When it comes to pests, house mice are on the cuter, cuddlier end of the spectrum. They’re fuzzy and tiny. They hold things with their little hands. They have big eyes and wiggly noses. They’re so adorable that many people keep them as pets. Sometimes, this cuteness makes people think a mouse infestation is no big deal.
However, wild mice are a different ballgame than pet mice. They may be cute, but they spread disease, destroy property, and get into just about everything. They can even bring secondary infestations into your house. That means you’re going to want to keep these nasty rodents away from your Columbia home and business.
A Mouse In The House
Mice are one of the most common home-invading pests. Along with rats, they’re the rodent that gives people the most trouble. This has been going on for a long time – since before the agricultural revolution. Since mice have lived alongside human civilizations for between ten and fifteen thousand years, some mouse varieties have become semi-dependent on people for food and shelter. This makes them quite a challenge to ward off – they’re just too motivated.
Of course, just about every house and building is going to be attractive to mice because of the simple fact that it’s a climate-controlled shelter with few to no predators and lots of space to nest and hide. However, there are ways you might be inadvertently making your home more attractive to mice. One of the biggest things people do that attracts both mice and rats is leaving their trash uncovered. Rats aren’t picky eaters and will root through garbage, but mice are more interested in pantry staples, fresh fruits, cheeses, etc. That means they’re more likely to be interested in your compost cans or receptacles that you frequently use to dispose of leftovers.
Another big attractant is improper food storage. Since mice like grains, dried fruit, etc., they love it when you leave your cereal sitting in a half-open box or your rice just rolled up in the bag it came in. Mice can chew through plastic bags and cardboard boxes in a heartbeat. They can also smell food they like from a mile away. That means if you keep your pantry stocked with improperly stored foods, you’re more likely to attract a population of mice.
Mouse Prevention Techniques
As we said above, mice bring many problems when they invade your home. They carry potentially serious diseases like leptospirosis, hantavirus, tularemia, and salmonella. They rip up everything from furniture to fiberglass insulation to get plush material for their nests. They chew on everything from vinyl flooring to electrical wiring to grind down their constantly growing teeth. And they can bring other infestations into your homes, such as fleas and ticks. With all that, you’ll want to make sure to keep them away.
There are lots of things you can do to make your home less attractive to mice:
- Cover all indoor and outdoor garbage cans.
- Store all pantry foods in airtight, hard plastic containers.
- Seal all holes and cracks in your home’s exterior – remember, mice can squeeze through some tiny spots.
- Consider getting a cat or rodent dog. Mice find dwellings occupied by their natural predators less attractive.
- Call the pros.
Getting rid of a mouse infestation on your own can be a huge headache. Poisons and traps typically don’t do anything but reduce the mouse population. If you want to eliminate the infestation, you’ll need to call The Original Bugman Pest Elimination, Inc. We can make sure to get rid of the entire mouse infestation in your home so the population cannot bounce back after a few weeks. So call us at (803) 805-7410 or visit our contact page to schedule your home pest control service!
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