|
The House Mouse is small, and has rather large ears, a pointed snout and a tail at least as long as its body length.
Mice living indoors are usually a darkish grey colour, with a lighter grey colour on their belly, while those living mainly outdoors tend to be a more sandy or yellow brown colouring – hence the reference to ‘field mice’.
They tend to live for about 1 year and may have 6-10 litters per year (each with 5-6 young).
The young achieve sexual maturity in approxamatly 6 weeks.
The House Mouse may live indoors or outdoors, sometimes entering buildings only when climatic conditions are adverse.
Being such a small animal, their access into buildings is probably easier than is the case for rats therefor a greater range of nesting sites are available to them.
Typically, within buildings, they may nest in wall voids, cupboards, roof voids, stored food areas, furniture and many other locations.
Outdoors they mainly live in burrows, usually under old stored items or in rubbish heaps, behind sheds etc.
In their general behaviour, mice are much more curious and exploratory than rats, so trapping programs for mouse control can often be very effective.
They are very good climbers, jumpers and swimmers, although they do not seem to swim very often.
In their feeding habits, mice are generally regarded as being quite omnivorous.
A variety of foods (eg. nuts, grains, meat and animal feeds) may all be acceptable to be placed on traps,or with baits, depending on the main diet of the resident population.
They are well adapted to low water in-take and can live on just the moisture in grain without any supplementary in-take of water.
Preferably, though, they seem to enjoy dry cereals if free water is available
Mixing of certain baits with water can make them very attractive to mice.
Mice feed mostly around dusk and during the night, but if the area is relatively undisturbed, they may feed during the day as well.
They seem to prefer to eat small amounts of food at various locations and at frequent intervals.
Even though they do not directly consume large amounts of food, damage due to gnawing,( this is essential to them as their front teeth never stop growing ) nibbling and contamination with urine and faeces can be very widespread.
In most cases, mice are not as suspicious of new food sources (baits) as rats can be.
In rural areas the occasional combination of mild weather, abundant food and shelter, and a reduction of natural enemies may cause mice to multiply to plague proportions, and then to migrate. Massive migrations can cause very significant damage and losses to farms and other buildings.
Rodent Control Methods
When Alice Pest Control or TENNANT CREEK PEST CONTROL is ENGAGED to control rodents infesting a house/building, we may choose to use one method, or a combination of methods, depending on the circumstances.
Procedures may include the following:
| |
 |
Sanitation – reducing the food and shelter available for rodent activity.
|
| |
|
Rodent proofing – altering the building structurally so that rodents cannot gain entry.
|
| |
|
Trapping – using traps to capture rodents.
|
| |
|
Chemical control – baiting with multiple or single dose anticoagulant rodenticides.
|
The control of some high-health risk, large-scale rodent infestations may require the implementation of several of the procedures outlined above.
In dealing with all rodent problems, however, irrespective of the type of control treatment undertaken, our pest technicians will always look for signs of poor sanitation and hygiene practices that, unless corrected, will continue to invite these unwelcome visitors.
Non-chemical control
Sanitation
It is quite reasonable to suppose that decreasing the food and shelter available to a given population of mice is likely to lead to more competition between individuals and, eventually, to a decline in the number of mice present.
This aspect of mice control often involves a largely educational component, whereby alice pest controls technicians, following a thorough inspection of the premises, will advise the client about hygiene and sanitation in relation to rodent infestation.
The technician may advise the use of sound garbage containers with tight fitting lids, a clean-up of rubbish heaps and overgrown weeds around the building, or cleaning of the house / building immediately after the day's work is completed, rather than on the following morning.
Each situation will be different, so each will be carefully inspected and assessed, we will then give sound advice, and recommendations on how to best control the situation.
Our pest technician, while inspecting and questioning, will be constantly looking for conditions of food and shelter that may help to sustain a mouse population.
The importance of achieving and maintaining a high standard of hygiene and sanitation, in relation to the control or prevention of rodent infestation, cannot be overemphasized.
Rodent-proofing
Perhaps the most permanent method of rodent control is to make alterations to the building so as to prevent their entry.
It is again necessary to carry out a thorough inspection of the premises, locating all cracks, crevices, weep holes and other potential access points that could allow the entry of mice.
All possible entry points should be blocked, using only sturdy, durable materials such as cast iron grills, heavy-gauge sheet metal, and rich cement mortar or concrete mixes.
Materials such as plastics, wood and softer metals (eg lead) should be avoided, as rodents can gnaw through these.
Trapping
Trapping is a technique of rodent control that is not as popular in present day pest control as it was in the past.
This is probably because trapping can demand much time, skill and labour, and the variety of chemical control methods now available, are often seen as more cost-effective.
There are still, however, situations where trapping is a more appropriate method.
Trapping can be useful:
| |
|
For rodent control in premises where inaccessible dead rats cannot be tolerated
|
| |
|
For rodent control in premises where chemical pesticides are not tolerated.
|
| |
|
For cleaning up remaining ‘bait-shy’ individuals after a baiting program.
|
Chemical Control
Owing to the widespread use of the safer anticoagulant rodenticides, the traditional single-dose poisons have been experiencing a decline in use.
This decline is largely attributable to their often highly toxic nature, whereby accidental feeding by a non-target animal (depending on their body weight and amount of bait consumed) may cause death.
There may, however, be circumstances in which these single dose rodenticides are still useful, and implemented.
For example, where a quick knockdown of a mouse population is required owing to a significant infestation, or in circumstances where anticoagulant baits is not sufficiently effective
When a rodent control program is to include the use of single dose rodenticides, it is essential that all work be carried-out by qualified operators with appropriate training and knowledge of mice control methods.
Alice pest control places all mice baits in plastic lockable containers, for the safety of the homeowners, and their pets.
Pre-Baiting
Rats- (not found in Alice Springs, due to climatic conditions) mostly uses the same routes when traveling and they tend to know their immediate environment very well.
Unlike mice, their behaviour shows an aversion to new objects in their environment, so it may take a few days before the more suspicious rat will try a new food in a container, while the more adventurous mouse may begin to investigate within minutes.
In this situation for bait-shy rats, before prepared baits are laid down, it is usually advisable to pre-bait.
This involves laying down attractive food as the bait, not rodenticides.
This may be carried out for a few successive sessions, or perhaps until the rodents appear to be feeding freely.
Once their feeding habit has been established, the food source should be altered to contain the rodenticide.
This procedure lessens the likelihood of creating bait-shyness in rats.
Baiting
A variety of foods are used in the preparation of rodent baits, including bread, cereals, meat, fruits, nuts, seeds or vegetables.
The choice of food will take into account the feeding habits of the mice to be controlled and, owing to the toxicity of the baits. They should be placed in plastic lockable bait stations so that they are inaccessible to pets, children and other non-target animals.
The introduction of lockable bait traps has been very successful in lessened the chance of poisoning occurring.
Due to the nature of mice feeding habits, situating the bait in an enclosed or sheltered area is recommended to give the mouse coverage and protection while feeding, and to place it in the mouses’ runway close to the wall, or near burrows or harbourages.
ALL RODENT Baits should be removed when no longer required, as they may facilitate the breeding of various beetles.
|
