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Some of the most widely found animals in the world are mice. They are found almost everywhere on earth. Mice are usually grouped together with rats. Although rats and mice look exactly alike to at a glance, they are different animals. Mice are smaller than rats. Actually, they are not just two different types of rodents but several different kinds of rodents. The animals we know as mice are in fact several rodents known to mice control experts as field mice, deer mice, house mice, dormice, smoky mice and spiny mice. However, house mouse is the one known to most of us.

Mice are eaten by foxes, snakes, cats and dogs and birds. However, they are one the most resilient animals on earth because they can adapt to any climatic conditions and also because they reproduce quickly. It takes only four weeks for a female mouse to give birth to a litter of 9 to 12 young, and they can reproduce at close intervals half a dozen times a year. Mice are not known to be aggressive and there is no record of these tiny rodents biting humans. But they like to live inside homes because of food and shelter is easily available. They have been known as pests since ancient times.

Adult mice can grow up to about 8 centimeters long, not counting their tail, and weigh from 12 to 22 grams. They have brown or grey fur with slightly lighter shading on their belly. They are most active during twilight and dusk. They have weak eyesight and unable to differentiate color, but have highly developed hearing, smelling and taste faculties. Being omnivorous, they eat everything they can find. They enter homes because they love scraps of food, pet food, rubbish, litter and the smell of fruits. Your house may also be viewed as a safe maternity ward by the female mouse.

Mice can be destructive in four ways. They pilfer food from the kitchen and crops from the field. Each mouse needs to eat 5 to 10 grams of food a day; multiply that by 5+ billion mice and you can figure out how much food they eat in a year. Mouse droppings can also be a hygiene problem for homes. Having sharp teeth, they can gnaw into almost anything, including books, magazines, clothes and shoes, and wooden furniture. Worst of all, they carry harmful bacteria, virus and other microorganism, such as salmonella and listeria.

Traditional methods of mice control include setting a mouse trap, using food laced with poison and employing a cat. These are not ineffective to the extent that they can eliminate a few mice once they enter the house, but poisoning can be dangerous to children and pets. However, these methods are not adequate for preventing mice from coming into your home. Modern methods are focused on long-term approaches and are more effective. They include:

* Removing food sources, such as scraps and uneaten food.
* Depriving them of shelter and cover, such as cavities, holes and clutter.
* Depriving them of entry routes into your home, such as cracks, holes and unused drainage pipes.
* Using commercial mouse repellents, such as an electric mouse repellent that uses high frequency sound to drive mice away.