The Bay Area does not have any official boundaries; it includes parts of nine different counties. Some famous cities in the area are San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. With over seven million people in the Bay Area, it is quite a unique metropolitan destination. One resident of the Bay Area that knows no boundaries is the ordinary house mouse; it infests houses from sea to shining sea.
What Everybody Ought To Know About House Mice In The Bay Area
House mice have inherited their name honestly; they are the mice you commonly find inhabiting your home. When determining which rodent is running around your home, it is helpful to know their characteristics.
Five ways to tell if you have house mice are as follows:
- Their coloration is usually a dusty-gray color but can be light brown to dark gray.
- Their size ranges from 2½ inches to 3¾ inches (excluding the tail, which adds 2¾ inches to 4 inches to their overall length).
- Their underbellies are creamy.
- They have a rounded shape.
- They have a pointy nose, small black eyes, and large ears with a bit of hair.
With humans encroaching more and more into their natural habitat, house mice have become adept at adjusting their living requirements. They have found that people provide just about everything they need for a happy life. All this spoiling has made them dependent on humans.
Who Else Wants To Know About The Dangers And Damages House Mice Can Cause?
While house mice might look innocent enough, they bring a lot of problems. All it takes is a crack or crevice, void, or gap the size of a dime to access your home, and when they get in, they cause a lot of damage and can transmit diseases.
Problems associated with house mice in your home include:
- Woodwork damage from gnawing
- Damage to insulation from nesting
- Damage to stored items
- Musty odors due to feces and urine
- Potential fire hazards caused by chewing through electrical wires
- Contamination of stored food products
- Transmission of salmonella and rat-bite fever and other diseases
- Allergies or asthma
- Carrying other pests into your home, such as lice, ticks, mites, and fleas
House mice may be small but the problems they bring into Bay Area homes are not.
Secrets To House Mice Prevention In The Bay Area
House mice are opportunistic pests; if there is a weakness in your home’s defenses, they will find it. Homeowners must be vigilant and take steps to prevent infestations.
Steps homeowners can take to prevent infestations include:
- Cover chimneys/vents with screens.
- Repair damaged door and window screens.
- Install, repair, or replace any damaged door sweeps.
- Use silicone-based caulk and steel wool to seal cracks, holes, and gaps around your home.
- Ventilate crawl spaces, basements, and attics.
- Fix clogged drains or leaking pipes.
- Keep food in glass or metal containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Declutter and keep the house clean (especially the kitchen area).
- Throw garbage out frequently; keep outside trash secure with tight-fitting lids.
- Trim shrubs and trees and plant away from the house.
- Stack firewood stacks about 20 feet from your home.
These steps are great for deterring mice but they are unlikely to be effective against an existing population.
The Best Way To Remove House Mice From Your Bay Area Home
Once house mice get inside your home, they are hard to get out! They are prolific breeders, and they can adapt quickly when their living conditions change. It is next to impossible to get house mice infestations under control without professional help. At Bay Pest, we provide rodent control services that will keep your property rodent-free. We treat our customers like family, which means customers are always our top priority. Call Bay Pest today for a free estimate.