Everybody has a mouse as a pest sometime in their life. Others have them as pests every day.
A few people keep mice in a cage as pets. And of course there is Mickey..but this is not about those pampered mice.
The guidelines to deal with mice that are pests are fairly simple, but never seem to do a permanent job.
The mice you catch don't come back...but their kin...cousins, aunts and uncles...certainly have you scheduled for a visit sometime in your future.
PREVENTION: Remove their food and water sources...and a big part of the problem goes away. Organic control? Spread mothballs around.
Some say that peppermint extract and neem cake keeps them on the run.
Remove places in the yard they can live like trash piles, seal all holes into your cellar, the bottom line is that good maintenance on your property will deter most of the mice, rats, scorpions, insects, bugs of all kinds, and spiders.
Seal all food and garbage when not used and do not leave pet food out overnight. Use bird feeders designed to spill no seed on the ground.
GET A CAT: Mousers do a good job if you don't domesticate them by removing their claws.
TRAPS: (Baits...cheese, peanut butter, cotton ball, gumdrop, flour grains, sunflower pods, and if you put the bait on the trap for 2 days without setting it, they get used to the trap. The 3rd day is then their last).
- Live traps: Box, cage traps- there are many kinds. You catch them and relocate the mouse to a friends home...or kill it them while they are still in the trap. Drown it, seal it in a plastic bag, and toss the pest in the trash can.
- Kill Traps: They come in all sizes and shapes, glue traps, reusable and throw away.
- NO COST TIP: Use a bucket trap: The farmers fill a can with oil 1/2 full (or water) and put a board leading to the rim and scatter floating seed in the bucket and when you come back later, you will be amazed at how many mice chose to swim in your unique pool for their last time.
POISON: Mouse and rat poison is available in many stores locally or on the internet and does a pretty good control job.
