House mice are serious pests that will enter the home, cause damage, spread disease, and grow rapidly in numbers. And as these pests multiply, the risks associated with their infestation grow as well. Let’s take a closer look at how quickly mice reproduce and how soon you can expect to have a full blown disaster on your hands if you have an infestation.

Sings that you have a mouse infestation

Initially, when the house mouse infestation is small, you may not notice any outward signs that would indicate its presence. However, as the mice grow in number, their effects inside the home become noticeable. To start, you may notice their droppings in cupboards, behind furniture and throughout the home. Their droppings will be grouped together in the areas where they are most active.

How fast the infestation grows

House mice reproduce extremely fast. A female will give birth to a litter within three weeks, with one female being able to give birth to up to 10 litters per year. Litter size will vary between 3 and 14 pups, and on average you will have around 8 pups per litter. When you do the math, you get as many as 56 pups each year from one female. From there, the young females become capable of reproduction within 6 weeks, so they can start to birth their own litters very quickly. This means that if the conditions are perfect, you can get 5,082 mice in one year from just two intruders.

Putting a stop to it

The reproductive capacity of the house mouse makes it imperative to detect an infestation as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for droppings and gnaw marks around the home, and if you see anything suspicious, make sure that you contact a pest control professional right away. A pro will first perform an inspection to determine the size of the infestation, its general location and the species responsible. He will then move onto the control part of the process, using the information gathered during the inspection to determine the method that will be used to exterminate the mice. If the infestation is large for example, poisons will have to be used. Otherwise, the pro will go with traps. For more information on house mouse infestations and their dangers, or if you are currently dealing with an infestation in your home, contact us today.