PEST PROSpectives

Health Risks Of Mice And How Pros Protect Your Home

• Pest Pros of Michigan

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In this episode of PEST PROSpectives, we unpack why mice thrive in human spaces and how that intersects with real health risks, from bacteria on dishes to parasites that ride in unnoticed. 

ACE Amber Byars shares practical steps to clean, sanitize, and block future activity while balancing compassion for animals with family safety.

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Pest Pros of Michigan




PEST PROSpectives is a Livemic Communications production.

Richard Piet:

I'm Richard Piet. Welcome back to PEST PROSpectives. This is the Pest Control Podcast where we talk directly with the pros, the Pest Pros of Michigan. They know what they're talking about, and they're answering questions you ask about various pests. And that's what we're talking about today. We've talked about rodents a bit, but we want to talk a little bit about mice. I'd like to say they're cute and sweet and all of that, but I think most people freak out if they see a mouse. Nevertheless, that's for good reason. Amber Byers is back with us who oversees field operations at the Pest Pros of Michigan and is an associate certified entomologist, an ace. So do most people scream and jump on a chair or something, Amber?

Amber Byars:

Yeah, you know, and to me, it's a different fear because I I don't have that. I'm I'm an animal lover. So I think, you know, I'm the half of the population that's like, oh yeah, they're super cute, and we don't, you don't want to harm them mixed with the other half of the population because I know that there are severe risks, health concerns, and everything that go along with mice. But I've met plenty of people that, you know, they if they even see signs of a mouse, they're they don't even want to be in their own home. It it can get that severe.

Richard Piet:

Well, I can understand that.

Amber Byars:

Yeah.

Richard Piet:

And this is for good reason, as we've said, because there are health concerns associated with contact with mice, potentially, right? I mean, what comes to mind right away when we talk about health risks?

Amber Byars:

The first thing that I think of is where do mice spend most of their time? They don't spend time in the cleanest of areas. So, you know, we're talking trash receptacles, just places that are unsanitary because they're, you know, they're out of sight, out of mind and the dark shadows. And so when they're, you know, traveling through those areas, they're picking up all of this bacteria and like the unsanitization of those areas and carrying it with them. And then they come into our homes, they go into our kitchen, and that's where we prepare food. That's where, you know, we spend time cooking and eating, and that's where the mice are carrying that bacteria and spreading it around. So a hantivirus is a very real disease that can be transmitted from mice and their urine. Salmonella is another one that's pretty common. So when we're we're thinking about the effects of mice interacting in a human environment, that can be very scary.

Richard Piet:

Yeah, and this was publicized not all that long ago, at least at the time of our recording here, with the passing of Gene Hackman's wife. The hantavirus somehow was something to which she was exposed. And this is the result. So this is serious stuff when we're talking about this exposure.

Amber Byars:

Yeah.

Richard Piet:

And this is also the picture that you draw for us here about where mice have been, where they're going. Now, they're headed for food areas because they're hungry, right?

Amber Byars:

Right. So they're looking for a few things when they are structure. One is just a safe place to nest, two is food and resources, um, nesting material. They definitely thrive in human environments because we provide all those resources that they need. So we're definitely finding them in areas where we're kind of cohabitating with them. Um, attic spaces are really relevant because there's a lot of insulation. Again, there's not a lot of movement or human movement up there, so they can, you know, move around freely and safely. Basement sill plates are also a high traffic zone, but they will forage and they will go looking for our resources in the kitchens and and any pantries and where we keep our foodstuffs. And something that's not very commonly known about mice is they don't necessarily need to seek out a water source because they get a lot of the liquid that they need for their diet out of the food that they consume. So we're really looking at areas where the food is stored, not necessarily like moisture like you would see with other pests like cockroaches and whatnot.

Richard Piet:

Yeah. Right. Uh so this makes a lot of sense. And also leads to the idea that there's also some secondary contamination potential here, right?

Amber Byars:

Yeah. As far as secondary contamination, again, back to dishes in the kitchen and where they're traveling, mice they don't have the uh ability to control their urine or their droppings. So they just walk and go. They just, you know, and they're not tidy, they're not neat, they don't have a bathroom that they they just walk and go. If they're traveling through and foraging in the kitchen, they are going to be leaving deposits behind. Um, and that's what carries all of these diseases that transmit over to humans. It's in their urine, it's in their droppings, it's in their dander, things that come out of their bodies. And it's microscopic sometimes with the urine, you know. Um, droppings are pretty easy to see, but they're, you know, their urine, it could be you may not know that it's there. And so a dish in the cupboard, if you have rodents, could have some traces of that in it, and then you're putting food in it and consuming it. Um so that, you know, that's how some of those things happen.

Richard Piet:

Yeah. Sorry for the uh poor dinner time conversation here, but this is uh this is important information to know. They could also be carrying, I don't know, fleas, mites, these this kind of thing too, right?

