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Mice/ Mouse
Mice
There are two common types of mice in Jamaica: house mice and field mice. Active year-round, house mice live in furniture, cabinets, floors, walls, ceilings. Field mice are a big threat to agricultural pursuits as these mice eat seedlings.
Mice Infestation
Once inside your property, mice prefer to keep hidden during the day. Identifying a potential infestation through signs of activity is often a lot easier than trying to spot an actual mouse.
Getting professional treatment at the earliest sign of a problem can greatly help to reduce the length of time needed to effectively control an infestation.
Signs of Mice
Finding typical signs of mice, such as droppings, could indicate an active infestation in your home or business.
- Droppings - 50/80 droppings a night, small and dark (approx. 3 - 8 mm in length), scattered randomly. Look for droppings particularly along walls, in cupboards or under sinks.
- Grease marks (smudges or smears) - This is caused by mice fur constantly brushing against walls, floors and skirting on regular routes. You may find dark smears around holes or around corners.
- Urine pillars - In established or heavy infestations, body grease, combined with dirt and urine, builds up into small mounds, up to 4cm high and 1cm wide.
- Scratching noises - People often report hearing unusual scratching noises at night when mice are most active. Listen for noises between partition walls, under floorboards, in false ceilings, basements and lofts.
- Nests - Mice use easy to shred materials, such as newspaper and fabrics, together with other soft materials to line their nest. Check lofts, suspended ceilings, cavity walls, under floorboards and behind fridges, under stoves and in airing cupboards. Nests will often contain young mice.
- Tracks (footprints) - Dusty environments such as unused lofts and basements can show up rodent tracks and tail marks. To check for activity, sprinkle flour, talcum powder or china clay and check the next day for fresh tracks.
- Live or dead mice - Spotting a mouse during the daytime can be an indication of a heavy infestation.
- Strong smell - Mice urinate frequently and their wee has a strong ammonia-like smell. The smell may be very strong near the main site of activity or in enclosed spaces. This smell can linger for a long time (even after an infestation has been removed).
How To Get Rid of Mice
Once an infestation has been identified, the best and most effective way to get rid of mice is with professional treatment.
Professional solutions can guarantee to quickly and safely remove mice from your home or business. Solutions can be tailored to each unique problem and can also offer effective deterrent methods to avoid a re-infestation. Professional mouse control will help to avoid:
- Disease - mice are well known to spread disease with the ability to contaminate food and water supplies. Salmonella, Leptospirosis or Hantavirus are just a few they can transmit.
- Damage - they are also able to cause considerable damage to property and pose a genuine fire risk with their habit of chewing on electrical cables and wiring.
Mice Deterrent Tips
- Food safety - Be careful not to attract mice with food. Where possible food should be stored in plastic or metal containers. Regularly clean under stoves, refrigerators and cupboards.
- Doors - Fit bristle (or brush) strips to the bottom of doors to prevent entry, especially in older properties where the door fit may not be snug.
- Pipework - Seal holes around existing or new pipes with coarse grade stainless steel wire wool and caulking (pliable sealant).
- Holes - These are often made in exterior walls for cables and pipes; check that old pipework holes are sealed too. Any holes that are larger than 5mm will allow mice to gain access because their jaws can fit into tight spaces like these and quickly chew larger openings that allow them to enter a building.
- Air Bricks and Vents - Cover these with fine galvanised wire mesh, especially if they are damaged.
- Eaves - Fix damaged roofing and use wire mesh to seal gaps.
- Vegetation - Trim tree branches back from the house and where possible avoid plants growing up the sides of your property. Vines, shrubs or over hanging branches can be used for mice to get onto roofs. Overgrown vegetation close to the walls will offer mice shelter and potential nesting sites.
- Lawns - Keep grass mown short to reduce shelter and seeds for food. Ideally leave a gap between the building foundations and the garden.
How To Deter Mice
The best way to prevent problems with mice in your home or business is to deny them access inside.
If they do manage to gain entry indoors, it is important to discourage their presence by denying mice easy access to food and water.
If you can deter mice you will also reduce the damage they can cause to your property and avoid the health risks associated with exposure to this rodent.
Types of Mice/Mouse
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