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Black Rats (Rattus Rattus)
Along with brown rats, are among the most common pest species in the world. As well as being prolific breeders, they also pose a real threat to public safety, as they often end up spreading a variety of harmful diseases, as well as causing serious structural damage to property.
Key Facts About Black Rats
Black rats are shorter and more slender than brown rats. While the latter can reach up to 250mm from snout to the base of their tail, black rats normally measure around 150mm. Their tails are usually slightly longer than the rest of their body, reaching up to 220mm. Contrary to their name, not all rats of this species are black, as they can range in colour to a greyish-brown. Nonetheless, they are usually visibly darker than brown rats and therefore easily distinguished from this other pest species.
Black rats have a lifespan of around 18 months. They will start to reproduce from as young as two months old, and give birth to up to 7 litters a year, each litter containing between 6-10 offspring. Rats are omnivorous and will eat fruit, nuts, grain, vegetables, meat, and carrion, in fact, anything that man will eat along with a lot of things which we would not normally eat.
Black Rats (Rattus rattus): The Significance of Control
Unlike brown rats, black rats do not burrow. Instead, they are highly skilled climbers and can move from one point to another extremely quickly. They are also strong swimmers, meaning they are perfectly adapted to port areas. Although they are not often seen, black rats still pose a serious threat to public health and therefore need to be dealt with as promptly as possible.
Rats can transmit all manner of different diseases. While they once helped to transmit the plague across Europe via their fleas, they are now much more likely to pass on Weil’s disease, and extremely harmful pathogen which can lead to kidney failure and, if untreated, death. They may also damage water pipes and even put the stability of house foundations at risk when present in large numbers Water pipes are also at risk and extensive rat burrowing has been known to affect the stability of house foundations. Due to their natural inclination towards dark places, black rats are rarely seen by humans even when living close by. Nonetheless, an infestation will still leave behind visible signs which are easier to spot than the rats themselves. The clearest sign is so-called “rat runs”- well-worn paths left by the rats as they enter and leave their nesting area. Rats like to have cover when moving around, so keep an eye out for these runs next to walls and fences. They may also leave ratholes in walls or doors, which are often smoothed at the edges by their bodies squeezing through them constantly. Perhaps the most visible sign of a black rat infestation, though, is the droppings that they leave behind. Roughly a centimetre in length and dark black, you can expect to see a lot of these if there are rats anywhere in the vicinity.
House Mouse
The House Mouse (Mus domesticus) is one of the most commonly-seen pest species, across both domestic and commercial premises. Although they are relatively small, they can lead to major issues by contaminating foodstuff and causing serious structural damage to properties.
The Key Facts About House Mice
The common house mouse (Mus domesticus) can grow up to 90mm in length, from the tip of its snout to the start of its tail. The tail itself is longer than its head and body, often up to 100mm in length. They are a greyish-brown colour all over, including the tail, which distinguishes them from field mice.
Although originally a wild animal, house mice are now mostly found in close proximity to humans. This is because we provide them with an easy source of food, and buildings offer a comfortable environment for them to live in. Since they need to eat up to 20 times a day, they will build their nests as close to a food source as possible- and all too often, that means inside someone’s home or business.
House mice can burrow in the ground, but when found indoors usually nest within stored materials. Mice are good climbers and extremely inquisitive but rarely seen and property owners often only become aware that they have mice when they see droppings or the damage they have caused. Another sign of a house mouse infestation is the distinctive musty smell of this pest species, which becomes especially potent when the animals are present in large numbers.
House mice (Mus domesticus) live for up to 12 months and breed prolifically, reaching sexual maturity 42 days after birth. They can produce 8 litters a year, each litter containing between 5-6 offspring. This means that a house mouse infestation can quickly spiral out of control and require professional assistance to deal the pests.
House Mouse (Mus domesticus) Significance of Control
Mice tend to prefer eating cereal based products but will eat cheese, fruit, vegetables, and chocolate- in fact, most things that man will eat. Due to their size mice do not eat huge quantities, as they only need to eat about three grammes of food a day. However, they can cause a lot of damage to foodstuffs by defecating and urinating in and on the foods they are eating. The fact that they urinate almost constantly (albeit in very small amounts) multiplies the amount of damage that they can cause. Mice are prolific carriers of a number of harmful diseases, most notably salmonella and leptospirosis.
