Batzner Pest Management: Keep Mice in Mind When Winterizing Your Home
New Berlin, WI (PRWEB) October 02, 2013 -- As the weather turns colder, many homeowners begin the necessary process of home winterization. While insulating the roof and maintaining the heating system are important, you must also remember to take the necessary steps for protecting your home against unwanted pests. Mice are an especially common intruder when the season changes as they seek shelter and warmth during the winter months. They also happen to be particularly adept at finding unnoticed entrances into your home -- due to their great agility, climbing prowess and ability to squeeze through an opening only ¼ inch wide. A focused effort is necessary to ensure the exclusion of these tiny creatures, which are not only nuisances but also prominent vectors of disease.
"Mice eat, damage and contaminate our food, and spread disease," explains the Batzner Pest Management website. "[The house mouse] has been found to transmit lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), rabies, salmonellosis, leptospirosis and plague, as well as many other harmful ailments." There is also research to show that Childhood Asthmas can be triggered with mice in the home environment.
Mice can transmit these diseases to humans in a variety of ways, including bites and food contamination. Their fecal remains, if broken apart, disperse particles into the air which can be inhaled by humans and cause numerous infections. Mice and other rodents will also gnaw on and through many building materials and electronic equipment, adding property damage and the potential for fires to the list of associated dangers.
A standard house mouse is between 3.0–3.9 inches in length, but can squeeze through holes no larger in diameter than a pencil. They can live up to two years in a controlled setting, but typically live a year or less in the wild. Female mice can produce as many as 56 offspring annually.
To reduce the chances of any mice entering your home over the winter, be sure to use weather strips on doorways and windows and seal additional small cracks with copper mesh (steel wool will rust and deteriorate over time). Ask your pest management company about using an excluder material, which is a mix of stainless steel and fabric, that protects against mice and rats. Plumbing pipe passageways often present mice with an ample amount of space. Larger openings can be protected with wire mesh, through which the mice cannot gnaw. However, concrete patching is the best long-term solution in property foundations. Inside the residence, consider arranging your pantry so that boxed and bagged items (including pet food) are stored near the top with canned foods lower to the ground.
Around the house exterior, rake away any weeds or shrubbery near the home as they can provide safe passage to inquisitive pests. Mulch, in particular, should not be used near the foundation, and any overhanging tree branches need to be cut down. For best results, do not store firewood within the immediate vicinity of the home.
Batzner Pest Management has provided Wisconsin and Illinois residents with proactive and effective pest control services since 1946. As a locally-owned company, they strive to give back to their community with in-house training and educational seminars. They maintain their headquarters in New Berlin, WI and practice environmentally-conscious pest control as part of their exclusive B.A.N. System™.
Karen Smith, Batzner Pest Management, +1 (262) 797-4160, [email protected]
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