Mice have been constant human companions since the day we put a roof over our heads, sharing the warmth of our walls and helping themselves to the food in our pantries. Cute, furry, and totally adorable, they are a hero of countless cartoons and children's books.
In real life, however, mice and rats are responsible for over 20 billion dollars in damage to our homes and crops yearly. They contaminate our food, spread a number of infectious diseases, and are the second most common cause of house fires thanks to a penchant for gnawing on live electrical wires.
Let's take a look at how you can identify types of mice common to our area, what you can do to prevent an infestation, and how an experienced Rockville pest control professional will go about getting rid of mice in your home.
How To Identify A Mouse
There are over 1100 species of mice in the world, living in the boroughs in the ground, nests in the trees, and, unfortunately, commonly sharing our homes with us.
In the Rockville area, you're likely to run into a house mouse or a deer mouse.
House mice are 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches long, not counting the length of the tail, which can often be more than half the length of the body. They have dusty grey fur with lighter, cream-colored undersides. The house mice claim to fame is the habit of setting up camp in our homes and the ability to increase their numbers with an astonishing speed.
Deer mice are a little smaller, growing 5 to 8 inches long, including the tail, and colored similarly to the common deer, with brown fur and white feet and undersides. They're not huge fans of living in our homes but will make their way into rarely-used utility structures during cold snaps.
Some of the common signs of mice living in your Rockville home are mouse droppings, oily rub marks on the walls, and gnaw marks on the walls and furniture.
Mice Can Spread Diseases And Damage Property
Living in a house infested with mice exposes you to several contagious diseases, such as:
- Leptospirosis
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM)
- Tularemia
- Salmonellosis
Mouse droppings and saliva left on the surfaces they travel over can trigger asthma and allergies in people predisposed to these afflictions.
Mice, like all rodents, have teeth that grow continuously through their lifetime, and to keep their length manageable, mice resort to gnawing on the walls and furniture in your home.
Five Natural Ways To Prevent Mice In Your House
Keeping mice out of your Rockville home is not a complicated task.
You should:
- Seal cracks and crevices in the house walls bigger than 1/4 in size.
- Store human and pet food in sealed glass or metal containers.
- Get rid of clutter to remove mouse hiding spots.
- Dispose of garbage regularly and store it in tightly sealed garbage cans.
- Keep vegetation around your home cut down short, and trim the branches of the trees in the vicinity.
Mice are nocturnal and excel at staying out of sight. Spotting the signs of mouse infestation early is the key to effective mouse control in Rockville.
The Most Effective Mouse Control For Your Home
At Womack Pest Control, we have over 80 years of experience keeping mice and other unwanted critters out of Rockville residents' homes. Our well-trained technicians will inspect your home, determine the location of the mouse nest, clear out the offending critters, and help you build an effective strategy to keep mice from making their way into your home again.
Reach out today, to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Rockville.