House Mouse Quick Tips Natural Pest Control
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House mice thrive in human structures where they find abundant food and shelter. They can contaminate and damage food supplies, transmit diseases, and gnaw on buildings. House mice are best managed by removing food and shelter sources, sealing entry points into buildings, and using traps or baits. Signs of an infestation include droppings, gnawing marks, smells, and sightings of the mice. Proper sanitation and exclusion practices can discourage house mice from entering homes.
House Mouse Quick Tips Natural Pest Control
- 1. House Mouse House mice are well adapted to living in close contact with humans and thrive where food and shelter are abundant. They eat and contaminate food supplies and also can transmit disease. Their gnawing activities can damage structures or property. Manage them by cleaning up debris, removing food and shelter, eliminating entryways into buildings, or using traps or baits. High frequency electronic devices aren’t effective. How to detect a house mouse infestation: ✦ Look for droppings, fresh gnaw marks, and tracks, which indicate areas where mice are active. ✦ Search behind boxes, in drawers, in garages, or around woodpiles for nests made of finely shredded paper or other fibrous material. ✦ Check for the musky odor associated with mice. ✦ Mice are most active at night, but you also can see them during daylight hours. Discourage mice by removing food, water, and shelter and sealing entryways. ✦ Good housekeeping within buildings reduces shelter and food for house mice. ✦ Seal all structural cracks and openings larger than 1⁄4 inch. Use wire screen or coarse steel wool that mice can’t chew through. ✦ Ensure all doors, windows, and screens fit tightly. ✦ Feed pets only the amount of food they will eat at a single feeding. ✦ Keep all food storage and garbage containers sealed. ✦ Thin or remove plants next to or climbing up buildings, since house mice are excellent climbers. Remove mice from your home by trapping. ✦ Snap traps and glue boards are the safest and most economical traps. ✦ Place traps in secluded areas along walls, behind objects, in dark corners, and in places where droppings have been found. ✦ Dispose of dead rodents by burying or placing them in plastic bags and putting them in the garbage. Don’t touch mice with your bare hands, and wash hands thoroughly after handling traps. University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program What about poison baits? ✦ Avoid using baits indoors. Mice can die in hidden places, create bad odors, and be difficult to locate. Seal buildings before baiting outdoors to prevent mice coming indoors to die. ✦ Baits generally take several days for effective control. ✦ Place baits in tamper-proof bait stations out of reach of children and pets. All rodent baits are toxic. The house mouse has almost no hair on its tail and no white markings. The deer mouse, which can carry the deadly hantavirus, has a white underside, more hair on its tail and is rare in homes. Set traps so the trigger is next to the wall. Increase your chance of March 2014 See Pest Notes: House Mouse at www.ipm.ucanr.edu for more details. success by setting two traps . Minimize the use of pesticides that pollute our waterways. Use nonchemical alternatives or less toxic pesticide products whenever possible. Read product labels carefully and follow instructions on proper use, storage, and disposal. For more information about managing pests, contact your University of California Cooperative Extension office listed under the county government pages of your phone book or visit the UC IPM Web site at www.ipm.ucanr.edu. What you use in your landscape affects our rivers and oceans! University of California Statewide IPM Program Cooperative Extension