Mice | Little Bunny Foo Foo Hopping Through The Forest

Recently my wife was singing a song in the car with our kids that she says her mom sang with her...  It goes a little something like this,

Little Bunny Foo Foo hopping through the forest, scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the heads,Along came the good fairy and she said "Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don't want to see you scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the heads.  I'll give you three chances and then POOF, you're a goon!"

Anyways, I was totally relating with the bunny right?  Mice are pesky, they get into stuff, they eat your food and rip up your papers and ruin clothing and generally make a mess of things.  Also worth noting, what on Earth is a GOON? (To be fair, I did look it up.  It is defined as a stupid person, a person hired to take out enemies, or a low level gang member. I think it's safe to say that the definition of "goon" has probably changed.).

All that is to say, the song got me thinking about mice...  And since I was thinking about mice, I decided to blog about mice... Again.  Mice are a common pest control call all year, with a slightly lower amount in the summer.  Mice are a pest year round because they are attracted to food, water and nesting materials that are readily available where people are.

While there are a number of ways to treat for mice, I have found that the bunny's method (scooping up and bopping) in the song would be completely ineffective...  It would also be rather difficult since mice can be quick, squeeze into the teensiest tinesiest cracks and disappear just about as quickly as you can scream and jump onto a chair! Not that this is what I do when I see a mouse-- I have seen it happen though.

Such a small creature can create panic, make a huge mess, damage duct work and insulation, and cause a major problem with sanitation.  Mice are dirty, can carry fleas and diseases.  They can contaminate food supplies and destroy papers and clothing.  It is important to treat for mice.  There are a number of methods for controlling mice.  The integrated pest control approach takes into consideration the environment and other animals.  Pest control for mice has come a long way as far as baits are concerned.  While once mouse bait could make a cat, dog or child sick-- the newer products are specifically targeted for mice and their specific biological make up.  While it is still important to keep baits out of reach of children and pets, pest control has gotten safer.

If you're seeing mice around your house, inside, in the garage or in the crawl space, it is a good idea to have an inspection to talk about whether or not there is damage and the extent of it, exclusion work (closing off areas mice, rats or other animals can get in), and how to best treat or prevent an infestation.

Micah Wood
Peak-Pest-Management.com
Micah@peak-pest-management.com
503-998-4322
360-607-1933
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