- Mothballs will help keep mice at bay in both the home and in the garden. They also deter deer, rats, squirrels and rabbits. The active ingredient in mothballs is a chemical that is toxic to moths. In other creatures, this chemical can be toxic or simply unpleasant enough to keep them out of your garden and home.
- In the garden, place mothballs along the border to create a wall of defense. One or two balls for every foot of garden space is plenty. For small gardens, just scatter a few around the periphery. Replace the mothballs every month or so, but more often during the months when rains are heaviest. Keep kids and pets away from the mothballs, and always wash your hands thoroughly after handling them. Babies and pregnant women should completely avoid touching or breathing the fumes of mothballs.
- Besides being dangerous to humans and pets, mothballs can kill beneficial insects and birds. As the forces of nature break the mothballs down, there is also a risk that soil may become contaminated. Safer alternatives to mothballs include dryer sheets, castor oil, blood meal, black pepper and red pepper. All of these mice repellents are safe for children, pets, beneficial insects and birds and the health of your garden soil.
Comments
ultraflyer said
on 7/15/2009 Moth balls do not work, nor do dryer sheets!! I have a four wheeler that mice have been building a nest in under the seat where they chewed electrical wires. So I pulled the battery and placed a handful of moth balls (20 or so). Next time I looked, they had built a nest right on top of the moth balls. The smell of the mice urine and moth balls is enough to drive the strongest man away. Next I added dryer sheets to the mix. Not only did they do this shortly after I placed the moth ball there, they kept rebuilding the nests after I would take them out and added dryer sheets. The thing that has worked for me is a homemade pepper sauce made of aged habanero and cayenne peppers that I had grown that were so hot that touching the sauce would make your hands feel like they were burning. Not one single mouse since! I also plugged a couple holes that would allow mice to enter our trav...