Mouse ideas ? (Page 1/2)
MidEngineManiac SEP 20, 12:27 AM
And no, not get a cat. Don't want another freeloader around here, don't have a place for the litter box, and allergies.

Every time the guy across the track road fires up his tractor and heads into the field, we get swamped with bugs and mice. Happens every year and usually no big deal. I've got spray, gel bait and powder for the bugs and commercial-quality traps plus warfarin blocks for the mice.

USUALLY not a huge deal. USUALLY.

This year its just insane. I am averaging 30 mice a day and cant keep up with the bug spray. Opened the side door to go out to the shed at 2:30am last night and the outside of the door was just crawling with bugs. Bugs, OK. I am switching to Malathion. Don't give a damn that its not rated for indoor use and stinks like hell, it WORKS. That I can deal with. (Forget the parathion, it ain't doing squat, that's what I got right now).

Mice, I am at a loss. Unless I turn the floor into one giant sticky trap (DONT tempt me) in the whole house, the damn things are bailing the field and heading this way faster than I can catch them. Forget shooting them. I've tried. Either they have gotten faster over the years or I have gotten slower. They just wont sit still long enough to get a bead on them

Any ideas ?

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 09-20-2021).]

TheDigitalAlchemist SEP 20, 12:39 AM
Fox urine works, spray it around the perimeter of the house. Those bucket traps can kill a bunch every night but then you have a bucket full of drowned mice to clean out every day.
maryjane SEP 20, 03:44 AM
How are the mice getting in the house?
RWDPLZ SEP 20, 07:37 AM
For the occasional mouse, I keep one of these in the garage. 4 mice so far this year:



For large quantities:

Best bet is the bucket trap:



Other options:





Glue traps also work for mice and insects if you can find the point of entry, along the walls.
MidEngineManiac SEP 20, 07:55 AM

quote
Originally posted by maryjane:

How are the mice getting in the house?



Up through the crawl-space and under the siding. This place is old wartime military housing so not exactly "tight" construction.
olejoedad SEP 20, 08:33 AM
How about a moat full of alligators?

[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 09-20-2021).]

williegoat SEP 20, 10:15 AM

quote
Originally posted by MidEngineManiac:

And no, not get a cat.


Yeah, that only works if you have an infestation of hippopotamuses.
FieroSTETZ SEP 20, 11:33 AM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

How about a moat full of alligators?




But then what do you release when the alligators get out of control??
rinselberg SEP 20, 11:33 AM
An infestation of hippopotamuses or hippopotami. If you do get hit with an infestation, and you are seeing as many as 10 or more, it's most likely a "bloat": a socially cohesive grouping of multiple female hippos organized around a single male. And that's a boatload (or bloatload) of hippos.

You're probably wondering where I get this kind of insider information.

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 09-20-2021).]

FieroSTETZ SEP 20, 11:35 AM
Bucket traps worked pretty well on a friends farm. They didn't dump into a bucket of water though, they dumped into a metal bucket and he sold the mice to a place that sells reptiles and tanks and other equipment :P

IIRC it was a stick spanning the bucket, with a soda can on the stick and peanut butter smeared on the can. When they tried to walk out to get the peanut butter they fell into the bucket. After 24 hours, don't look in the bucket - mice get hungry in there.