Can mice be dangerous? As a pest management professional I’m painfully aware that droppings are the main reason why people want mice gone.  However, mice along with other rodent pests can cause fires.

Mice show up in the strangest places.

Can mice be dangerous and cause fires?

I’m writing this blog post on the sad news that there was a terrible fire in New York City this past weekend.  The fire claimed 19 lives and displaced many other families.  I don’t know the cause of the fire, but the first thing that came to my mind was that it could have been from mice.  Mice have the ability to cause fires by chewing on wires.  This is true whether the building is old or new residential or commercial.

Mice inside the electric breaker box that powers your home

On a recent inspection I found mice inside and on top of the electric breaker box aka breaker panel boxes. In Connecticut most breaker panel boxes are found in the basement.

The breaker panel to the left was found in Ridgefield CT.  It appeared that mice got in through an open “knockout” on the top of the electric panel (not pictured).  A knockout is a factory made hole that’s created so an electrician can pop it out and run wires to the breakers through it.

In this particular case the knockout was open, but no wire was in it. If this was done correctly it should have been closed or at a minimum sealed. Instead what remained was a large open cavity, perfect for mice to enter through.

Can mice be dangerous? Yes, they can and at this house not only were the mice inside the box, they also built a nest.

How to get rid of mice and avoid this issue

Getting rid of mice to avoid them getting into the electric box is very important.  In order to to do this it’s important that you start as soon as you recognize that you have an issue.  The reason is that a small problem can become a large problem very quickly.  Mice reproduce that fast!

The easiest, quickest and safest way for a homeowner to get rid of mice is to use snap traps.  This method works best when you’re only dealing with a small problem.

In the event your problem is larger you’ll need a professional pest management company like Envirocare Pest Control.  Here’s what you can expect

1. A thorough interior and exterior inspection looking to see how mice are getting in
2. Exclusion recommendations to block the above areas
3. Liberal use of all natural liquid rodent repellents on the outside
4. Various methods of control such as baits and traps inside

While these three methods of getting rid of mice are basic, what a professional really brings is experience.  Having seen the problems mice can cause as well as dealing with a multitude of issues at past accounts means hiring a professional can bring your problem to an end quickly.  Certainly some problems are worse than others, but there are common does and don’t when doing rodent control.  If your service provider knows how to use them I promise you’ll be well on your way to being pest free.

If you have a mouse problem, call Envirocare Pest Control at 1-888-879-6481.  We can help.