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
Text 503-369-4623

Mice Eek! A Mouse in my House?

Lately I have had several friends, relatives and acquaintances talk about, post about, blog about, or call about mice.  Mice are a common pest.  The term common does not indicate welcome- in fact a mouse is often greeted with a shriek of terror.  Mice are attracted to homes, apartments, businesses, etc because of the available food source as well as the cozy environment and nesting material available.

The stereotypical assumption is that mice infest only messy homes is false!  Clean homes have all of the makings of an environment in which mice can thrive.  A clean home most often still has water, food and some sort of nesting materials (insulation, towels, blankets, clothes, material, paper, etc).  It can be harder to deal with a rodent infestation in a messy home, but clean homes and messy homes alike are susceptible to mouse infestations.  Mice are not a reflection on the cleanliness of the human inhabitants of a home.  That said, the earlier mice are dealt with the better.

Mice can cause a number of problems:

• The first problem is sanitation of food and food preparation areas.  If mice are getting into food, it is no longer a safe food for people to eat because of the bacteria associated with mice as well as feces.
• Another major problem mice can cause is compromised electrical wiring.  Mice can chew on and through cords and wires in a home putting the home at a greater risk for fire.
• Mice can tear up insulation and duct work.  The insulation can be a big mess to clean up and the duct work can be costly to repair depending on the extent of the damage and how easily the damaged areas can be accessed.
• Mice can ruin clothing, blankets, towels, papers, and keepsakes.  They will shred cloth and paper to make their nests.  Rodent feces and urine can also stain and contaminate many different types of items.
• Mice generally make a mess of the area they are nesting and can leave food and food trails around attracting other pests, such as cockroaches.

Now that you know what mice can do, you might be wondering, "What can I do to get rid of mice, or prevent an infestation."  There are a number of steps you can take.

1. Store all open food in sealed containers.  This goes for food of the human and pet varieties.
2. Keep important documents in a document safe or other sealed container that will be difficult for mice to get into.
3. Keep unused or keepsake clothing and linens in air tight storage.
4. Regularly check (or have someone brave check) your crawlspace, garage, etc.  If you hear scurrying or munching sounds I'd go with a professional inspection.
5. Bird feeders and bird food can encourage rodents.  I recommend not using bird feeders-- or choosing hummingbird feeders instead of typical bird feeders.

The steps listed above are not a guarantee that you won't encounter rodents in your home, but it will make it less likely and easier to get rid of mice if you do find them.

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