As the Weather Turns Colder Mice Arrive, What You Should Know

Fall may be a beautiful time of year, but it’s also a time where some unwanted visitors are trying to get into your home, according to WGGB Springfield. Pests can pose some serious problems especially mice, and as the weather turns colder they look to get out of the elements and into a warm home.

My colleague, Robert Russell with American Pest Solutions says, “We’re really on the edge of what I call the Fall migration period for mice they really have a difficult time in maintaining their body temperature so they’re looking for stable temperatures in the 70 degree range to winter over.”Russell says if those unwanted visitors get in your home, they could pose problems to your health. The deer mouse noted for its white underbelly is involved with 2 diseases that affect humans including Lyme disease and Hantavirus.

Dr. Daniel Skiest is Chief of Infectious Diseases at Baystate Medical Center and he says just because you have a mouse in your house doesn’t mean you’ll get sick, but people should be careful.“My first concern wouldn’t be that I would get a virus from the mouse because it’s still going to be uncommon but certainly they should call a pest control person and have them extract the mice from the home,” says Dr. Skiest.

And if you’re cleaning up mouse droppings be careful, you don’t want to aerosolize those particles and get them up in the air for people to breathe and get them in their lungs,” notes Russell.

Mice enjoy the same environment as humans. The necessary items to survive, food, water and shelter are all found in the home to thrive. However, rodents pose many threats for Clifton Park and Capital Region homeowners:

• Spread disease and bacteria from mice droppings and urine.
• Mice gnaw on electrical wires causing the risk of fire.
• Mice contaminate food and food surfaces. It is important to keep food in plastic containers to prevent contamination.
• Mice can damage the structures of the home, along with personal belongings.

Rodents are prolific breeders and infest approximately 21 million homes in the United States, each year (National Pest Management Association). If your Clifton Park home requires rodent pest control, it’s best to let an professional exterminator handle the infestation. Thomas Pest Services is your Clifton Park rodent control experts offering multiple types of services to effectively control rodent infestations, and prevent their return. Protect your home, family and heath by contacting us for a no charge consultation today!