Pest or Vermin:
Mice
House mouse:- Latin Scientific Name: Mus musculus
Appearance:
A mouse (plural: mice) is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents, characteristically having a pointed snout, small rounded ears, and a long naked or almost hairless tail. Back yellowish brown to dark brown, the belly is paler, the joint of back and belly is marked by an orange-brown line. The snout is pointed; they have large ears, big
black eyes; the tail is about as long as sometimes longer than body.
Adults: body length: 7 – 11 cm.
Food:
n nature, mice are largely herbivores, consuming any kind of fruit or grain from plants.[10] However, mice adapt well to urban areas and are known for eating almost all types of food scraps.
Habitat:
Preference for borders of woodland with dense undergrowth, open areas in woods
with cover; it lives in burrows with 2 to 3 entrances and a store chamber,
sometimes up to 1 m deep; they are also found in buildings in the vicinity of their
normal environment.
Breeding:
Breeding onset is at about 50 days of age in both females and males, although females may have their first estrus at 25–40 days. Mice are polyestrous and breed year round; ovulation is spontaneous. The duration of the estrous cycle is 4–5 days and estrus itself lasts about 12 hours, occurring in the evening.2 – 4 litters per annum and the life expectancy is about 1 year.
Diseases:
Spread of diseases through their parasites and feces. In North America, breathing dust that has come in contact with mouse excrement has been linked to hantavirus, which may lead to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).
Damage:
Mice can be vermin, damaging and eating crops,causing structural damage.