With the fall season ending before it even started, pests, such as mice, are going to begin to make their way indoors. While mice are adorable creatures to some, they are rather dangerous and destructive pests. Mice, unlike other pests, are not dangerous for their bite, sting, or poison, but rather the health risks that come from the diseases they carry.
Get A Free Quote
On top of the health risks mice pose, they are rapid breeders; which means the danger level rises significantly once there are multiple mice running through the walls of the home. For example, mice populations are capable of reproducing over 200 entities in a matter of months.
Damage
The dangers of mice in your home spur from their tendency to consistently chew. Mice chew to maintain their teeth length, resulting in them chewing through drywall, rubber, plastic pipes, insulation, aluminum, and potentially wires or gas lines. Openings caused by chewing should be sealed up, but do not pose an imminent threat to you or your family’s life. However, if rodents chew through wires, the chance of fire-starting increases, and if gas lines experience a leak, the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning increases.
Diseases
For mice to mark their territory, they must urinate and defecate in the area they want to maintain. Similarly, due to their regular eating schedule of 15 to 20 times a day, mice are known for making their nests near a food source. This puts your food in a susceptible position to contract a disease from mice. Some of the health problems caused by mice are:
Hantavirus: Found most commonly in deer mice, their urine and feces carry the virus. When urine dries, the dust formed is lethal to human health, as well as the urine and feces produced initially by the mouse. This disease begins with a fever and chills, but if not treated right away can turn into a more serious condition. The condition can begin to cause shortness of breath, eventually leading to the kidneys, resulting in death.
Salmonella: Due to their scurrying nature, mice run through kitchen counters, cabinets and pantry’s, carrying dirt and bacteria with them. Food left out or in cabinets are susceptible to mice touching and biting, which leads to salmonella. Salmonella is most commonly associated with the same symptoms as food poisoning.
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCMV): Serious neurological problems such as inflammation of meninges and the brain are caused once a human has been exposed to fresh urine, saliva, droppings, or other nesting materials where mice have been.
How do you know mice are in your home?
Droppings: As stated before, droppings are lethal to human’s health if you are exposed to them, but they are also one of the earliest signs of an infestation. These small feces should be handled with gloves and protective masks to ensure safety.
Nests: Nests are located by initially spotting a hole. These nests will typically be found in drawers, cabinets, pantries, and other areas that are not often checked. If a rodent nest is spotted, a trained pest management professional should be called to remove the problem.
Tracks: Tracks are not often found unless the rodents have found residence surrounding a dusty, or muddy area within your home. Still, you may consider this a dust or dirty area, but if you notice any holes or droppings near, you can deduct that this is, in fact, a mouse trail.
Sounds: It is common to hear mice at night, as this is when they are the most active. The sound you will hear could range from scurrying to a high-pitched mouse squeak. If you hear this, a pest professional should be called.
How can Wil-Kil Pest Control assist in your infestation?
Clearly, these tiny, cute-faced rodents have no business in your home. If you are living within Wil-Kil’s service area, be sure to call us once you detect a mouse in your home. We will come and remove the problem at hand, the current infestation, but we will recommend our exclusion service. If you have experienced an infestation, you must know that if there is a way in, mice will continue to enter until their entrance is blocked. In the pest management industry, we call this process of sealing openings in your home, exclusion.
Call Wil-Kil today regarding your current infestation, and for inquiries on our exclusion process.