How a Mouse Infestation Could Put You in Danger for Tick-Borne Diseases

For years we have known that rodents carry diseases, some research shows that they can carry over two hundred diseases. Now we are realizing that Lyme disease and Powassan virus are two diseases that can be transferred to humans by mice. Unlike other diseases that are spread through urine or saliva, mice can increase our risk of these danger by transporting ticks into our homes as ticks are commonly found on mice. Once mice are in the home, ticks may leave the mice looking for other sources of food. Unfortunately, the other sources of food would be the people living in our homes. As the number of cases of Lyme disease and now Powassan Virus continue to increase across the country, especially in the Northeastern section of the United States, people have learned numerous ways to try to prevent from contracting it. We have all been taught to be careful wherever there is tall grass: we must wear long pants tucked into our socks and do a thorough tick check as soon as we come inside. But what if the tick was actually in our house? We don’t take these precautions when we are sitting in our own homes and we should not have to. To make sure that ticks are not coming into your home it is important to eliminate the source of the ticks, mice. Pest control experts suggest that homeowners make sure they repair any holes in windows, doors, or in attic spaces as mice can squeeze into a hole the size of a dime! In order to give yourself peace of mind that you have safe guarded your home, installing a monitoring system is imperative. A monitoring system sounds expensive, but in fact it is very economical. Monitoring systems can include a variety of different traps like glue boards as well as mechanical traps and even humane traps. Not only do traps alert a homeowner to where a mouse may be entering their home, the traps will help get rid of any mice that are in the house already. Once you have the traps, it is important to strategically place them in areas where mice might enter your home. Monitors should be placed near attics and garages where small, unperceived holes might be. Mice tend to run along walls as opposed to out in the open, so placing the traps adjacent to a wall is important. Lastly, once a mouse enters a home it will look for food, so placing traps in areas with food, such as a kitchen or pantry, is a smart placement choice. Lyme disease can be a very scary ailment. It is best to take precautions both inside and outside of your home to lessen your chance of contracting it. Taking the right steps in controlling a mouse population in your house will help protect you from a variety of diseases and is in the best interest of your family. To learn more about our glue boards and traps simply click here.