Monitoring and controlling house mouse, mus musculus domesticus, infestations in low‐income multi‐family dwellings

Abstract

The house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, is a common pest in multi‐family residential apartment buildings. This study was designed to gain insights into residents’ impressions of house mice, develop more effective house mouse detection methods, and evaluate the effectiveness of building‐wide house mouse management programs. Two high‐rise apartment buildings in New Jersey were selected for this study during 2019–2020. Bait stations with three different non‐toxic baits were used to detect house mouse activity. Two rodenticides (FirstStrike®—0.0025% difethi-alone and Contrac®—0.005% bromadiolone) were applied by researchers over a 63‐day period and pest control operations were then returned to pest control contractors for rodent management. There were significant differences in the consumption rates of non‐toxic baits and two toxic baits tested. A novel non‐toxic bait, chocolate spread, was much more sensitive than the two commercial non‐toxic baits for detecting mouse activity. The house mouse management programs resulted in an average 87% reduction in the number of infested apartments after three months. At 12 months, the number of infestations decreased by 94% in one building, but increased by 26% in the second building. Sustainable control of house mouse infestations requires the use of effective monitoring strategies and control programs coupled with preventative measures.