I Declared War On Mice & Things I Learned

Writing about mice ugly little rodents is not on my priority list, but given the time of year when mice are looking for a warm place to hide I think it might help my readers in some ways.

I live in the middle of orchards and vineyards so mice population around our home is pretty large.We have been in a process of remodeling and renovating our home so I’ve been facing little rodent problems for over a year now.

Few months ago we finished our home renovation and I’ve been told by my hunter-gatherer-protector husband that my mice problems are over…..house is completely sealed and there is NO WAY for any mice to come in unless we leave the doors open for a long time.

Well, few weeks after my husband left town (and is not due home till December) my pantry was attacked and lots of food damage was done…..never mind the fact that when I opened my eyes after my morning meditation I saw a mouse sitting on top of my curtain rod starring at me with those little creepy eyes. 

So this is the way I see it……either my kids have very bad door closing habits or my husband was WRONG!!!….Personally, I know it’s the second one….

….and this is how I know….

….after catching 5….yes, 5 dirty disgusting mice in period of two weeks I decided to call in the professionals (well, I had hubs do it long distance to give him the satisfaction of still being the man of the house)….and they found not ONE, but…….TWO little tiny holes for mice to attack my home and ravage my pantry.

My knight in shining armor a.k.a Pest Control dude not only filled the holes, but gave me a little mice 101 education.

Common House Mice might not be as bad as other rodents, but having mice in your house is not a laughing matter.

• Mice might not eat a lot, but they can contaminate all the food they come in contact with and cause you to waste lots of food from your pantry (I am painfully aware of this).
• Mice can cause huge structural damage to your home.They can chew through electrical insulation and cause fires.
• Mice can cause contamination of the environment by leaving droppings inside the walls and inside the home insulation.
• Food contaminated by mice is almost 10 times bigger then what they will eat.Therefore throw away even a big bag with a tiny hole.
• Mice and parasites they carry can transmit many diseases like Salmonellosis, Rickettsial Pox and Hanta Virus.
• Bacterial food poisoning occurs when foods are contaminated with infected rodent droppings. Mice also carry many types of tapeworms and roundworms infectious to pets and humans alike.
• Hanta virus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which causes severe illness and even death in humans is transmitted by several mouse species including the common house mouse.

To reduce the risk of contacting organisms transmitted by mice, you ALWAYS should:

• Clean up mouse contaminated areas by using wet methods which includes disinfectants with bleach
• Always wear gloves when cleaning or handling mice
• Avoid sweeping and vacuuming if possible
• Discard ALL foods that have signs of being nibbled on and food that were open
• If mice droppings were found inside your cupboards disinfect ALL pots and pans and other utensils

Remember, as dangerous and gross as mice droppings might be the invisible (most of the time) mouse urine is much worse for spreading diseases.

There are few things you should to know to keep your home mouse and rodent free:

• Under normal circumstances (not living in the middle of orchard or farm) mice don’t come in unless there is something inviting that brings them in like open doors or garage doors with dog/cat food or grass/bird seeds inside.
• The most effective and humane way to catch mice is simple snap trap.
• Once they in the house mice have the same routine…..they run along the walls and edges always in the same area so place mouse traps along the wall where you see mice droppings.
• Mice prefer food they’ve already eaten. Put in the trap food they gotten into like cereal, pasta, chips….
• Mice love nesting material like dental floss, strings, threads. You can use them as a bait.
• If you suspect mice problem or if you live in rural area it’s a good idea to call Pest Control before winter to make sure there are no ways for mice to get into your home.

There are so many rodent products and traps on the market these days, but most of them are just waste of money.

• Catch & Release traps are useless….it takes long time for mice (if ever) to enter them and the mice will be killed by exposure shortly after release.
• Poison Bags & Bricks are dangerous for domestic animals and children. Also they kill mice making them dehydrated from the inside and likely dying slowly in the middle of your kitchen or room trying to get to water source.
• Plug-In Ultrasonic Mouse Repellent are the biggest waste of money. In my experience they don’t do absolutely anything to keep mice out.

Do you have any other Mice Prevention tips or ideas? I would love to hear them?

10 Fearless Public Relations Crisis Predictions For 2012

Some things in life are predictable. Like the sun coming up every morning, you just know there’s going to be a public relations crisis sooner or later. Here’s my 10 PR crisis predictions for 2012 along with some helpful tips and Do’s and Don’ts.

These are only 10, there are obviously countless others but c’mon, you know there’s is going to be buzzing about…

1. Another very religious politician getting tripped up in a sex scandal.
2. One of 2011’s hottest new social media apps “jumping the shark” and becoming stale as old beer.
3. What? A service charge for that !@#!
4. A giant security breach occurring because an employee loses or misplaces a laptop.
5. In a bold slap in the face to tax payers, government employees in X or Y major city abusing their parking and travel expense privileges.
6. He’s a great athlete but a bad husband/dad/pet owner.
7. A major toy maker/auto maker/appliance maker recalling products due to safety issues. Pundits insisting they should have known better.
8. What? His bonus was that BIG even though the company lost money?
9. Kanye, Lindsey, Charlie and/or Whitney in trouble again!
10. What? She was so (uniformed/insensitive/inappropriate) to tweet THAT?

Obviously each of the above issue poses a different set of challenges to brand managers. If that politician referenced in #1 has nothing to do with your particular brand or company, what do you care?

But if that toy referenced in #7 is your best seller, well that of course is another story.

And in today’s digital, real-time, news-in-a-flash on any number of devices, hand-held-or-otherwise world we find ourselves in, companies and brands need to be at the ready to deal with a public relations crisis head on.

Engagement Is Key
The need to engage your customer, prospects and constituencies is even more paramount during a PR crisis because effective and transparent communications coupled with a solid plan can make all of the difference in terms of the positive or negative impact on a brand… be it a business, a celebrity or a politician.

The Do’s and the Don’ts

Here are the three things you MUST do in a crisis situation …

1. Be proactive and assertive. Gather all of the facts, agree to a communications strategy along with key messages and then take control of the presentation of these message as much as possible.
2. Set up a communications chain of command. Agree to who will be delivering the message and get everyone involved to follow this protocol.
3. Continuously access the effectiveness and appropriateness of messaging based on new information, reactions of key audiences, feedback from direct and on-line channels.

Here are three things you should NOT do …

1. Hide or bury the truth. It always comes out — particularly now in the 24/7 on-line news world where traditional and citizen journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers and pundits are all “reporting.”
2. Try to fake it, guess or speculate. Analyze the crisis issue, develop your response and stick to key messages and facts.
3. Belabor the issue. The goal of effective crisis communications is to get your position across in a fast, effective and direct manner so that the world and the public hopefully moves on to other concerns.