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MICE, MICE EVERYWHERE
Well, by now. Mice have probably settled in for the
winter. Most species nationwide have sought shelter for the dark colder
months. The house mouse is the most common pest in and around the human
living and working environment. House mice can damage and destroy
materials by gnawing, consuming stored food products, attach decorative
floral arrangements, and can carry serious human diseases. Normally the
house mouse has a head and body length ranging from 2.5
to 3.5 inches. Mice usually only weigh about an ounce but they eat
frequently and usually the first sign of infestation is the dark colored
droppings. Mice droppings are long and pointed compared to the larger
blunt droppings of rats.
While mice might seem cuddly, the house
mouse breeds regularly. Thirty-five days after birth, the mouse is ready
to breed. So in less than 60 days, mice can go from birth to having
litters of up to eight young. While most mice live only about a year,
imagine how many young can be produced in that year.
Mice have an excellent ability to climb and
jump. In fact they can jump down from over the height of a man onto a
floor with out injury. They also can jump a foot up. While they don't eat
much, the shear numbers of young can do serious damage to supplies of
food. In a year, a mouse can produce up to 18,000 droppings.
Mice spread disease. Due to their activity, mice
can spread salmonella, a source of food poisoning in thousands of people
each year. Other diseases of mice (not only house mice) can include
hantavirus, tapeworm, and certain poxes.
If you see signs of mice, don't panic. Don't run
out and buy poisons and scatter them helter skelter. The smartest thing
to do is to call a professional pest control company. They will be able
to tell you if you have a mouse problem and what they can do to protect
you and your family.
Contact
All-State pest for your pest control needs in Memphis, Cordova, Bartlett,
Collierville, Tennessee and, Olive Branch, Mississippi and surrounding
areas. Termite control, insect and rodent control are our
specialties.
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