There you are, minding your own business when you hear some squeaking within the walls, or maybe you see a streak of something small, out of the corner of your eyes, zip across the room out of sight. While these are definitely concerning instances, the fact is that you may very well be dealing with mice. While mice are good at hiding, it is only a matter of time before you stumble upon something like their droppings. Whether you have confirmed the presence of these vermin or just have a strong feeling in your gut, feel free to reach out to us at Bug-A-Way Pest Control in southwest Missouri. You can trust us for any mice removal in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

1. Diseases Spread by Mice

Hantavirus. This life-threatening disease gets to people by exposure, including inhalation, to the droppings and bodily fluids of mice. Common symptoms include aching muscles, chills, dizziness, fatigue, fever, headaches, and intestinal distress.
Plague. The infamous "Black Death" of the Bubonic Plague was the result of widespread infections from the bites of flea that fed upon infected rodents. Symptoms include fever, headache, and gross swelling of the lymph nodes; the "buboes" that gave the plague its name. If you think that the Bubonic Plague is just something out of ancient history, a 2012 story from out of Colorado mentioned a girl succumbing to it while out camping.
Salmonellosis. People get this disease from exposure to rodent feces, especially if they have the misfortune of consuming food contaminated with said feces. Symptoms of this ailment include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever. Roughly 40,000 cases are reported every year in just the United States.
Rat-Bite Fever. While rats and mice are not the exact same animal, they are members of the same family and both are able to spread this disease either by from a bite or from consuming food that they have contaminated. Symptoms arise 3-10 days after exposure and consist of fever, headache, muscle pain, rash, and vomiting.
Tularemia. This disease has several forms but is generally contracted from either handling a mouse carrying the disease, that has died from the disease or from being bitten by a tick or deer fly that was carrying the virus. Symptoms include fever and ulcers around the point of infection, including the eyes, ears, and even lungs.
Leptospirosis. This is a bacterial infection that results from exposure to bodily fluids or contaminated food or water. People can be asymptomatic or develop the following symptoms anywhere from 2 days to 4 weeks after exposure: abdominal pain, chills, diarrhea, fever, headache, jaundice, muscle ache, rash, red eyes, and vomiting.

2. Damage That Can Be Caused to Your Home or Business.

As if the numerous health hazards were not enough of a concern, we would be remiss if we did not discuss the financial damage to a building with a mouse infestation. The teeth of a mouse are always growing and they compensate for this continual growth by gnawing through whatever they can find. This tends to ruin insulation up in the attic, walls and even electrical wiring.

While the fact that a single small creature can completely dismantle some precious electrical appliances, we should also point out that one out of every four house fires within the country is the direct result of a mouse infestation. At their worst, mice can not only cause a health hazard but also lead to electrical fires, due to compromised wiring, or even structure collapse in severe cases, due to gnawing away at support pillars to the point they can no longer fully perform their duty.

Mice also constantly chew at things so that they can gather materials for their nests. Insulation is also quite attractive to the little pests as it gives the a warm, snugly hideaway during the colder months. Electrical appliances, like ovens and driers, are also quite appealing nesting spots for small groups of mice; do yourself a favor and lift the lid of your oven to make sure that there is not a cluster of insulation, pellets or even the mice themselves.

It is also worth mentioning that mice leave a trail of urine wherever they go. This not only contaminates the surfaces that they scurry across and against but also serves as a chemical signal to inform other mice that they are on the right track to some appealing food or hiding spots.

3. Bug-A-Way is here to help! We can remove the mice from your home.

While you might decide to rely upon a cat to deal with your mouse problem, the chances are good that there are far more mice than that cat and that it might contract some of the diseases you now know mice can carry. At Bug-A-Way Pest Control in southwest Missouri, we are your single-step solution to mice removal in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Our trained professionals know all the tricks when dealing with mice, and you can rest easy knowing that you hired us. Just call us at 417-624-2999.

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