Why Mice Are Moving In? by Nancy Cassidy

I enjoy watching customer shopping patterns in my job at Weston Nurseries. The first cold snap brings in the gardener looking for WiltPruf to protect rhododendrons from drying out from our harsh winter winds. The end of the vegetable gardening season is marked by requests for Winter Rye. I can even tell what Paul Parent has recommended on his radio gardening talk show from the customer requests on any given Sunday morning.

But I didn’t understand the increased interest in Mouse Magic (a mouse deterrent for homes and garages) this year. I noticed on several occasions, as I walked through the store to my office, customers reading the back panel on the box.

I didn’t understand, that is, until last night at dinner when my husband mentioned that our two dogs have been picking up lots of ticks lately and that, according to the New York Times, 2012 is going to be a bad year for Lyme Disease.

Why? It seems the acorn crop is to blame. Nut trees can have year-to-year fluctuations in the numbers of acorns they produce. Last fall was a record year, with the average per tree being around 250 pounds.

This year the average yield is down to less than half a pound in Central Park and much of the northeast. My hunch is that with the reduced food source outside mice are coming inside in search of food. And, as a result, homeowners are coming to their Garden Centers searching for a product to discourage that behavior.

The New York Times article also looks at effects on the tick and deer population. Read the full article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/nyregion/boom-and-bust-in-acorns-will-affect-many-creatures-including-humans.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

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