be solved quickly.

 

Signs of Mice

 

Have you heard scratching noises or noticed an unusual smell? You may have mice in your home. Mice can remain hidden for a long time before you even begin to suspect a problem.

If you find signs of activity, our BPCA certified technicians are able to confirm the presence of mice and offer a safe, targeted treatment for your home or business. 

 

Mice Infestation Signs

 

• Droppings - 50/ 80 droppings a night, small and dark (approx. 3 - 8 mm in length), scattered randomly, check inside or on cupboard tops or along skirting.

 

 

• Grease marks (smudges or smears) - Caused by their bodies brushing against walls, floors and skirting on regular routes, dark smears around holes or around corners.

 

 

• Urine pillars - 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 - Often at night when mice are most active. Listen for noises between partition walls, under floorboards, in false ceilings, basements and lofts.

 

 

• Nests - Using easy to shred materials, mice then line the nest with other soft materials. Check lofts, suspended ceilings, cavity walls, under floorboards and behind fridges, under stoves and in airing cupboards.

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

• Strong smell - Mice urinate frequently and their wee has a strong ammonia-like smell. The stronger the smell the closer you are to mice activity. This smell can linger for a long time (even after an infestation has been removed).

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Lyme Disease 

 

Description: Skin lesions, fever, headaches, arthralgias

Carrier: All rodents

Mode of Transmission: Rodent tick bite

        

Salmonella (Food Poisoning)

 

Description: Causes intestinal disorders

Carrier: Rats, Mice

Mode of Transmission: Rodent feces contamination

 

Rat-Bite Fever

 

Description: Relapsing fever that may last several months

Carrier: Rats, Mice

Mode of Transmission: Bacteria in mouth and nose of rodent, transmitted via bite or scratch

 

Typhus

 

Description: Fever, headache, rash, respiratory attack

Carrier: Rats, Mice

Mode of Transmission: Rat flea bite

 

Plague

 

Description: Attacks circulatory & respiratory systems

Carrier: Various rodents

Mode of Transmission: Rodent flea bite or by handling an infected animal

 

Pox (Rickettsial)

 

Description: Lesion followed by fever, headache, rash

Carrier: House Mouse

Mode of Transmission: Bite of a mite which lives on mice

 

For more information and other diseases from rodents click "here" 

 

Dangers of Rodents
 

In the past century alone, more than 10 million people have died from rodent-borne diseases.  Although rodents are not major threats to our everyday health, it is justified to be concerned over the potential for rodents to transmit diseases. By their very nature and design, rodents make excellent “vehicles” for harboring and rapidly transporting diseases.