Eliminating mice in multifamily housing can be a daunting task, like "bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon" but it doesn't have to be if you have the right tools and approach. Listening to Dr. Bobby Corrigan in the StopPests webinar "Tools for Eliminating Mice in Multifamily Housing" can give you a blueprint to follow using a methodical and organized approach to attacking an infestation of mice in multifamily housing. He shares his strategy of starting with an entire building and systematically managing the infestation in individual apartments. Dr. Corrigan, one of the most prominent rodentologuists in the world, has many years of experience backing up his knowledge of the predictable harborages mice tend to occupy. Knowing these patterns and where to focus your efforts can make this task seem less daunting. Although proven carriers of pathogens we often overlook and accept the presence of mice. Dr. Corrigan stresses, mice are a public health threat, potentially spreading pathogens and triggering asthma. They cannot be accepted and ignored in housing.
Mice are extraordinary creatures who are well adapted to our environment. In fact, they are the second most successful mammal on earth behind humans. They exist in every corner of the world! These “little thieves” are ubiquitous and successful because they only need 2-4 grams of food a day, fit through a hole the size of a dime, and can access a number of nooks and crannies, that we can't. The pipe chases, floor, ceiling and cabinet voids in apartment buildings can potentially house thriving populations of thousands of mice. Although gaining control is difficult, this webinar provides advice on an approach which includes exclusion, cleaning, trapping, and baits. Controlling mice requires us to be organized and persistent and to use an integrated (IPM) team approach. There's a role for building owners/managers, maintenance staff or supers, professional pest control technicians, and the tenants. Success depends on everyone doing their part.
The recording can be found on the StopPests website along with a PDF of the slides and a number of additional resources. Visit stoppests.org/go/mousewebinar
Don't forget to check out the CDC's helpful resources on cleaning up droppings to eliminate potential aand disease pathogens.
StopPest provides free training with support from and interagency agreement between HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control and the USDA’s NIFA.
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