One of the main reasons why house mice are such a major pest problem is the fact that they can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps in buildings. Even a hole measuring 6mm across is enough for a mouse to enter, and where one has gone, more will follow. Once inside mice build nests which are hard to find, populating an area with new colonies quickly with devastating effect. The difficulty of preventing mice entering buildings coupled with rapid colonisation means that infestations should be treated urgently to regain control. The longer a mouse colony is left, the greater the problem will become until it poses an enormous threat to public health, as well as causing untold damage to the building itself.
It is important to get rid of mice quickly before they damage pipes, cables and/or contaminate foodstuffs. Mice are adaptable, highly mobile and breed rapidly. This combination makes control a difficult task for the untrained individual. Although you may be able to deal with a couple of mice on your own, there will likely be dozens more lurking out of sight waiting to emerge. The only way to completely eradicate a house mouse infestation is to use professional pest controllers- and that’s where Pest Solutions can be of service.
Field Mouse
The Field Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) is an incredibly common species in the World, and as such is a major pest across commercial and domestic properties. Not only can these creatures contaminate food and spread disease, but they may also cause considerable structural damage that could even lead to a fire.
The Key Facts About Field Mice
Field mice typically measure between 80-100mm from their nose to the base of their tail. Their tail is normally slightly shorter than their body, measuring up to 90mm.
At first glance, field mice appear similar to house mice. However, there are a number of crucial differences between the two, which make it easy to distinguish between these pest species. Whereas house mice are uniform in colour, field mice usually have a greyish-white belly and reddish-brown fur on their backs and a yellow line of fur along their chests. Their ears are also less rounded than house mice.
The main distinction between these species of mice, though, is in their behaviour. Field mice prefer to live out of doors since their diet mainly consists of seeds and berries. True to their name, they are mostly found in fields and woodland. While they do sometimes enter houses, they will more commonly enter sheds, garages, and outhouses, where they can more easily get back outside to forage for food. This frequently happens during the winter months when the weather gets too cold for the mice to survive without shelter. While inside these buildings, though, field mice can cause significant problems for property owners.
Field mice are good at climbing and very fast, so few objects present a barrier to a determined mouse. Although they normally live alone, they will form colonies in some seasons. Mice are good climbers and extremely inquisitive but rarely seen and property owners often only become aware that they have mice when they see droppings or the damage they have caused.
The field mouse has a fairly short lifespan, only living for up to 20 months. They make up for this, though, by breeding prolifically. They reach sexual maturity at a mere 42 days old, and each year they can give birth to up to 16 litters during their life. With each litter containing some 4-7 baby mice, this means an infestation can quickly multiply into an extremely problematic situation.
Field Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus): The Significance of Control
For the most part, a field mouse’s diet consists of small seeds and berries that they can find anywhere. When they come into contact with humans, though, they will eat anything that they come across, although, like their relatives the house mouse, they show a preference for cereals. Although they do not eat very much food, they can nonetheless cause huge amounts of damage to foodstuffs by contaminating them with their droppings and urine. Mice are prolific carriers of diseases such as salmonella, which naturally poses a significant threat to humans.
Field mice can be especially troublesome pests because they can make their way through even the smallest of gaps. You may not even notice that this potential mouse entrance is even there until your property has already been taken over by an infestation. Once inside, the mice build nests in secluded spots and breed prolifically. These two factors make it incredibly difficult for individuals to tackle a field mouse infestation on their own. While you might catch one or two, this will only be scratching the surface of the problem, and it is therefore a far more preferable option to call in professional pest controllers to take care of the issue on your behalf.
Call Pest Solutions (Pvt) Ltd to Get Rid of Those Pests Today!
At Pest Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, our professional and knowledgeable staff of Pest Control and Management Services and the support staff are always ready to help you to eradicate those unwanted pest / insects. Let our specialists to fix your Pest problem today. Our all officers ensure that Pest Solutions (Pvt) Ltd react quickly to assist you to get rid of unwanted pests from you home or business premises.
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