Description
There are two commonly found mice in Maine homes and businesses. The House Mouse is typically 6 – 8 inches from nose to the tip of their tail when full grown and is a gray color weighing .5 – 1 ounce. Deer Mice are also commonly found in our homes and are most easily distinguished from house mice by the brown coloring on the upper portion of their body and the white underside.
Biology
While both types of mice begin breeding at five to six weeks of age, house mice produce an average of eight litters a year which average six young per litter compared to the deer mouse which has three to four litters a year of three to five young. The shorter lifespan (one year) of the house mouse is offset by their more aggressive proliferation rates whereas deer mice can live for up to two years.
Control
Control over mice population can be gained through exclusion and a variety of trapping and baiting. It is virtually impossible to eliminate all entry points for mice due to their ability to fit into holes as small as 1/4 inch so an exterior baiting strategy is key for ultimate control.