For thousands of years, mice have lived side by side with humans, and to some extent they can even be called pets. But such a neighborhood is not just unpleasant for us, but also undesirable. Mice not only spoil food, furniture, things and the house itself, they are also carriers of various, sometimes fatal, diseases. People came up with different options all the time. rodent control, effective and not so. HouseChief experts have collected for you the most effective ways to get rid of mice in your home, apartment and in the country.
Read in the article
- 1 Traditional mousetrap
- 2 Electric trap
- 3 Anti-mouse glue
- 4 Poison is the oldest remedy
- 5 Ultrasound on guard at home
- 6 Cat and mouse
- 7 Natural Rodent Remedies
- 8 Original trap
Traditional mousetrap
This method has been used for more than one century. The design and principle of operation of the mousetraps have practically not changed during this time. For greater efficiency, it is recommended to purchase a few pitfalls and place them where mice or droppings are found. As a bait, you need to use lard, sausage or bread, previously fried in vegetable oil for greater aroma. Then it remains to wait and periodically check the traps and, if necessary, change the "treat".
In fairness, it should be noted that this method is effective at the initial stage of populating your house with mice. When their population reaches more than 100 individuals, the traditional mousetrap will not help and you will have to look for other options.
Electric trap
The electric trap can be called an improved version of the traditional mousetrap. The principle of its operation is that the mouse, getting inside the structure, closes the contacts of the electrical circuit with its paws and dies from electric shock. This is a more humane method, since, unlike the previous version, the rodent does not suffer. The bait and location of the electric trap are the same as in the case of the mechanical counterpart.
Some models have a special sensor that notifies that a rodent is caught in a trap or that the trap is still empty.
Anti-mouse glue
Another modern and effective type of mousetrap is the glue trap. It is a cardboard base, on which a special glue is applied with the addition of aromatic substances that attract small rodents. That is, such a mousetrap acts on the principle of sticky tape for flies. The mouse, attracted by the scent, enters the surface of the trap and simply sticks to it.
It is worth saying that this method is considered the least humane, since a rodent, falling into such a trap, suffers for a long time before dying of hunger. The squeak of the animal will notify you that the glue mousetrap has worked.
Poison is the oldest remedy
Along with a mousetrap, people have long used various poisons to eliminate rodents. Previously, arsenic was used, but now there is a large selection of special toxic substances to fight mice. To make deadly bait, you need to mix grain or bread with poison and place it in places where rodents or droppings are found.
The disadvantage of this method is that mice die directly in the house, which means in it decomposition of corpses occurs, an unpleasant odor appears, reproduction and spread of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to check the places of possible presence of rodents on a daily basis and remove the carcasses of dead animals in time. If you have a cat or dog in your house, then you should think carefully about using this method. The fact is that a pet can eat a poisoned mouse and also die.
Ultrasound on guard at home
Modern devices for fighting small rodents - ultrasonic scarers - are gaining more and more popularity. This is a fairly humane and effective way to keep mice away from your home for a long time. The devices are plugged into a regular 220 V outlet and begin to emit ultrasonic sounds. They are not audible to the human ear, but animals, and especially mice, are frightened by ultrasound, so they try to stay away from its source. Naturally, this method is not suitable for those who have pets.
Cat and mouse
Cats are born hunters, and mice are their natural prey. However, this works in nature. A cat who was born and raised in a city apartment is unlikely to catch mice, considering them the same family members as himself. Only an animal that spends most of its life outdoors can cope with rodents. But do not hope that he will spend a lot of time at home, as he needs to constantly implement his hunting instincts.
As you can see, the cat is no longer the most reliable assistant in the fight against rodents and you need to be ready to use a fallback option.
Natural Rodent Remedies
For various reasons, not all people are ready to use lethal or inhumane means of controlling small rodents. If you are one of them, then we offer several folk remedies that do not kill mice, but make them forget their way to your home for a long time:
- Peppermint essential oil scares off mice with its pungent odor. Take cotton swabs, saturate them with oil and spread them in all secluded areas, especially where rodents have been most often seen. The house, impregnated with the smell of peppermint, unpleasant for mice, will definitely leave uninvited guests. You can fix the effect by sowing this plant around the house or summer cottage.
- Ash. This remedy is popular in rural areas due to its affordability. It is necessary to scatter ash along the walls and in places where mice appear. After the rodent gets its paws dirty, it wants to clean them and naturally licks the ash off with its tongue. Since this substance irritates the mucous membranes, the mice will constantly experience discomfort and will be forced to leave an inhospitable home.
- Elder. The strong smell of this plant effectively repels rodents. As experience shows, mice avoid houses around which elderberry bushes are planted. Spread the branches in residential and utility rooms, and you will discourage rodents from settling in your home.
- Gypsum. This method cannot be called highly humane, but it is effective. Gypsum is mixed with flour and placed with a saucer of water in places where mice appear. Animals eat the bait and wash it down. A reaction occurs, the gypsum hardens and clogs the esophagus, as a result of which the mice die.
Original trap
We take a bucket and drill two holes opposite each other from above. Further, in a plastic bottle, you also need to drill holes in the bottom and lid. Now we pass the metal rod through the holes in the bucket and bottle. We get a kind of video, to which we glue a piece of mouse bait. We install a bucket, one third full of water, in the place where mice were most often seen, not forgetting put a few sticks or a wide board to it so that the rodents can easily get to bait. Pests, attracted by their favorite scent, stand on the rolling bottle and fall into the water, where the outcome is predictable.
