House Mice Start House Fires
It is a simple fact that house mice can catch a home on fire. When mice get into walls and attic spaces, they can gnaw on wires and they sometimes gnaw on gas lines. It is believed that as many as 25 percent of property fires that originate from an unknown source are likely to be rodent-related. How likely is this to happen in your home? We can’t tell you. All we can say is that it happens. It is best to not have mice in your home, or have mice chewing wires in your home.
Let’s Talk About The Diseases Mice Carry
The list of diseases associated with mice is long. Very long. Let’s take a look at a few of the worst.
- Salmonella is a bacterial disease that can cause hospitalization. The CDC estimates 420 people die each year from salmonella, and 26,500 are hospitalized.
- E. coli infection can be mild or serious. The CDC estimates 100 people die each year from E.coli, and 265,000 get ill from this bacteria.
- Hantavirus is a serious disease. It is estimated that 40 percent of people who get hantavirus pulmonary syndrome die from it. According to the CDC, there have been 728 cases of Hantavirus in the United States since 1993.
- While it is scary to think about these and other diseases spread by mice, consider the numbers. In a population of more than 329 million people, 420, 100, and 728 are very low numbers. When you hear mice sounds in your walls, keep this fact in mind.
Mice Carry Fleas And Ticks
Do you know that one little mouse can have a hundred seed ticks on it? Yup. If a mouse comes into your home with ticks or fleas, it can spread them to every floor. You are probably aware that ticks and fleas have their own list of scary diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and plague. Will a mouse have fleas and ticks? Probably. Will the fleas or ticks have diseases? There is no way to know. All we can say for sure is that you don’t need fleas and ticks in your home.
How To Keep Mice Away Naturally
Now that you know a few facts about mice, what can and should you do about them? It is important to take into consideration that rodent prevention will reduce your chances of having a problem with mice and it will work to deter mouse activity. Both of these will, in turn, reduce the risks that are associated with mice. Will it keep mice from presenting a danger to you? No. But it is certainly worth the effort.
- Keep garbage contained and protected.
- Remove bird feeders from the exterior of your home.
- Pick up any food sources, such as nuts, fruits, and cookout foods.
- Keep your landscaping trimmed and remove unnecessary vegetation.
- Remove wood piles, leaf piles, branches, and other organic debris.
- Remove clutter from your yard.
- Seal entry points in your exterior.
- Make sure screens, weatherstripping, and door sweeps are all in good condition.
- Put wire mesh in downspouts.
- Trim branches away from your roofline.
- Remove vines or lattice from your exterior.
- Keep interior kitchen and pantry foods in sealed containers.
- Clean up food debris from floors, surfaces, and around appliances.
- Put pet food down only during meals.
Added Protection
Here are a few fun facts about mice. If you have higher than normal rodent pressures, or conducive conditions that are difficult to control, you can invest in a residential pest control program that includes rodent management. If you’re concerned about mice chewing wires, diseases mice carry, or the diseases ticks and fleas carry, there is no better way to mitigate these threats than to invest in a residential pest control plan. If you live in Jacksonville, we can help you with this. Reach out to Trad’s Pest Control. We use field-tested methods to achieve great results.