View Full Version : The Mice Are Back for the Winter
Chickie
10-31-2011, 08:26 AM
The annual migration of mice into our homes seems to have begun in earnest. I guess the early snow got them thinking about new living quarters for the winter. Over the weekend two of those little vermin fell victim to my trusty spring trap and joined the ranks of the dearly departed. With the cost of peanut butter skyrocketing by 40%, this could prove to be a rather costly proposition and I may have to seek an alternative. Anyone have the phone number of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?
We are over run with feral cats in our neighborhood. Why don't you stop by with a hava heart (SP) trap and take a few home and before you know they will have multiplied and no more mice.:laugh:
upthesaukee
10-31-2011, 03:11 PM
The annual migration of mice into our homes seems to have begun in earnest. I guess the early snow got them thinking about new living quarters for the winter. Over the weekend two of those little vermin fell victim to my trusty spring trap and joined the ranks of the dearly departed. With the cost of peanut butter skyrocketing by 40%, this could prove to be a rather costly proposition and I may have to seek an alternative. Anyone have the phone number of the Pied Piper of Hamelin?
Two spring trap captures, and two "good jobs" with the cats. Full time residents 4, part time 0! But that two can change :laugh:
Lakesrider
11-01-2011, 08:07 AM
I put up the traps on the top of my basement walls. I already caught 4 of them. This morning I went to check them again and one of the traps was missing. I looked everywhere for it. I am guessing I caught one by the leg and it crawled off somewhere, but I sure can't find it.:(
Merrymeeting
11-03-2011, 09:13 AM
I put up the traps on the top of my basement walls. I already caught 4 of them. This morning I went to check them again and one of the traps was missing. I looked everywhere for it. I am guessing I caught one by the leg and it crawled off somewhere, but I sure can't find it.:(
It also could be that you caught one and another one dragged it off. They do practice cannibalism! :eek:
I usually will nail the wooden ones to a larger piece of wood to prevent this.
Chickie
11-03-2011, 01:44 PM
Those Winni mice are sure crafty. After catching two over the weekend, I have come up empty ever since. The past three nights they have managed to gorge themselves on all the peanut butter (high quality brand) without setting off the trap. The ferrel cat solution might be a good one, but I don't think Big Calico would go for that idea - not that she has any desire to get into the extermination business herself.
Buy a can or two of great stuff, go around your house and seal every nook and crannie that a mouse can use to get into your house. Pay attention to where pipes and wires enter, do this a few times, you'll be amazed at what you miss the first time. The idea is to keep them out if at all possible. Any crack bigger than an eighth inch need to be sealed, I seal the small ones too. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure......
ITD is right. You need to seal the places where they get in or you will keep having them. That is what Dean of DC Pest does and I assume all pest people do. I never regret hiring him.
Chickie
11-04-2011, 01:16 PM
Thanks for the advice ITD. Where can I get Great Stuff - assume that is the brand name? Would Lowe's or Walmart have it? Sounds like a good plan of attack. Changed to a different trap last night and it seems I'm on a roll again, as another one bit the dust.
I've had enough, will try Great Stuff!
Thanks for the advice ITD. Where can I get Great Stuff - assume that is the brand name? Would Lowe's or Walmart have it? Sounds like a good plan of attack. Changed to a different trap last night and it seems I'm on a roll again, as another one bit the dust.
I've had enough, will try Great Stuff!
Hi Chickie, Great Stuff is a product name for canned insulating foam. You spray it out of the can, it foams up and hardens. The cans have a trigger and about a 6 inch tube. I buy a few feet of flexible tubing that fits snugly over the tube provided for the can so I can get the foam into tight spaces. There are other brand names, just ask at the hardware store.
Another tip is to look for mouse droppings, if you see a concentration of droppings then that is a "mouse highway" usually you'll find this near where the mice are coming in. As you can see I hate mice and don't tolerate them coming in the house. Good luck with your hunt.
Dean showed me where they enter, the top of the hole is sort of black, where their fur rubs on the wood. One place there were getting in was through a little tiny hole in our little window screen into the basement.
