My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot - but do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.
--

(SPAM FILTER in use: Include the word VB anywhere in the SUBJECT LINE or
emails will never reach me.)

"Drakanthus" wrote in message
news
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot - but
do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.

I don't mind mice except that when they've been in the pantry I've felt a
little perturbed - don't know why though. Their droppings are easy to see
and clean up. It's impossible to get rid of them completely, permanently.

It's also impossible to get rid of rats but we've just spent three days
trying to make the garden shed invincible to their attention. The trouble is
that rats are far more intelligent than mice and while you can catch a
couple in a conventional trap and perhaps another couple in an
unconventional one, they learn to avoid them.

You're never more than a few yards from rats. Yes, some carry disease but
it's highly unlikely that the diseases will be transmitted to humans. The
problem - our problem - is neighbours who you can't convince of that.

We're surrounded by what we call pests - we tolerate squirrels but not rats,
collar doves but not rock doves (pigeons), blackbirds but not starlings, if
you're read as far as this you'll get my point. I don't really mind, as long
as they leave my food alone. I don't warm to slugs and aphids and cabbage
white caterpillars - to say nothing of gooseberry sawfly (OK I know they
don't eat the fruit) and codling moth are all worse than rodents in my
opinion.

Mary
--

(SPAM FILTER in use: Include the word VB anywhere in the SUBJECT LINE or
emails will never reach me.)

"Drakanthus" wrote in message
news
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot - but
do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.
--


Mice will eat some bulbs, etc.. However, if they are common in your area, it
is unlikely that you will ever eliminate them. The more you kill, the more
chances that others will move in to take their place. I don't think there
will be any disease problems provided you manage to keep them out of your
house. A cat would help to control them, but unless you can train your cat
to use only your own garden as a toilet, you could become unpopular with any
neighbours whose garden is used as a cat toilet.

Bevan

Mice can carry hantavirus. I used to live in Canada and it was a problem there.You had to
make sure you were extremely careful when cleaning up mice droppings, etc. However, I
think (not sure) that hantavirus is only present in N. American mice.

Regards.




"Drakanthus" wrote in message
news
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot - but do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.
--

(SPAM FILTER in use: Include the word VB anywhere in the SUBJECT LINE or
emails will never reach me.)

On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 18:46:29 -0000, Tony wrote:

However, I think (not sure) that hantavirus is only present in N.
American mice.

The CDC and www.hantavirus.net sites seem to think it is confined to
the Americas.

Getting back to the OP, I wouldn't bother unless you are finding signs
of damage from them. You've already killed 50 and they are still being
caught. I wonder how long those 50 would have sustained an Owl or
other predators this winter?

If they get into your home thats another matter, as they will find and
contaminate your food and are not averse to chewing the odd power
cable...

--
Cheers
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.

Drakanthus wrote in message ...
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden
shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But
it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot -
but do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are
they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if
I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.
--
I would only worry about those that get into the house. Our sheds
usually have a population of mice, but the cats keep the numbers down,
and just this last few weeks they've started to bring weasels back,
we've found three on the lawn in the last two weeks.

Mike
www.british-naturism.org.uk

"Michael Berridge" wrote in message
...

Drakanthus wrote in message ...
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden
shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But
it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot -
but do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are
they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if
I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.

Rats and I expect mice certainly carry a nasty disease in the UK, just ask a
vermin control expert, I don't know what the disease is, just that it's the
urine that's the problem.

--
Art

Garden Web http://www.gardenweb.com
My Garden Web exchange page http://www.gardenweb.com/members/exch/art1952

IIRC - Weil's Disease. I remember a newspaper article about a young boy
dying from it after a rat jumped from his rabbits cage and sprayed him with
urine.

Rats and I expect mice certainly carry a nasty disease in the UK, just ask
a
vermin control expert, I don't know what the disease is, just that it's the
urine that's the problem.

--
Art

Garden Web http://www.gardenweb.com
My Garden Web exchange page http://www.gardenweb.com/members/exch/art1952

"Carol Russell" wrote in message
...

"Michael Berridge" wrote in message
...

Drakanthus wrote in message ...
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden
shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But
it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot -
but do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are
they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if
I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.

Rats and I expect mice certainly carry a nasty disease in the UK, just ask
a
vermin control expert, I don't know what the disease is, just that it's
the
urine that's the problem.


