Mouse In The House

I asked a friend of mine if he could come up with a maths equation that could tell me just how prolific mice really are. He was the kind of guy who scored A-grades throughout high school so I figured he was the right person for the job.

I gave him a few variables. I gave him the average size of a litter of mice. I told him how quickly the baby mice can start having their own baby mice. Then I asked him to come up with the answer.

In a few hours he e-mailed me a spreadsheet that would make anyone who has ever dealt with a mouse in a house cringe: after 12 months, one mouse can technically lead to 6,337 mice, he said.

However, his spreadsheet didn't end there. After 22 months, that one mouse can be on the top of a genealogical tree that has over 3.2 million members.

Of course that doesn't take into account traps and cats and other common dangers for the average house mouse (not to mention that the average house mouse doesn't live 22 months), but it is enough to convince anyone that if they suspect they have a mouse infestation problem, professional expertise is needed to fully eradicate them.

Mice reproduce very rapidly, and once you notice a mouse, typically there's probably about six to 12 living in and around your house.

Calls regarding mouse problems were up 15 percent in 2007. And 2006 numbers, were up 10 percent from 2005.

We're moving into areas and building in areas that used to be habitat for mice and rodents. The mice are looking to find a new place to live, and it's quite nice for them to have a new home built on their old property.

So what can you do if you don't want mice as housemates?

Keep in mind that mice can fit into cracks about as wide as a pencil eraser. Try to fill those cracks if you can, especially the cracks that lead to crawl spaces or other places, where mice can initially get into your house.
Dog and cat food tends to be the number one source of food for the hungry mouse, so keep that food in a sealed plastic or metal container.
It always helps to clear hedges and shrubs from areas close to your home. Mice like those areas.

Traps and bait can be effective if you know where to put them. Placement is the biggest reason for failure. If you don't put it in the right location your mice are not going to find it.

Mice aren't completely blind, but their sense of smell and hearing is much better than their eyesight. Traps should be placed in areas where you know there has been activity. Yes, droppings are the number one sign of activity.

If you do go the poison route, place it in areas you know your pets / children can't get to it.

But remember, just because you see a couple of mice it doesn't mean you have an infestation, however, if you leave them to their own devices, you are certainly asking for trouble.

SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre", Bluntisham Road, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire
01480 465684