There are 22 kinds of rodents in Mississippi including mice, rats, voles, and squirrels, that’s a lot of rodent prevention! They are the largest group of mammals in the world? Other than that “claim to fame” rodents don’t have many positive attributes. 

If forced to come up with a couple of positives, we can give them: being a food source to other animals and the aeration they provide your lawn while burrowing underground. For most folks, this isn’t enough. Preventing rodents from coming into your home or lawn is a major priority. 

Rodent facts:

They gnaw on electrical wires inside and outside of your home. 

They chew on the wood and insulation in your walls and attics. 

They can carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans and pets.

They VERY actively reproduce, with several litters a year! 

The reproductive lives of rodents (trigger warning)

Mice are especially “active” and can start having babies at just a few months old. In their short lifespan of only 8 months to a year, one female can have 8 litters, or 50-60 baby mice. Momma mice are just looking for food and a warm place to sleep, then they can set up house!

Keep mice and rodents out of your house!

Most pests are not a problem until they become an infestation. Infestations of any pest can usually be prevented by keeping the pests out in the first place. 

How to keep rodents out of your home:

Caulk gaps around doors and windows of your home

Remove branches, limbs or vines that are leaning on your home

Close gaps around pipes, vents and cables (a mouse can squeeze through a dime sized opening)

Move outside garbage cans further away from your house

Remove sticks, leaves, debris from lawn

Don’t allow grass to grow too high (high grass and debris create hiding places for rodents)

Move piles of firewood at least one foot off the ground and away from the exterior of your home.

Check vents, window/door screens and weather stripping around all openings.

If you have a fireplace, install a chimney cap to keep rodents from climbing in.

What makes your home so enticing to rodents?

Rodents are especially attracted to the smell of food. You can help deter rodents and mice from moving in by doing the following:

Don’t leave pet food sitting out at night (roaches also love pet food)

Keep pet food in an air tight container when stored

Store leftover food immediately

Clear dirty dishes from the sink before you go to bed

Remove garbage from inside your home BEFORE it gets full or worse, overflowing

Declutter storage areas and place storage bins off of the floor

If you are providing access to the inside of your home AND leaving food out for pests, how can you blame rodents for infesting? Our licensed pest technicians know exactly what to do when dealing with mice and rodents. Our Pest360 Program can help you before an infestation.

Once mice and rodents are in, the infestation can get messy. Stop the problem before it happens. Contact us and we will be in touch with you ASAP. Let us help you with rodent prevention. We serve the Memphis, Tennessee and North Mississippi areas.

Did you know rodents are the largest group of mammals in the world? In Mississippi, we have 22 kinds of rodents including mice, rats, voles, and squirrels. Other than being a food source to other animals and the aeration they provide your lawn while burrowing underground, they don’t have many positive attributes.

The “bad” list

Rodents:

Gnaw on electrical wires inside and outside of your home. 

Chew on the wood and insulation in your walls and attics. 

Carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans and pets.

Actively reproduce, with several litters a year! 

Speaking of their reproductive life…

Mice are especially “active” and can start having babies at just a few months old. In their short lifespan of only 8 months to a year, one female can have 8 litters, or 50-60 baby mice. They are just looking for food and a warm place to sleep and then they can set up house!

Keep mice and rodents out of your house!

Most of the problem with an infestation of any pest can be solved by just keeping them out in the first place. Here are some things you can do to prevent mice and rodents from entering:

Caulk gaps around doors and windows of your home.

Remove branches, limbs or vines that are leaning on your home.

Close gaps around pipes, vents and cables, a mouse can squeeze through a dime sized opening.

Move outside garbage cans further away from your house.

Remove sticks, leaves, debris from lawn.

Don’t allow grass to grow too high, this along with debris create hiding places for rodents.

Move piles of firewood at least one foot off the ground and away from the exterior of your home.

Check vents, window/door screens and weather stripping around all openings.

If you have a fireplace, install a chimney cap to keep rodents from climbing in.

A warm home and a nice meal, that’s all.

Rodents are especially attracted to the smell of food. You can help deter rodents and mice from moving in by doing the following:

Don’t leave pet food sitting out at night. (Roaches love pet food, too!)

Keep pet food in an air tight container when stored.

Store leftover food immediately.

Clear dirty dishes from the sink before you go to bed. 

Remove garbage from inside your home BEFORE it gets full or worse, overflowing.

Declutter storage areas and place storage bins off of the floor.

If you are providing access to the inside of your home AND leaving food out for pests, how can you blame them for moving in with you? Our licensed pest technicians know exactly what to do when dealing with mice and rodents. Our Pest360 Program can help you before an infestation.

Once mice and rodents are in, the infestation can become a messy one. It’s best to stop this problem before it happens. Contact us and we will be in touch with you ASAP. We service the Memphis, TN and North Mississippi areas with trained and trustworthy employees. 

“Of Mice and Men” didn’t come to mind immediately upon reading the subject for this blog, it was when I said “Mice and Rodents” out loud that my brain was triggered.  Were you made to read “Of Mice and Men” when you were in junior high like me? If you don’t remember the book, here’s a clip from the 1992 movie. But don’t worry, this blog shouldn’t make you cry. 

Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck, but the title was taken from a line in the poem “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. The simplest interpretation of that line is, 

“The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.”

Supposedly the poet wrote it immediately after plowing over a mouse nest in the field. That’s a pretty tender hearted reference, especially when blogging for a pest control company! Homeowners today are not interested in composing poems about the mice and rodents in their homes, they just want to get rid of them!

Did you know rodents are the largest group of mammals in the world? In Mississippi, we have 22 kinds of rodents including mice, rats, voles, and squirrels. While rodents have a bad reputation, they do have a few positive attributes. When they dig and burrow under your lawn they are helping to aerate the soil. Aerating the soil helps the lawn grow and absorb water. Rodents are also a food source to other animals. Not surprisingly, the negatives outweigh the positives when it comes to rodents.

The first of the bad news…

Rodents gnaw on electrical wires inside and outside of your home. They also like to chew on the wood and insulation in your walls and attics. Rats and mice can carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans and pets.

The worst of the bad news…

Mice and rodents like to reproduce, and they are really good at it. They have several litters a year! Mice are especially “active” and can start having babies at just a few months old. Even though they typically only live 8 months to a year long, one female can have 8 litters of babies. One mouse can have 50-60 babies in less than one year. You must be wondering by now how to keep mice and rodents out of your home.

This would be easier if you never let them in.

Mice and rodents need food and a nice house, just like in the Robert Burns poem. If someone mows down their mouse house in the field, they will be looking to move in with you. If you have gaps around your windows, doors, siding or brick, caulk those gaps. If you have plants or trees leaning on or against your home, trim those away or remove them. Branches, limbs and vines give mice and rodents an easy path to your home. 

We say this almost every week…

Keep pet food in air tight containers and don’t leave pet food sitting out at night. (This is a huge draw for roaches, too!) If you are providing access to the inside of your home AND leaving food out for pests, how can you blame them for moving in with you?

Don’t let your “best laid schemes go awry”

If the poem, book or even movie softened you to mice and rodents, this is worth repeating. One mouse can have 50-60 babies in less than one year.  Our licensed pest technicians know exactly what to do when dealing with mice and rodents. Contact us here and we will be in touch with you ASAP. We service the Memphis and North Mississippi areas with trained and trustworthy employees. 

Perhaps we can try to be nicer to humans and still keep the mice and rodents out of our homes. Maybe this will balance out the world as we know it.

“Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love……Try to understand each other.”

— John Steinbeck in his 1938 journal entry