House Mice

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Monday, November 2. 2020

With the Superbowl of politics coming up, let's address real daily life. So many people seem hyper about the election. Relax. Life is good, except for House Mice.

Mus musculus was a native to northern India but is now worldwide, spread by shipping.

They are clever enough to realize that living in houses and barns are a good deal. They are annoying but cute pests for sure. Cats, in fact, were introduced to Europe from Egypt to control house mice on farms. Even today, you do not know how much House Mouse poop is in your flour.

Native wild mice of all varieties do not tend to invade homes or barns. Hardly ever, just the highest IQ ones.

Got mice in your place? We do.

Posted by The Barrister in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 13:23 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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See the many and various ways to catch mice https://mousetrapmonday.com/

#1 Tom Appleton on 2020-11-02 15:20 (Reply)

What would life out in the country be without them?

On the other hand, better mice than the rodent denizens of cities and suburbs: rats.

#2 JJM on 2020-11-02 16:03 (Reply)

I moved to my "new" house (built in 1933) a year ago.

It's very well built and tight. Have never had a mouse in this house.

If one should happen to get in, we have four cats.

#3 feeblemind on 2020-11-02 16:17 (Reply)

With four cats, your house is very mouse-proof. Mice used to get into our somewhat attached garage (built on the end of the house, but no direct access), but rarely further. The cats would prowl along the joint wall making threatening noises.

Mind, this wasn't infallible. One morning I was reading the paper when I realized our cat was being unwontedly playful. Then I realized it wasn't a toy she had; it was a mouse. And the mouse was still alive. Being a liberated woman, I immediately went up to the bedroom to rouse my husband so he could deal with this. He came downstairs in time to see Gypsy returning the mouse to the basement and - presumably - to the crawl space to keep for another day's play. Husband put an end to that ploy by dispatching mouse with slipper.

#3.1 Frances on 2020-11-02 21:03 (Reply)

LOL

Yes indeed Frances.

In the past I have seen my cats act like sportsmen with mice. They catch them, play with them awhile, and then grow bored and just walk away after losing interest. Kinda like a fisherman throwing his catch back. Time to amble off to the feed bowl for a snack and all that. Grrrr . . . .

#3.1.1 feeblemind on 2020-11-02 23:11 (Reply)

LOL.! My wife is similarly liberated, but less subtle than you. She hops in the nearest chair or couch and screams bloody murder. Then there’s the occasional bat...tranquilizer time.

#3.1.2 Paul in Boston on 2020-11-03 09:35 (Reply)

mus is an Indo-European word that predates their conquest of Northern India. The word came to Europe via the Eurasian steppes. Presumably, it had an animal attached to it. Reference: Pokorny 752.

#4 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-11-02 16:43 (Reply)

We developed a case of mice. Never saw any evidence of them in and around the kitchen. Heard them in the walls and ceiling, particularly at night before I dropped off to sleep or just around waking time in the morning. Had a pro come by, he put out a good number of poison boxes - the mice eat the poison, it make them thirsty, they go out for water and die. Worked great, except there are so many of the little fellas that they always returned.

Was advised to do an examination of the entire perimeter of the exterior of the house looking for small openings. Found several and closed them. Had a bit of dead mouse smell over the following week or so, then heard them no more.

Sold the house and haven't thought about it since.

#5 steve walsh on 2020-11-02 18:16 (Reply)

You really shouldn't put out poison as yes once they die in the walls and other cozy places they stink to high heaven while they deteriorate. More importantly if they have ingested poison and go outside or even in with a house cat they can become food for other predators like your cat or birds of prey. The poison is then ingested along with the mouse and the creature eating it can be killed by the original poison over time. Surprised a pest control company wouldn't be aware of the problem in the food chain.

#5.1 JC on 2020-11-02 21:43 (Reply)

Good points, I trusted the pro who's been doing this for a long time. I had trapped mice prior to hiring the pest control guy. Asked about that method and he said state law prohibited him from trapping.

In the end, the sealing off of all the little openings I could find - all of them near ground level - eliminated the problem; at least we didn't hear them any longer.

#5.1.1 steve walsh on 2020-11-03 05:51 (Reply)

State law prohibits trapping? That seems strange.

#5.1.1.1 Gringo on 2020-11-03 10:27 (Reply)

Grew up in a small town, and our home was across the street from a wooded area. Needless to say, mice left the woodland for a better berth every September. However, such was the house construction that they always ended up leaving evidence in the same kitchen drawer. My mother, having grown up on a farm back in the day, coped admirably. She set a trap in the proper place,, caught all the mice who were careless enough to think our home would provide a good winter home.

#6 Frances on 2020-11-02 22:22 (Reply)

I am a professional and I do not want any rodents anywhere in my house ever. Rodents carry 30+ diseases, they urinate and defecate where ever they travel or rest. I always tell my customers to be very cautious when cleaning rodent droppings. Spay with a disinfectant containing bleach before removing the droppings. If sweeping or vacuuming particles can become airborne, you don't want to breathe that in, but when wet it should be okay. As for poison bait, most companies use anti-coagulants that thin the blood vessels while stopping the clotting ability of the blood. The rodents bleed out internally, they don't get thirsty and go outside. The anti-coagulants can cause secondary poisoning but you have to consider whether the amount of bait that a mouse would consume and how much is left in its body after it dies would be enough to kill a larger animal. Vitamin K is an antidote for most anti-coagulants. California just banned some anti-coagulants leaving us to use poison that is much more lethal and has no antidote. I don't usually poison mice as they are naturally curious and fairly easy to trap.

#7 Brad on 2020-11-03 10:27 (Reply)

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Monday, November 2. 2020

House Mice