1. A Factory For Mice
A female mice may mate upwards of ten times per year. She will have a litter of mice that ranges from three to fourteen. The total number often reflects the amount of food available. In lean years, she may only have a few babies. In times where there is a lot of food and water available, she may have fourteen babies per litter.
While that number is crazy… consider that she can have ten litters of babies per year. If each litter is fourteen babies, she can produce 140 baby mice in a 365-day period. A single female mouse can produce a wicked infestation of mice in a home. Thankfully, most litters are not fourteen babies, they are more in the range of seven +/- making the rough estimate of young produced in a year to be more in the range of 40-70. Still… that is a lot of mice, and it does not reflect the number of young her babies make. Mice can begin to mate at four weeks old. What this means is pure disaster for a house with resources to feed all those mice.
2. A Death Trap
Mice and other rodents are well known to be the source of disease. The Black Plague of the Middle Ages came from fleas found on rats. The source is Yersinia pestis – a bacteria spread to humans when the fleas on rodent’s bite humans.
The simple truth is that mice, rats, and other rodents can spread upwards of 35 different diseases to humans. The mode of infection can be direct or indirect. The black plague is an indirect mode of transmission. You can catch disease from mice from their droppings, urine, if the mouse bites you, or from cleaning up messes that mice make including their nests.
3. Mice And Rodents Cause A Pitfall Of Damage To Homes Each Year
It is estimated that the damage to homes in the US by mice and rats is over $20 Billion. The structural damage to homes ranges from damage to the unit’s structure to gnawing on wood in cabinets, flooring, roofing, and attic. Additional damage comes from urine and feces deposited in places where it goes unnoticed. Subfloors, ceiling spaces, outbuildings, and in walls are spots where mice urine can begin to cause staining issues in sheetrock, or other types of damage to wood. $20 Billion is a lot of money and it highlights the need for improved rodent control.
4. Mice Are Not All The Same
In the US there are eight or more species of mice. Not all mice are the same and many prefer to live in different environments. Most species of mice will take up residency in homes if the opportunity presents itself. A few reason mice love homes include the access to year round water and the decrease in natural predators.
- Natural Predators of Mice
Hawks and Coyotes are two of the most successful predators of mice. These two, and many other, critters help to control mouse and rat populations before they get to your home. A coyote eats about 2.5 pounds of food per day and if that food is comprised of rodents, you are looking at a consumption of 20-30 mice, rats, gophers, and other rodents per day. That’s a lot of rodents.
If you have a mouse problem, take care of it quickly. Call us to make an appointment for extermination of mice and other rodents in your home. We offer quality home pest control and commercial pest control services throughout Bryan and College Station.