They're harmless if you grab them by the stinger. The sting isn't that bad even if they do get you.
Back to the subject of rodent control. I have a constant battle with rats because of my wife's horses. Horses are sloppy eaters and drop half of their food on the ground.
http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/62826-rats-will-die.html
I used mothball for awhile once and they work really good but they stink real bad. I didn't want to be in my car anymore than the rats/mice. For awhile I used Irish Spring soap bars because I heard that works too. Nope, the rats ate the soap bar. The best thing that seems to keep them from doing any damage to my boxster is to drive it every few days. If the car sits for a week, they'll be in there tearing stuff up. They ruined my aftermarket racing seats. They like to eat the outer layer. I guess that better than chewing on the wires. We use to have some outside cats but a pack of coyotes moved in and wiped out the neighborhood cat population.