Winter Mice: Why They're Invading Your Home (And How to Stop Them)

When winter settles over Western New York, many homeowners assume pest problems fade with the cold. Unfortunately, that's exactly when certain local mouse species start looking for their next best winter retreat. In this case, your home.

Here at Homestead Pest Control, we understand all living things have a place, but that place is not in your home! Serving Orleans, Genesee, Niagara, Wyoming, and Livingston counties, we see these winter invaders every year.

Common Mice You'll See This Winter in Our Area

Some of the more common mice you may see this winter season in our area are as follows. The white-footed mouse, an excellent navigator with the ability to navigate back to a nesting area up to 2 miles away! The deer mouse, known for its ability to enter into a torpid state, similar to hibernation but with the ability to wake up on demand when weather begins to feel less severe. Last but certainly not least, the common house mouse. This rodent's ability to hear ultrasound up to 90kHz is nothing short of astonishing, communicating and singing love songs to other house mice without that pesky human ever knowing!

While all these mice are unique in their own ways and hold a very important role in sustaining our local ecosystem, it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

Why Mice Are Such Destructive Pests

Mice are known to be pests in our eyes for good reason. A mouse's teeth are always growing! Thanks to a handy stockpile of stem cells deep in the jaw, every time surrounding tissue is hit with a signal such as pressure or damage to enamel, new tooth growth continues to be an ongoing battle for these little guys. While this is fascinating, it means our furry friends need to constantly chew in order to keep this superpower in check! Thus the reason they are known to cause so much damage in our homes, whether it's an electrical wire causing a fire hazard or your structural elements such as wood, drywall, or insulation. Either way, a potentially costly repair.

Most of the time this is the main problem we think of when discussing mice for your average homeowner. Unfortunately, it gets worse.

The Hidden Health Risks

These furry creatures are very good at carrying all sorts of bacteria, allergens, and even parasites! Some examples include salmonella, leptospirosis, and the nastiest one of them all in my opinion, the Hantavirus. Unfortunately, Hantavirus being a viral infection, treatment is limited to supportive medical care. If that's not bad enough, all it takes is taking a breath in an area with contaminated droppings or urine to contract it.

Unfortunately, these furry critters aren't trained to use a toilet. With a high metabolism and frequent digestion, defecating and urinating are constant. Luckily for the common house mouse with its poor eyesight but great sense of smell, this creates a scent trail full of pheromones, allowing them to navigate your home potentially better than you!

The Breeding Problem

Even if the initial mouse is removed, these pheromones act as if a sign was put in your front yard that says "come one, come all, food, shelter, and breeding are safe here." And oh boy, can they breed! One female mouse can produce 5 to 10 litters per year, each litter can contain 5 to 12 pups! If that wasn't bad enough, a pup reaches sexual maturity at around a month old. This means what starts as a couple of mice in the winter can turn into dozens by early spring. At that point, the health risks, structural damage, and even secondary pest problems such as fleas become a serious risk. I can't speak for everyone, but I personally don't enjoy spending my tax returns on home repairs and pricey flea jobs!

Let Us Help

As Western New Yorkers, we are no strangers to the harsh and testing weather conditions we endure year after year. Whether you're in Orleans, Genesee, Niagara, Wyoming, or Livingston County, let us help you deal with a current problem, prevent a new one, or even provide you with information to tackle an issue on your own. With the right pest control approach, you can keep the warmth inside and the rodents out.

Contact Homestead Pest Control today at 585-460-HOME (4663)!