Pest Of The Week: The Deer Mouse

Peromyscus maniculatus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deer mice are one of the most common rodent invaders in the United States. The Deer mouse get’s its name from its appearance. Its color resembles that of a deer with a dark tan back, and white legs and underbelly.

Deer mice are only distantly related to the common house mouse. Although closely resembling other species of mice, the Deer mouse has larger eyes and (often) two-tone coloring, which is typically a darker color over the back; with a white abdomen.

This rodent pest is very agile, and an excellent jumper and runner. Deer mice live in burrows that they make themselves, or occupy the abandoned burrows of other animals. They are active year round and don’t hibernate during the winter months. They do however prepare for winter by putting on body fat and storing seeds. They will eat fungi, fruit and seeds, as well as insects like the grasshopper, the beetle, the leafhopper, and a wide variety of caterpillars.

The Deer mouse is a known carrier of the Hantavirus, Lyme disease and bubonic plague. As such, this rodent pest has become the target of exterminators and homeowners; in the western United States.

Weekly Pest Control News: December 7, 2012

A Pest Control Florida University Recent Study Finds New Facts on Bed Bugs

After being chewed on by a bed bug, the human body can experience low blood volume, anemia, and have incorrect levels of iron and hormones. For a few more scary bed bug facts, click here.

Tips for a Pest-Free Holiday!

For a few things you can do to ensure your festivities are free from holiday hitchhikers, click here.

How To Inspect For Bed Bugs

Many of us will be traveling for the upcoming holidays, and fear bringing bed bugs home. Knowing what the signs of a bed bug infestation are will increase your chances of preventing a large-scale infestation from occurring. The sooner you notice the signs the faster you can call for help. More… 

School Yards Need Bird Pest Control

School custodians and University maintenance teams have their work cut out for them. Not only is there destruction from students and trash to pick up, but there are buildings to protect. Pest birds are a large problem in schools. More… 

The Twelve Pests Of Christmas

Click here for the Twelve Pests of Christmas, set to the classic Christmas carol.

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The bedbug epidemic is damaging many businesses.  Hotels, apartments, and other residential rentals are the more obvious victims to this spreading problem.  But they are not the only ones. Airplanes and movie theaters have been listed before, but this is a new one.  A retail clothing store gets hit and bad enough to close up shop for the 4th of July.  But this wasn’t just any retail clothing store, this was Hollister of New York, NY. And a few days later Abercrombie & Fitch closed for bed bugs as well.

How does this happen and what next?

Up until about 2 years ago the bedbug problem in the US was pretty much extinct.  Quoting the Illinois Department of Health’s website the bedbug “remains an occasional invader with infestations arising in homes and swank hotels as well as apartment buildings and homeless shelters.” Not only is this information  outdated, but it incorrectly reinforces the idea that bedbugs are associated with a lack of care on the establishments part.  It does correctly say that hosts have no idea that they are even catering to these blood suckers. “The bed bug’s adaptation to humans is so complete that its bite is rarely felt until well after the bug leaves its victim.” Thus controlling this epidemic is extremely difficult because by the time the problem is realized it’s a full blown infestation. And hosts will unknowingly carry them from hotel to home, from home to the retail store, from the retail store to the movie theater. Bed bugs will infest any location frequented by humans.

Fortunately getting rid of bedbugs in sheets and linens isn’t too difficult. The pest control company in New York assisting Hollister wants to assure people that the clothes will be fine.

“Bedbug expert Timothy Wong, the technical director of M&M Environmental who worked with Moving Right Along to help treat Hollister’s merchandise and is intimately familiar with the case, says that the clothes are fine after undergoing fumigation in an off-site warehouse — that process is foolproof (and smellproof — you’d never know the clothes had been treated, Wong says)”

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/07/is_hollisters_bedbug_problem_r.html

But the problem could be far from over.  If the bedbugs hit both Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch then the pests could be coming from a warehouse.  Plus, it’s going to be difficult for the stores to regain the millions lost while the problem is being solved.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbedbugs.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/03/2010-07-03_bedbugs_shutter_2nd_store_seaports_abercrombie__fitch_infested.html

http://mmbuzz.mandmenvironmental.com/2010/07/bed-bugs-shut-down-new-york-retail.html

After a recent visit from an exterminator declaring they were indeed infested with bed bugs the Wilmington Fire Station threw out mattresses, upholstered furniture and carpets, anything that might be housing the bed bugs.   And these little blood suckers cost more then a few drops of blood.  The total cost to the fire station was over $5000 between the loss of the furniture and the pest controller’s bill of $800+.

ABC reported on the matter first.  Also citing a CDC saying bedbugs are up by 500% over the last few years.  Considering that bed bugs had been virtually eradicated from the US over 20 years ago, that number doesn’t do the Bed Bug epidemic justice.

Fortunately doctors still have not found any serious health risks associated with bedbugs or the spread of disease through bedbugs.

Interesting points specifically about this bed bug case – Was it really necessary to throw out all the furniture?

Perhaps not, but throwing away old mattresses that need to be replaced anyways will certainly help cure a bed bug problem.  Perhaps consumers should consider the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

And prevention is easy.  A proper mattress cover will thwart any attacks made by bedbugs on your resting place. Yes, it really is that simple.  No need to pay $300 per room as some exterminators quote for bedbug treatments.

Get a mattress cover today so you can rest easy… pun intended.