Did you know that New York City has the second-highest rodent population of any other city in the United States? With an estimated 2 million rats and uncountable mice, it is no wonder why people are so concerned about their homes being invaded. Our question today is, how bad could one little mouse in your New York City home really be? Are they more dangerous than rats? Let’s find out together.
What Are Mice?
Chances are, just from walking on the streets here in New York, you have seen at least a few rats and mice. If you have never seen a mouse before, they tend to be on the smaller side. A typical house mouse can grow to be roughly 5 inches in length this is including the length of their hairless tail and can be a range of colors including brown, tan, black, grey, and white. In addition to this, house mice can be identified by their pointed nose, beady pink or black eyes, and rounded ears.
Why Mice Might Be Worse Than Rats
When it comes to threat level, mice and rats are very similar. They both can spread a range of dangerous diseases including hantavirus, plague, and tularemia. They both can cause serious destruction around homes by chewing through walls, ceilings, furniture, electrical wiring, utility pipes, and anything else they can sink their teeth into. And, they both can be annoying, scampering around at all hours of the night.
The thing that sets mice and rats apart is how difficult it is for them to get into your home. Rats are, in general, much larger than mice. This limits them in their ability to squeeze into homes. A house mouse only needs a hole, crack, or gap the width of a nickel to squeeze their way inside. Due to this advantage, we would argue that mice are much more dangerous than rats, simply because they are better equipped to invade your home.
Identifying A Mouse Infestation
When mice invade homes they leave behind a fair amount of signs of their presence. Some of the most common signs include pellets of fecal matter, holes chewed through walls, gnaw marks on furniture, a foul, urine-like odor in the air, the sound of scampering late at night, and of course seeing a mouse with your own two eyes.
How Difficult Are Mice To Eliminate?
Once mice get into a home, they can be extremely difficult to eliminate. For one, mice are prolific breeders. Just one female mouse is capable of producing upwards of 140 young in just one year. With this kind of reproduction, it can feel like nothing you do even matters. Regardless of how many mice you catch in traps, if the problem is large enough they will just keep coming. All of this being said, if you think you have a mouse in your home it is ok to try trapping. We recommend using a standard mousetrap with a peanut butter bait. If there are only one or two mice in your home, this method could quickly solve your problem. However, if your problem continues for over a week despite your efforts, that should be your sign to call in the professionals.
At Parkway Pest Services we have experience dealing with rodent infestations of all sizes. If you want quick results you can rely upon, we would be happy to lend you a hand. Give us a call today to find out what unmatched pest control services could look like for your New York City home.