The nasty disease is Weill's Disease, a form of leptosipirosis, see
http://www.caving.org.uk/wdic/ for information. It is certainly transmitted
via rat urine, not so sure about mice.

As to the question of whether or not to kill mice living in the garden, I
don't, because they aren't a sufficient bother to me to justify the effort.
Have to admit I don't feel the same about rats, though.

In article ,
(Carol Russell) wrote:

just ask a vermin control expert,

And if he's on form, he'll also tell you they carry rabies, "the black.
death" and the Budweiser Frog virus :-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Carol Russell) wrote:

just ask a vermin control expert,

And if he's on form, he'll also tell you they carry rabies, "the black.
death" and the Budweiser Frog virus :-)

LOL!

For a balanced and informed account of Weils look it up on the web.

And don't go caving.

Mary

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Mon, 4 Nov 2002 14:42:34 -0000, BAC wrote:

The nasty disease is Weill's Disease, a form of leptosipirosis, see
http://www.caving.org.uk/wdic/ for information. It is certainly
transmitted via rat urine, not so sure about mice.

The same site states that any mammal can carry a particular strain of
the bacterium *but* that different mammals are only susceptible to
some strains. It gives an example that humans can contract it from
rats and dogs but there is no transfer between rats and dogs.

I suspect they are playing well into the safe ground as there is not
enough detailed research being done into which strains infect which
mammals which can be passed to other mammals and cause illness.

--
Cheers
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.

"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
t...

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Carol Russell) wrote:

just ask a vermin control expert,

And if he's on form, he'll also tell you they carry rabies, "the black.
death" and the Budweiser Frog virus :-)

LOL!

For a balanced and informed account of Weils look it up on the web.

And don't go caving.

Mary

Sorry, I didn't realise that Dave L had already posted the site.

Mary

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

The same site states that any mammal can carry a particular strain of
the bacterium *but* that different mammals are only susceptible to
some strains. It gives an example that humans can contract it from
rats and dogs but there is no transfer between rats and dogs.

The strain carried by rats actually started on farms. It is carried by farm
animals. The rat carries it into towns and cities and, as this presents a
risk to a larger number of people, the rat has born the blame.

The thing to remember about leptospirosis is that it has fluelike symptoms.
It is normally curable (with antibiotics) but, if left untreated, it can
kill (through kidney and/or liver failure).

It can be easily identified from a simple blood test. If you may have been
contaminated (this is usually by contaminated water entering the body though
a cut in the skin or by being ingested) and develop flue like symptoms,
speak to your doctor. The real danger is to ignore it.

Regards

Howard Neil

"Drakanthus" wrote in message
news
My mouse traps are catching mice nearly every day under the garden shed. I
keep disposing of the corpses and re-baiting the traps with cheese. But it
occurred to me today - why? Are mice really a problem (outside)? I've
heard
they can carry disease and eat certain garden veg such as beetroot - but
do
they actually do any other damage or harm outside? What diseases are they
supposed to carry and how would they be transmitted to humans? Since
buying
the traps a few months ago I must have killed at least 50 mice. It's
getting
a bit tedious disposing of the corpses each day and I'm wondering if I'm
actually achieving anything anyway. Advice welcome.
--

(SPAM FILTER in use: Include the word VB anywhere in the SUBJECT LINE or
emails will never reach me.)


As far as I remember one pair of mice can easily produce over a thousand
subsequent offspring, in the form of children, grandchildren etc, in one
year. Thus with you killing 50, you're not really making much of an impact.
As to damage, they ate half of my stored apples last year, they were raised
on a metal platform, with smooth legs, how they got on it I do not know, but
between the ones they'd gnawed and the one's scratched and covered in
droppings well I didn't appreciate it.

I try not to store anything edible in the shed anymore, and I think they are
quite happy eating my beetroot, and various other crops outside.

Still I won't do anything about them since I reckon they were here first and
they will feed many other predators about the area.

It's only when my neighbours complain that they don't mind rats and mice as
long as they respect his garedn fence and stay on their own side, then i
have to do something about them.

Although on the funny side, I did, on my neighbours behalf call in the local
ratman, to sort out the compost heaps and he left his little plastic trays
full of poison and the rats ate them, the trays that is. The poison was goe
in hours, and the trays about a day later, though no bodies turned up
anywhere !!!

Duncan