Amber Byars:

Yeah, absolutely. Secondary pest concerns with rodents, it's very relevant. We talk to our clients about it all the time. Fleas are definitely attracted, and ticks are are attracted to smaller rodents first. So before they get into the larger rodents and the larger species, even humans, they start out being attracted to the smaller ones, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, whatnot. So mice definitely carry around fleas and ticks and can then be brought into a home. I've definitely had issues where clients are having an outbreak of fleas, and it was due to the crawl space under the home having an infestation of rodents. And I can't remember if it was mice or if it was something larger like um a groundhog, but I it was definitely animal-related. It wasn't something that humans brought in, it was something that animals brought in. So that is very relevant when it comes to humans, and fleas and ticks also spread diseases.

Richard Piet:

So Yeah. So when you're dealing with mice and this is the potential situation, you have a job to decide whether further steps have to be taken with the potential for all these sort of ancillary issues that could be in play.

Amber Byars:

Yeah, it's really important to educate your clients on these things. Because without the training and and background and knowledge that we get here, I wouldn't know this as a typical person that's not in this field, that there's a potential of all these other things and risks happening. Uh, again, back to that half of the population that thinks mice are cute and we shouldn't we should leave them alone, we should not harm them, or you know, they're they have every right to be here as much as us type of mindset. Yeah. There are factors that play into that not being true because we have to protect our health, our kids' health, our family's health before going down the road of trying to save everything, which again, I'm very much so pro-animals and I love them so much, but there's a fine line of health and human safety that we have to consider as well.

Richard Piet:

What happens in the post-treatment situation? You talk about contamination in the kitchen. They've walked over our dishes, pots and pans, et cetera. Boy, there's got to be a whole cleaning that's undertaken after that. Isn't that true?

Amber Byars:

Yeah. We a lot of clients always asking, you know, how do I effectively clean this? And one, for the bacteria and the urine and the droppings, but two, if you clean it up wrong, it could get into the air. So particles from that could get airborne and then inhaled into the body. And so they're always asking, like, how do I safely clean this up?

Richard Piet:

Sure.

Amber Byars:

And so another factor to that are the pheromones that are left behind that they're not so worried about or even know about the clients, but pheromones are what also bring more activity in. So for both of those reasons, for the bacteria and for the pheromones, you'd want to use some bleach and water solution at least, or an enzyme cleaner to clean and remove that residue and that material. So you're doing two things at once. You're getting rid of the safety concern and you're getting rid of basically a lighthouse that's saying that this is a safe place to travel and be.

Richard Piet:

Wow. And so that means we're talking about a deep thorough cleaning here.

Amber Byars:

Yeah, it could be. We do a lot of drop ceiling removal, tile removal, and cleaning up in the ceiling tiles. And we do um sill plate insulation removal in basements and vacuum and clean and sanitize those areas because little do people know that leaving that behind is leaving a beacon of um like a trail for them to come back to. And is there a way to get everything out of a structure? Absolutely not. There are places that we can't reach and there are things that we can't remove from homes, but the more you do, the better. As invasive as a client wants to get, we will go if we can. But yeah, it's very important to even know that that's a service to offer, you know.

Richard Piet:

Right. And certainly as it relates to the health risks and the notion of uh food contamination and things of this nature, we're cleaning that out. But of course, as you point out, uh you have to try and get rid of the uh neon vacancy sign that Mice that says come on back.

Amber Byars:

Yes, exactly.

Richard Piet:

So you probably see health results that aren't good sometimes from these kinds of things, and you probably also see reinfestations because maybe one of those vacancy signs is still up.

Amber Byars:

Yeah, rodents are they're tricky sometimes because there's so many factors that play into their success on a property, whether that's the structure and the structural components, the vulnerabilities and deficiencies on a home, especially in older homes. And then you pair that with is the client open to control methods? Are they open to lethal control methods? Are they open to rodenicide use on their property? Are they open to getting some contractor input on repairing some of their features on their homes? And so it's a high-level service. It's something that is not just, you know, you do one thing and can be successful. You have to kind of tie a couple of things together and every home is different. We've definitely seen reinfestation. And again, for some of those factors, maybe the home wasn't sealed up all the way. Maybe there was vulnerabilities that we couldn't reach or get to because of the structure. Maybe the client didn't want to do rodenicide use on the exterior to control the population outside, which is 100% valid. As long as people know the expectations of what we're doing, that's as good as we can give them is here's all the options, here's our recommendation, and this is what you can expect out of it. And as long as we're on the same page, I think everybody will be happy.

Richard Piet:

All right. Well, these are the concerns, questions, answers that the pest pros are ready to bring to you, and the knowledge that they bring to you if this is your situation. But our point is made, and I think you're probably picking up on that. There are definitely health risks involved when mice are involved, and that is part of the consideration. All right, Amber, thank you for the update.

Amber Byars:

Absolutely. Thank you.

Richard Piet:

Amber Byers, Pest Pros of Michigan, here on PEST PROSpectivess. We invite you to subscribe to this podcast and get alerted when these new episodes come about. You can always click through in the show notes to the Pest Pros of Michigan website, too, for more of these episodes, more information, and how to reach out. Thanks for being with us.