House Mouse

The house mouse is the most common rodent pest in most parts of the world. It can breed rapidly and adapt quickly to changing conditions. In fact, a female house mouse can give birth to a half dozen babies every three weeks and can produce up to 35 young per year.

• Mice are not very fickle when it comes to food; they will feed on a vast array of stored food items or pet foods.
• If a food item comes in a cardboard box or paper wrapping – it’s a double bonus for the mouse. The packaging can be used for nesting and the food inside for eating.
• While they are in the pantry or cupboard, the mouse will also contaminate food with their urine, droppings, and hair.
• Although it eats only about 3 grams of food per day, it is estimated that a mouse contaminates and destroys 10 times more food than it eats as it leaves its droppings, nibbles on packages, and leaves numerous partially eaten foods behind – leaving all of it inedible and unfit for humans – or pets.
• Even without food being inside, a mouse will gnaw on plastic containers and wooden items, and shred stored paper – paper towels, napkins, etc. – for their nests.
• Outside, mice can damage the structure of your home in their attempts to get inside. Mice only need a hole the size of a dime to squeeze into your home. But if a hole is found, and it’s not quite big enough, the mouse will chew on the structure until it is!
• Mice also can dig up and feed on newly planted crops in gardens, cause damage before harvest, and burrow into other areas on the property for food and nesting.

Control

A successful control program consists of properly sealing the building in question, good housekeeping, and the proper application of baits and traps. Normally rodent control is done on a monthly basis.

Deer Mouse

Deer mice measure 12 to 28 cm from nose to tail. They weigh 15 to 32 grams. Deer mice are named for their fur’s striking similarity to the coloration of deer fur. Their grayish-brown bodies gradually whiten at the belly and legs. The most telling characteristic is their bicolored tail which is dark but the bottom is light. Many people refer to deer mice as “field mice.” Feasting on seeds, grains, and fruit, deer mice often aggravate farmers when they infiltrate grain silos and storage bins. These rodents are well-known carriers the deadly Hantavirus which has caused numerous deaths in the United States. As prolific breeders, they pose serious health risks for humans and pets.

Voles

Voles, also called meadow mice or field mice, are rodents with small eyes and partially hidden ears. Their underfur is generally dense and covered with thicker, longer guard hairs.

Voles are active day and night year-round. They do not hibernate. Voles eat plants, especially grasses and seeds, as well as bark, crops, insects and animal remains. Voles can have between one and five litters per year, with an average of five young in each litter. Vole population levels fluctuate and generally peak every two to five years.

Voles construct tunnels with numerous burrow entrances. A single burrow system may contain several adults and young.

Voles can also ruin lawns and ground cover. Voles rarely come in contact with humans and therefore pose no major public health hazards.

Control

For control of voles we use repellents, sub surface baits and tamper resistant bait stations. This service normally requires multiple applications to gain control.