This is not the first article/piece of advice I thought I would publish. The idea for this blog has been percolating for more than a month now with thoughts of recipes and other cleaning tips. However, the need has risen to deal with the arrival of mice in my house and so I offer my advice if you are experiencing the same problem.
Autumn brings colourful leaves, cooler weather, and the migration of mice from their nests outside into our warm cosy homes. Who wouldn't want to be there with soft fluffy insulation to sleep on, warmth and a good food source. How do they get in? A mouse can fit through a hole the size of a pencil! They are contortionists to match those of the circus! If you have an old character home like mine you are likely to find the odd gap (or several dozen) around. You will know if they are present by the tell tale droppings.
First step remove any possible source of food. Aside from the obvious food items, and be aware they will chew through packets, grains and seeds in any form will be attractive. Last year they went for my wheatie bag nibbling a hole in the fabric. This year I found a packet of milk powder being stored in the bottom of my linen cupboard with the offending chewed opening. Garden seeds are also susceptible. Package everything up in airtight containers. I have temporarily stored my 20 kg bag of flour in the oven till I can purchase a large plastic pail!
After cleaning out droppings you will want to carefully check for holes. There is one thing that mice can not chew through! Steel wool. Buy some cheap steelos and stuff those holes up.
Mouse traps are a personal choice. I don't recommend the friendly ones that preserve the invader. Why would you let it go outside only to scurry back in again and potentially breed in large numbers? Nor do I suggest using mouse poison. The mouse goes away to die but maybe somewhere else in your house leaving a nasty stench. Even if it goes outside it leaves a toxic carcass that another animal could eat and be affected by. A simple snap trap is best. Use peanut butter as bait as the stickiness means your intruders can't remove the food from the trap. Place the trap with open jaws facing a wall that the mice are likely to run past.
Check the traps in the morning. They are seemingly most active at night. Have a plastic bag handy to drop the mouse into and if it helps wear sunglasses to avoid a full view of the dead mouse!
Finally to deter mice place a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball in strategic places. Refresh the drops every few days. This is possibly not 100% fool proof but in my experience seems to deter them. If nothing else you will have a pleasant fresh smelling cupboard!
Happy mouse hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment