Assured Environmental

Mice – house mice – (musca domesticus)

Features & habits

House mice, as the name suggests, means that they prefer to inhabit the fabric of a building, be that a domestic property, factory or farm building. They like to be warm and enjoy living in cavities and confined spaces. They are grey brown in colour, weigh approximately 20g and they have a combined head and body length of 7-9cms.

Other mice that can be confused with them and enter buildings occasionally are the wood mouse – apodemus sylvaticus, or the yellow necked field mouse – apodemus flavicollis. Bank voles – clethrionomys glareous and field voles – microtus agrestis can also enter properties but this is not common.

It is however the house mouse who enters properties more regularly and can cause damage through its chewing but more often than not, damage to foodstuffs and noises in the dead of night.

How do we control them?

When a customer phones Assured Environmental Services we take their details and try to evaluate the extent of the problem through our conversation. At this point we shall also try to give an example of the possible cost involved. We arrange an appointment to visit the site and we can then fully assess and advise the problem.

After this, with the customers’ agreement we can proceed with the work if they wish which we do so in a safe and effective manner. We try to help by advising on conditions or actions that can be taken to promote a successful outcome of our treatment and help prevent the problem arising again.

When we are on site attending to possible house mice we ensure that we have the pest correctly identified and place our baits or traps accordingly to control the infestation.

Sometimes if there are adjoining properties that may also be experiencing problems we have to call and speak to the owners there too, to try and provide a complete service to customers. Often when controlling house mice they can be quite particular about what bait they wish to take. We have many preparations to overcome these problems. We often use single dose baits to ensure a swift result. House mice – especially in large numbers – can be difficult to control.

Before & after treatment advice

Before treatment, try not to disturb the area or droppings where the mice have been seen, as this can help us determine how best to carry out our treatment. If possible, speak to neighbours and see if they are experiencing problems too as this can help with the efficiency of our treatment.

After treatment either Assured Environmental Services or the customer can carry out proofing recommendations to the buildings structure and remove habitats that mice have found favourable to live in where possible.

Rodent proofing

One of the best methods of pest prevention is to put physical barriers in place to help prevent re-infestation of a premises. These measures can include:

• Pointing up of access holes to the cavity of a property
• Meshing over old air vents to prevent rodents gaining access
• Proofing of weep holes in brick buildings
• Fitting of bristle strip or new threshers to doors
• Repairing damaged drains

Assured Environmental Services can carry out or arrange any of the above works for you in conjunction of the completion of controlling rodents at your premises. Prior to carrying out work we can supply you with a price so that you know the cost of the work to be carried out.

Interesting facts about mice

Mice do not need to drink water every day, they can gain enough from their food usually. A mouse has no control over it’s bladder. A mouse can produce up to 50 droppings a day and mice are sporadic feeders, they like to eat at lots of different places. This knowledge helps us carry out effective treatments.