Professional mouse control throughout the Reading area 

 
Have you got a mouse in the house? Don’t worry if you do as a mouse problem is a common enough occurrence around Wokingham, Winnersh and Woodley; mice are capable of squeezing through a hole the size of your little finger, so getting inside garages, sheds and buildings is easy for these little rodents.  
 
Whether the problems in a house, block of flats or a commercial building, effective mouse control relies on proofing and trapping rather than just putting down poison. 
 

Mouse trapping service from a local company 

Mice infestations will often go undetected for a period of time inside a property due to the elusive nature of the mouse, we often find that customers report that although they've never seen one, they often hear scurrying noises, particularly at night. 
As well as noise be on the lookout for: 
Gnaw marks on electric cables, woodwork and particularly around edges such as on the bottom of doors, as a young mouse can squeeze through a gap of 5mm. 
Droppings are often evident in corners and dark areas; these are small, and spindle shaped (think of dark grains of rice) between 3 and 7mm in length. 
Mice deposit around 40 to 60 times a day and you will find droppings in corners and along the mouse pathways. 
Mice also mark their territory by urinating in the same spot and as the liquid dries, deposits of urea build up into what we call urine pillars – these denote a long term mouse infestation. 
Smear marks left from their greasy fur may also be visible and these are established on regular transit routes. 
There will be a musky smell in confined spaces; look under kitchen units as mice will often travel along pipe and cable channels that lead into a property from a cavity wall 

Do you have a mouse in the house? 

Mice are extremely active during the summer months and for many species this is their breeding season, we have 10 different types of rodent that we collectively term as field mice and these should not be poisoned as a means of control. As these mice form the base of the food chain for owls, hawks and kestrels, the rat and mouse poison that you can purchase can only be administered for house mouse infestations. 
 
The three most commonly encountered mice in Reading, Wokingham and Woodley are the house mouse, the field mouse and the yellow necked field mouse. 
House mouse

The House Mouse 

The House Mouse or Mus musculus 
As its Latin name suggests this is a larger chunkier mouse than its rural cousin and usually found living in large buildings where it can be difficult to eradicate as these buildings are often converted to flats.  
 
The house mouse has smaller eyes than the field mouse as it has adapted to living in a permanently lit environment, grey in colour with a white underbelly. 
field mouse

Field or Wood mouse 

The Field Mouse or Apodemus sylvaticus 
This is the most common mouse we deal with in the area and extremely agile, these mice can climb up brick walls, squeeze through tiny spaces and even jump across gaps to get inside buildings.  
 
Also called the wood mouse these animals thrive in gardens all over the area and they have a sandy brown coloured coat with a pale belly. 
Yellow necked field mouse

The Yellow Necked Field Mouse 

The Yellow Necked Field Mouse or Apodemus flavicollis 
Closely related to the field mouse these were only identified as a separate species in the 1800’s; the yellow necked field mouse is found across the south of England and slowly spreading north into the Midlands. Larger than the field mouse with a coloured ruff across the neck and shoulders. 
For more information on the other species of mice, voles and shrews that can be found in our buildings from time to time click on this link to Maidenhead Pest Controls blog: 
“I hate those meeces to pieces” 

Do mice carry diseases? 

 
Like all rodents’ mice can carry harmful bacteria and viruses on their fur and in their bodily secretions, many mice carry the bacteria salmonella which leads to food poisoning and this is where mice can become a major problem. 
 
When mice get into restaurants and premises handling or selling food stuffs, business owners can find themselves facing criminal prosecution if they fail to keep their premises rodent free and hygienic.  
 
There is a range of legislation facing all business owners and not just those in the food industry, the most notable is the Health and Safety at Work Act; employers have to take all necessary measures to ensure that the workplace is a safe and clean environment and an infestation of mice is the last thing anyone wants. 

Whats the difference between a mouse and a rat? 

Rats are grey and mice are brown right? No that’s not a definite guide to telling the two species apart, many people will see a mouse and think the worst: it’s a rat! There are two types of mice, field mice which are a brown colour and house mice which are grey. 
To add to the confusion rats come in all types of coloration; from ginger through grey, darker almost black to white if they have breed with an escaped fancy rat so colour is not just the way to confirm what pest you have. 
We have put together a guide to help you tell the two apart and when it comes to mice, we should not be using rodenticide on field mice as these are the food source for raptors like barn owls and kestrels. Mice carrying rodenticide in their bodies poison these birds, killing off some of our beautiful wildlife. 
 
Click on this link to read our guide on rats or mice. 

How do we stop mice from getting inside our property? 

Mice will squeeze through the smallest of gaps, so when we are called out to deal with a mouse problem our response will be based on Integrated Pest Management; we carry out a detailed survey of the building, filling gaps and sealing around the base of areas like garage doors. We will also look at cutting back vegetation to prevent mice from climbing up and entering at high level, once we have the outside of the building secure, we trap all the remaining mice to get you pest free. 
Mice in a house in Lower Earley 
 
"Checked the reviews first and they represented what Tony did. He was professional, answered all my questions and did a thorough job over a series of weeks. He looked at prevention as well as eradication in respect of mice finding their way into my house, proofing my neighbours as we lived in a Terrace. No mice since and hoping that it stays that way. Happy to recommend his service, which is at a competitive rate, to anyone". 
Our site uses cookies. For more information, see our cookie policy. Accept cookies and close
Reject cookies Manage settings