How to Kill Mice in the Home
If you've ever had the unpleasant experience of reaching for a box of cereal or bag of chips only to discover a hole chewed through the bottom of the container, you know firsthand what it's like to have mice. Mice will sample various foods in your pantry while stealing stuffing out of your furniture to make their nests. You can also expect to find their droppings throughout your home. It is imperative that you treat the mouse infestation as soon as you become aware of it, lest the mouse population within your house continue to grow. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Mouse Bait
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Purchase poisoned mouse bait that contains anticoagulants. Some examples of such anticoagulants are Warfarin and Pival. According to the New York State Department of Health, anticoagulant-based poisons are the least toxic to humans and the most effective at killing mice.
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Place the containers of poisoned mouse bait in out-of-the-way areas, such as underneath cabinets and in the rear of storage areas. Your goal is to provide the mice with easy access to the poison while keeping it away from children and pets.
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Remove the poisoned mouse bait after one month or whenever the mouse activity in your home stops, whichever comes sooner.
Mouse Traps
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Purchase mouse traps from your local hardware store. You may purchase single or multi-catch mouse traps.
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Lay a piece of newspaper down in the area you intend to set the traps. This protects your floor. Although mouse traps are very effective at killing mice, they aren't always the cleanest kill method.
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Set the traps with food to attract mice. Mice eat almost anything, but may be particularly enticed by foods such as crunchy peanut butter or bacon.
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Arm the traps and set them next to the wall. Traps should be placed in pairs roughly 6 to 10 feet away from one another. Mice prefer to travel short distances. By setting traps in pairs along the wall, you increase the chances that a mouse sprinting from one point to another will be snared by a trap. Each trap should sit perpendicular to your wall with the baited end of the trap facing outward.
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Check the traps periodically. When you catch a mouse, you may dispose of him and re-use the trap. Mice can smell dead mice on a mousetrap, but this does not frighten them away. Thus, you can effectively control an entire mouse population by trapping.
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Tips & Warnings
Once you have disposed of the mice in your home, find out where the mice entered your home. Mice can enter houses through holes as small as ¼ of an inch. Find any entry hole and block it. Steel wool works well to plug any holes you find and prevent mice from entering your home.
Although mouse and rat poisons that contain anticoagulants are the least toxic to humans, this does not mean these poisons are not still toxic.
Never set mousetraps where family members or pets may be apt to step on them and set them off.
Although ultrasonic devices claim to help you get rid of mice by driving them away from your home with high pitched sound pulses, mice grow accustomed to these sound pulses quickly, and rarely stay away for very long. In addition, the sound could be tortuous for your pets if you happen to own gerbils or hamsters.
Don't be lured into believing that your cat or dog can get rid of your mice. Although a pet may help you prevent re-infestation, mice are typically quicker than other pets and can easily escape underneath furniture or down a hole.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit mouse image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
