| | House
Mouse
Characteristics –
Size: Small, its body rarely exceeding two inches long and one ounce
in weight.
Color: Usually gray in color, but some may appear darker.
Mice are more numerous than rats and are more widespread throughout urban and
suburban communities. A mouse can be distinguished from a young rat since the
rat's head and feet will be overly large in relation to its body.
Behavior –
Few people really like rats or mice, and no one wants them in their house.
Rodents live everywhere outside and could enter at any time, but fortunately,
this does not occur often. Usually, most home invasions occur in the fall, not
because of cooler weather, but because the seeds and plants on which rodents
feed outside are gone. Rats and mice must then seek new food sources.
Unfortunately, one of these sources may be your home. Mice are excellent
climbers and are capable of gaining entry through holes around soffit vents and
around cables entering the building, through holes in gable vent screens, and
through turbine and box vents on roofs. Most garage doors on homes allow enough
space for mice to fit underneath, as well.
Habitat – Mice are found in almost every part of the country
from urban to rural areas, and are especially prevalent in urban and suburban
communities. Mice are found in buildings more often than rats because they are
smaller and are able to find more available entryways into a building. Mice can
fit through a crack or hole 1/4 of an inch or larger - or about the width of a
pencil. Mice will make their nests in many areas in and around the home,
especially in stacked firewood, stones and bricks, and piles of leaves or other
debris.
Tips for Control – The best way to avoid invasions of mice
is to (1) provide as little harborage as possible that might attract rodents,
and (2) seal as many holes and cracks in the outside of the home through which
mice might enter. The following recommendations should be followed to help
prevent rodents from seeking the shelter provided by your home:
 | Keep firewood stored as far from the home as possible and
store it off the ground. During the winter, store only enough wood next to
the house to burn every couple of days.
| If possible, remove any piles of debris, stones, bricks,
etc. If these are near the foundation of the home they serve as harborages
to attract rodents. Once there, it is any easy step for rodents to enter the
building itself.
| Do not allow piles of leaves to accumulate next to the home
s foundation. This also serves as attractive harborage for rodents - mice in
particular.
| Seal any hole or crack larger than 1/4 of an inch. A good
rule of thumb is that if a pencil can fit into it, a mouse could too. Large
holes or cracks should be stuffed with steel wool or wire mesh before
sealing with caulk or foam, otherwise rodents could chew through to enter.
| Install a good thick weather stripping on the bottom of all
doors to prevent rodents from entering. The garage door may prove difficult
to seal completely, so the door from the garage to the house must be sealed
tightly.
| The installation of one or two wind-up mouse traps in the
garage can catch many mice as they enter. These traps can catch up to 15
mice with one setting. Ask your Carson service professional for more
information.
| Remember, your Carson service includes coverage for
rodents, and much of the service provided during the colder months is to
inspect for signs of rodents and to maintain preventive control measures. |
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