Mice are by far the most commonly reported pest for any urban area – ask any local authority or property manager.
The first thing to understand about mice is that these creatures live in buildings – just like you! They are what is known as a ‘commensal rodent’.
Mice are born, live, breed and die all within the wall cavities, floor voids and roof voids of buildings usually without ever going outside. The mice emerge from these cavities at night to forage for the food we eat (or our pets eat).
Mice that live outside are called field mice. They nibble corn and get eaten by Barn Owls in rural areas. These mice are a totally different species to house mice and not something urban dwellers need worry about.
Man has battled with house mice since Roman times and as a result House mice are now evasive when it comes to traps as well as being resistant to many of the poisons currently used in mouse bait. This makes House mice virtually impossible to control if you persist with conventional approaches.
Ultimately whilst the holes are present allowing them the mice to emerge from the building cavities and into our living areas, then they will always have access to our foods and your House mouse problem will persist.
The problem is that food availability gives the mice breeding capability. Their formidable breeding potential of up to 10 mouse litters per year with each litter comprising up to 14 young means the mice will simply out-breed any baiting or trapping programme provided they have access to a food supply that supports it.
Mouse proofing, which is the blocking or sealing of these emergence mouse holes, is by far the most effective mouse control strategy as it physically stops the mice entering the areas you live within as well as shutting the mice off from their food supply.
The beauty of an urban scenario is that buildings always have shared building fabrics – for example blocks of flats, terraced rows etc. – so the resident house mice simply move elsewhere (displace is the technical term) rather than try and regain access once a property has been sealed.
Pestology deliver the best mouse proofing and mice control solutions and provide a guarantee with our work.
