:: neighborly advice

Rodent Control

The mouse is a significant pest in the United States, and causes millions of dollars of damage to stored feed and structures. The household mouse can also transmit disease such as salmonellosis and swine dysentery. Effective mouse control can be broke down into 3 categories:

1. Sanitation
2. Rodent proof construction
3. Population reduction

Sanitation

Maintaining clean premises is the first thing one should consider when controlling mice. Eliminating food sources attractive to mice and maintaining clean quarters that minimize nesting areas will help reduce mice population, or even keep the problem from developing.

Rodent Proof Construction

Rodent proof construction can be an effective key element in mouse control. Mice are attracted to buildings or structures that have openings and escaping heat that they can detect. Eliminate openings that are larger than 3/16 of an inch around pipes by the use of steel wool, caulk or mortar. Since steel wool will rust in time, some people prefer copper wire mesh. Inspection of windows, crawl spaces, doors, and securing the openings so mice will help to eliminate rodent entry.

Population Reduction

Population reduction is the most common practice, typically via the use of traps and toxins. Mice control, or mouse population reduction, can quickly be accomplished with trapping. This is the preferred method used in homes, hospitals, and schools and other sensitive areas for several key reasons:

• it is pesticide free
• it permits the user to view his or hers success
• traps can be set in a variety of area's making trapping very versatile
• allows for disposal of trapped mice
• protects pets from ingestion and potential poisoning

Since the fall of the year seems to bring these little pests out, now is the time to plan the control of any mice population.