Mice and rodents can be a serious pest in homes and businesses. These rodents are considered the most troublesome and economically important rodent pests in the United States. In this article, we will take a closer look at these small rodents.
What types of mice do we generally have invading our structures?
The most common mouse that infests homes in Tennessee is the house mouse. This mouse is grayish-brown with a lighter gray belly, pointed nose, nearly hairless tail and weighing 2/5 to 4/5 of an ounce. Similarly, a mouse that might enter homes is the white-footed field mouse that has a more brownish body color and white belly. We have pest control service at U.S. Pest that can protect your family and home from these rodents.
Habits and biology of mice
Rodents such as mice live in and around homes, farms and commercial buildings. They will eat a wide variety of foods but prefer seeds and grains. They are nibblers and will only eat about 3 grams of food per day. Their nibbling, fecal dropping, and urine cause more damage to food sources than they consume.
Due to their ability to obtain moisture from food consumed, they have very little need for water. To add, mice have litters of 5-6 young that become sexually mature in 6-10 weeks. A female mouse can have 5-10 litters per year. Mice will live 1-2 years in the wild.
Some interesting facts about mice
- One female mouse can produce up to 60 young in a year.
- Mouse activity is usually nocturnal but mice can be seen out during the daylight hours.
- Most mice usually stay within 10-30 feet of their nest.
How you can prevent mice from entering your home and getting established
Finally, mice can crawl through a hole the size of a small coin so first inspect windows, cracks in foundations, door and garage thresholds, utility and HVAC pipes entering the structure for any hole that might be larger enough for entry. Seal all holes found and sill plates under doors. One suggestion is to turn off the lights in the garage to see if any light is showing under the door which makes an easy entry for mice.
Furthermore, pet food stored in the garage and any food in pantries should be stored in metal or plastic containers. Keep scrap food and crumbs cleaned up no allowing any meals for mice. Inspection of your home is very important! We offer FREE inspections!