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Pestgon FactSheet
“
If they fly they die…if they crawl they fall”
HOUSE MOUSE (Mus
musculus)
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Description:
The house mouse is a small slender rodent with a slightly pointed nose and
relatively large ears and small black, bulging, eyes. They are generally
grayish brown with a gray or buff belly and weigh about 1/2 ounce. An adult
is about 5-1/2 to 7-1/2 inches long, including the 3- to 4-inch tail. Mice
are active mostly at night, but they can be seen occasionally during daylight
hours. House mice are considered among the most troublesome and economically
damaging rodents in the United States.
Biology:
Native to Central Asia, the house mouse arrived in North America on ships
with settlers from Europe and other countries. The house mouse often lives
in close association with humans. They are more common and more difficult
to control than rats. Mice are very prolific. A female may have as many as
12 litters in a year, of about 5 or 6 young. Although house mice usually
prefer to eat cereal grains, they are "nibblers" and will sample
and contaminate many different foods.
Mice naturally live outdoors. However, at the beginning of cooler weather
in the fall, mice seek shelter and food inside homes and commercial establishments
and any other structures. They can squeeze through openings slightly larger
than 1/4 inch wide, such as the space under a door. Mice are also excellent
climbers and are able to run up any rough vertical surface and then travel
horizontally along wire cables.
Economic Impact:
The economic impact of mice can be very serious, but they do not cause the
same degree of health and economic problems as rats. They do, however, contaminate
and destroy many stored food products with their nibbling and droppings.
Pestgon has been called in where they have caused havoc to a data communications
system by nibbling on the small wires. Mice also commonly destroy paper goods,
woodwork, furniture, upholstery, and clothing. It is known that mice contribute
to the spread of diseases such as murine typhus, rickettsial pox, tularemia,
food poisoning (Salmonella), and bubonic plague. Recent research has also
shown that they carry a virus—the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV—that
may contribute to breast cancer in humans. (Indik et al, 2005; Stewart et
al, 2000) If known, the presence of mice causes tremendous anxiety among
certain people, especially in an office environment.
Management Methods:
Effective control involves sanitation, exclusion, and population reduction.
Pestgon recommends preventive measures such as, sanitation and exclusion
as the first line of defense. Exclusion is the most successful and permanent
form of house mouse control. When a mouse infestation already exists, some
form of population reduction such as trapping or baiting is almost always
necessary.