When I was growing up, I’m glad I didn’t know the health risks associated with mice. Unlike some of my playmates who were afraid of mice, I wanted to demonstrate my manliness. I liked to think of myself as a “big boy.” If I found a snake, I ran for a hoe and swiftly dispatched the snake. Likewise with mice. See a mouse, stomp on it!
Mice were a major problem around the gasoline station. The doors were open much of the time and when closed the gaps were large enough to provide freeways for a roaming mouse. The business and associated buildings offered the three ingredients mice need. There was plenty of food, water and shelter available.
Mice were not appreciated for if left unstopped their chewing would damage merchandise that was for sale. Consequently, mouse traps were kept baited and poison dispensers were kept full. We also liked to have a few cats around. Dad called them mousers. They were working cats and expected to be on the alert and watching for the mice 24/7.
The country school I attended was a mouse hotel. As pupils, the only time we could leave our seats without first asking permission from the teacher was when we saw a mouse. See a mouse scamper across the floor and it was okay to sound the alarm, enlist the aid of our fellow students and attempt to squash the mouse before it reached cover.
As if the loose fitting doors didn’t provide enough entrance places, the school had a basement bin in which cobs were stored in anticipation of being needed to start a fire in the coal furnace. The mice ancestors may have ridden in with the cobs.
If we succeeded in flattening a mouse, the carcass had to be taken outside. Only the bravest pupils were willing to grab the dead mouse by the tail and carry it outside. There was no need of pliers or gloves when the school had he-men in training willing to pick the dead critters up by their tails.
Presented with the same situations today, I would think twice about my “he-man ranking” I would probably reach for a pair of pliers or better yet, disposable gloves, before picking up the mouse.
This week The Express received a story from the Nebraska League Association of Risk Managers. Portions of that story follow:
As the weather cools off, rodents are looking for warmer places to live, which means they are trying to enter nearly every building in Nebraska.
Common house mice, or field mice as they are sometimes called, are the most invasive species in the world mostly because of how often they reproduce. Six mice can multiply to more than 60 mice in three months. It doesn’t help that the lifespan of a mouse is about one year. Warmer temperatures and milder winters have also contributed to an upsurge in the mouse population.
How important is it to control mice infestation in buildings? No one likes to look up and see a mouse crawl along the bottom of a wall or think of mice walking across kitchen counters in the middle of the night. More concerning are the health dangers that mice bring.
Hantavirus is a life-threatening disease from infected mice’s urine or droppings. In 2012, ten people were infected, and three died from exposure to droppings infected with hantavirus in cabins at Yosemite National Park.
Salmonellosis is another serious disease spread through rodent feces. Mice also can carry ticks and fleas.
Not only do mice potentially spread disease, they are incredibly destructive. Since mice have ever-growing incisors, they must continually gnaw on items. Mice will chew through wires, cables and wood. They can make large holes in canvas or soft items and have been known to eat through siding.
If feces are spotted in a shop or office, it’s a good possibility there is a mouse infestation. If one mouse is spotted, there are probably 10 more in the area. Even if there aren’t signs of infestation, steps must be taken to ensure mice won’t move in.
Search a building inside and out for any holes, cracks or crevices that a mouse might use to enter. Extermination experts say mice can squeeze through holes the size of the width of a pencil. Use caulk or steel wool to plug any of these holes.
Mice can also enter through improperly sealed sewer lines.
Traps should be used inside and outside of the buildings in locations along walls and behind trash cans.
Don’t store food uncovered, Always store food in a sealed container.
Do some housekeeping. Piles of rags provide the perfect habitat for mice. The cleaner and more organized a place is, the easier it is to spot and trap mice.
It may be wise to hire an exterminator to prevent and rid buildings of rodent infestation. They are experts in detecting where mice may be entering a building. Exterminators also know the ideal areas to set up and handle traps.
Don’t worry about your he-man status. Take rodent control seriously as your health and may depend on it.
Reader Comments(0)