Those Winni mice are sure crafty. After catching two over the weekend, I have come up empty ever since. The past three nights they have managed to gorge themselves on all the peanut butter (high quality brand) without setting off the trap. The ferrel cat solution might be a good one, but I don't think Big Calico would go for that idea - not that she has any desire to get into the extermination business herself.
There might not be anything that mice won't get into—even if only somewhat "flavored".
They've gnawed through "Great Stuff", and gotten a meal (?) of my anti-"Duck Itch" medication.
...or maybe it was the other way around, as the prescription was for cortico-steroids. :eek:
They had a feast of a whole bag of Puperoni while we were gone recently. The bag was unopened but they chewed right through it.
upthesaukee
01-08-2014, 08:55 AM
Decon.
We have had problems, and set 2-3 traps, and catch several mice over the course of the cold weather.
Finally decided to give Decon a try, and after going through 4 trays in one package, and some out of a couple of other trays from a second package, all over the space of 2-3 weeks, SUCCESS!!
No more mouse droppings, and the level of the bait is not going down. And my big fear of an odor from deceased varmits has not manifested itself. A win - win situation in my mind.
HellRaZoR004
01-08-2014, 10:11 AM
I used Decon when we first bought the house as there were signs of mice in the basement. After a week I found 3 dead mice outside the garage. That stuff worked well and actually forced some of them out of the house. No issues since.
The obvious caution on Decon is if you have pets that might eat either the Decon or the dead rodents....
Orion
01-09-2014, 09:32 AM
Decon.
We have had problems, and set 2-3 traps, and catch several mice over the course of the cold weather.
Finally decided to give Decon a try, and after going through 4 trays in one package, and some out of a couple of other trays from a second package, all over the space of 2-3 weeks, SUCCESS!!
No more mouse droppings, and the level of the bait is not going down. And my big fear of an odor from deceased varmits has not manifested itself. A win - win situation in my mind.
Someday you might find a big pile of that stuff stored by the mice somewhere in your walls. They eat some, but store a lot away for later. Damned dirty mice!
HellRaZoR004
01-09-2014, 10:05 AM
Someday you might find a big pile of that stuff stored by the mice somewhere in your walls. They eat some, but store a lot away for later. Damned dirty mice!
That's one way to make sure the whole house is secure...
Orion
01-09-2014, 10:09 AM
ha ha....the gift that keeps on giving :laugh:
I battled mice badly the first two years. Decon pellets are dangerous if you have petsbecuase the mice move them around. What I did was build three wooden boxes out of plywood that have removeable tops on them. I drilled a 1 inch hole in each end. I bought the Decon nuggets that are about 1 inch square and come in a bag. They actually have a hole in the middle of them and I take a drywall screw and screw them to the bottom of the box. Replace the cover and the mice cant haul the bait away. I run these under my camp all summer long and then place them in the house when I close down. I have not had an issue.
It's funny you mention that. I opened my piano stool to a great store of acorns!
Someday you might find a big pile of that stuff stored by the mice somewhere in your walls. They eat some, but store a lot away for later. Damned dirty mice!
Regarding Decon®, "...[T]he poisons have been linked to the deaths of hawks, owls, foxes, ... clotting, resulting in uncontrollable bleeding and a slow, agonizing death".
http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/D-Con-rat-poisons-targeted-by-EPA-4237203.php
Use cookie tins to store the items most at risk in the house. Select the tins for size and shape, and store them one inside of the other.
Sure, they're a nuisance but c'mon, they can't help being mice!
:look:
Lakesrider
01-22-2014, 08:35 PM
Now that this has been brought back up again....I solved my problem with mice. This Fall I was cleaning the gutters and picking up the debris from the gutters off my deck. While doing so I noticed a few little splinters of wood on the deck directly underneath where my electrical service enters my house through a steel elbow. I looked up under there and there was a hole. I got oout the caulk and another piece of siding and filled the hole with almost half a tube of the caulk. Hammered in a new piece of siding cut to fit closer to the service wire. I have not had mice since.
On a side note...Never did find that mouse trap.:confused:
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