Just wondering what some of you do about controlling mice. They are the biggest pain the butt when I’m trying to retain good tenants who freak out over them
Tomcat bait blocks
The best way is to not have them at all. My area is over run with feral cats and I’ve not seen a mouse indoors in six years. The next best way is to look over the whole house with a can of spray foam and fill all the holes there. If you can keep them from getting in you’ve fought a lot of the battle. Pay attention to the mud sill and foundation joint and near any masonry like a fireplace.
Then, bait the house with the poison. Up on the mud sill in the basement is about the best place, and maybe in a few other areas.
look up info on ultrasonic rodent repellent. I know for sure someone who had success with it. you plug the device in a wall outlet and rodents stay away.
Poison, in my opinion is a cruel and unnecessary way to deal with mice. Also the sticky-pad traps that leave the critter to chew off its 'lil feet or die of thirst. With both methods you also have a stinking corpse to pollute your house.
Mouse problems here are a Level 1 emergency, not just an inconvenience. Mice here can have fleas whose bite transmits Hanta Virus. Several people die in our state every year due to Hanta Virus. We wear masks and use water to lessen mice feces droplets from getting airborne.
We use the old-fashioned snap traps, baited with peanut butter. It breaks the mouse’s neck instantly. We have also used electric shock traps in a crawl space.
Also, the Mice Motels that have a one-way entrance. They check in, but not out. I have one, the “Black Maria” that is made of steel and HOLDS 30 MICE. I believe it is made in France. 30 mice is a horrifying thought, and I have not caught more than 4 in one go with it.
We can thus keep tabs of how many are in the infestation. The trapped mice are taken down the alley and released into the garbage
dumpsters that have 4 foot tall sides. The mice are happy and well fed until given a free one-way ride to the dump. Where there is population control by coyotes, hawks, snakes and other predators.
Furnishedowner
You actually release the mice?? I think snap traps with peanut butter are the only way to go. On some properties I leave a few out all the time as a preventative measure.
Also, it is worth the few extra cents for the brand name traps as they are more sensitive. I have had a few of the no-name ones licked clean without going off.
Steve
Hate to tell you this, but mice climb in and out of dumpsters with ease. So all you are doing is moving them to your neighbor’s house. Or perhaps they are returning to your house.
Just kill them instead of passing the problem on to someone else.
Rodents will eat right through spray foam. Stuff any gaps with steel wool first.
Bait blocks work well and you can get an idea of extent of the problem by how rapidly the blocks disappear.