Beware of bears – and deer mice?

Written by Taylar Ramsey, Bird-X Blogger

Everybody knows to stay away from grizzly bears – or else. But this season in Yosemite National Park, focus is shifting from bears and other large, threatening animals to some smaller, less obvious critters. Namely, deer mice.

Deer mice don’t look that dangerous – you might even think them cute. As wild animals, deer mice are attracted into human environments where there is food and shelter. They are common wherever nature and people intersect. Cute, maybe – but also, unfortunately, vectors for deadly hantavirus.

Deer Mice & Hantavirus in Yosemite

Hantavirus is contracted by breathing in air that is contaminated by the urine, droppings and/or saliva of infected rodents, such as deer mice. It affects the lungs and may kill up to one person in three who contracts it. Hantavirus occurs naturally throughout most of North and South America. Responsible for 10 illnesses and 3 deaths, the Hantavirus made an unexpected arrival in Yosemite National Park late last year – a result of an unusually high count of deer mice. The majority of the visitors infected stayed in cabins in Curry Village, the likely center of the outbreak.

Deer mice are everywhere, found in over forty states and most of Canada. Because they are known carriers of human illnesses and an overall nuisance in general, controlling deer mice is a must – especially in crowded tourist attractions like Yosemite National Park. With a constant rotation of the public, large numbers of people are potentially exposed to any hazardous conditions. Previous fatal Hantavirus cases occurred in the Four Corners area and in several other states. “Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for Hantavirus exposure.” (www.nps.gov)

Scientific Studies & Solutions

In addition to this serious health threat, deer mice and their domestic cousins, house mice, are also responsible for excessive damage, unsanitary droppings and exasperating clean-up throughout their habitats, a.k.a. your home and/or other residential or commercial property.

But there’s no need to panic just yet. A clean, simple, humane solution is available to keep rodents away from your space and out in the wild where they belong. Bird-X’s sonic/ultrasonic rodent and insect pest repellers proved highly effective against deer mice in scientific studies conducted in the real-world conditions of an old Wisconsin farmhouse.

A 2-year study in Marquette County confirmed the effectiveness of both the Transonic Pro and Yard Gard. Performed by biologist Dr. Philip Whitford of Capital University, in Columbus, Ohio, the test results proved significant: “In both indoor settings and outdoors there was a complete absence of evidence of mice or other small mammals during the times the sound units were on.”

Experts in humane and non-toxic pest deterrents, Bird-X offers the Transonic Pro and Yard Gard, both low-profile electronic pest repellers that use sound waves to repel pests. Emitting a sound at a frequency intolerable to mice drives them away humanely and effectively. These units also control other small and larger rodents, and the Transonic PRO is effective against many household bugs also.

The Transonic Pro and Yard Gard eliminate the need for traps and poisons, and are ideal for garages, attics, basements, crawlspaces and cabins (like those of Yosemite National Park). With such an affordable solution, preventing rodent damage and the spread of illness is more than possible – it’s easy. Bird-X’s effective electronic devices offer a quick fix to a big problem.

Work Cited:

• Page. National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 07 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
• Whitford, Philip. Test Results of Studies of TRANSONIC PRO and YARDGARD sonic and Ultrasonic sound producing Units for Reduction of Mouse damage in natural settings in the home and garden.. Diss. Capital University, 2009. Print.