Mouse control is the "stuff" we're talking about because ...
Mouse Control for inside and outside of your house.
Last year I went hog wild trying to get rid of mice in my home. I don't mean I wildly used hogs to get rid of mice from my home. Hog wild is just a term. Everybody knows a pig would make a terrible choice for modern day mouse control. They don't generally eat mice. Mice on the other hand? They eat pigs. They eat live, curly tailed pigs. Jump up on 'em and start chewing at their skin. It's all laid out in this Australian news article from a few years back.
So. I had mice in my house and invested in a few different types of mouse traps. After testing them all, I found the one I thought was most effective and set them up around my house. And they worked. But not all mice can be lured. Some of them are pathologically suspicious of anything that looks like a torture chamber, even if it does ooze with the sweet, sweet scent of chunky peanut butter. Unlike their risk taking and curious friends, these mice, are difficult to catch. For scientific purposes I shall refer to these mice as the super-boring mice who never got into trouble at school and probably don't eat anything past the expiry date "just in case".
What can you do to catch these super-boring mice who never got into trouble at school and probably don't eat anything past the expiry date "just in case"?
You can stop them from coming into your house in the first place.
This summer I took down some parging that was on the side of my house. It's been there since I moved in and still have no idea why it was there, covering up a small portion of the almost 200 year old brick. When I removed it, it revealed a huge gap between a window and the original brick. BIG crack. Big enough that a pig let alone a mouse could get in.
If you have cracks like this they need to be filled. But you can't just fill the crack with spray foam because a mouse will eat right through it. They eat live pigs. We've established that. Spray foam would just be like an airy, non filling appetizer for them.
What you have to do, if you're serious about mouse control, is to fill the gaps with something the mouse can't chew through; heavy metal.
I had hardware cloth from building my chicken coop lying around and used that. Hardware cloth is perfect because it's flexible, heavy and depending on the size of the squares, too small for mice to fit through. This is ¼" hardware cloth which makes it perfect for mouse control.
Steel wool? It's not so perfect. It's like pig to mice. They'll just chew right through it. Also it rusts and deteriorates over time. You can try mixing steel wool with another compound like cement or something but that's a bit of a pain isn't it?
Shove the hardware cloth right into the crack so it fills the entire space. Look for gaps around windows, doors, the foundation and anywhere wires or hoses come out of your house. Things like television cables, gas lines or hydro lines.
Once your hardware cloth is pushed in, then you can add spray foam. This will act as a bit of a deterrent to the mouse, plus it'll keep your home toasty warm and your furnace running costs down. If the mouse makes it through the foam, it'll come up against the hardware cloth which it won't be able to get past.
Don't worry, I'm not going to leave my spray foam like that. And you don't have to either. Once your spray foam has set and fully expanded (by the next day) you can cut away the excess so it's flush with the surface it's on. Just use a serrated blade to cut it. Either a hacksaw blade, bread knife, maybe even a drywall knife. I have no proof of this, but I feel like the insulation is better if you don't cut it though. Again. No. Proof. At. All.
These electronic mouse traps are my favourite. They electrocute the mouse instantly and there is a 0% chance that it will only be maimed or hurt. There is no blood ever, the traps stay clean and you can use them indefinitely. Just replace the batteries when needed.
That isn't always the case with old fashioned snap traps, but if those are your preferred choice for whatever reason I have a whole post explaining the best way to bait and use snap traps.
Don't rely on only one method for controlling mice. They're super suspicious but not of the opposite sex. Ever. They are constantly having mouse sex and making babies. Like, non-stop. So as long as there are mice in this world, there's going to be a chance that one or worse, TWO will get into your house and claim it as their love pad. By using both of these methods, reliable mouse traps AND mouse proofing your home by filling gaps with hardware cloth and spray foam, you'll have a good shot at keeping the population in your house down.
Did I tell you about that time my cat woke me up in the middle of the night screaming beside my head? Yeah, you must remember that story. Where I woke up, turned on the light to see what the problem was and discovered the problem was the fact that there was a dead mouse on the pillow next to my face? That's not something I'm wanting to relive this winter so I've bought a few more electronic mouse traps, and filled all the holes around the house I could find.
I feel quite content that I've done all I can do to keep my house mouse free this winter. How content? I'm currently sitting on the couch eating a cookie with no fear of leaving crumbs around while drinking a glass of milk. And yes. The milk is a little past its expiry date.
Ron Booker
I like that you said that you can find different types of mice that don't fall that easy in traps and are hard to kill. I have a friend that told me that he is dealing with a mice infestation and he wanted to know what he can use to get rid of them. I'm going to suggest him looking for pest control since some mice are hard to kill.
May
Great article! Weep hole covers sounds like an awesome idea. Saw a few blogs talking about rat poison as well (here's one: https://www.pestsurvivalguide.com/best-rat-mouse-poison/), will definitely try them out. Thanks again for sharing!
Tracy
Hi Karen,
What do you use for bate in the electronic traps? How often do you replace it?
Thanks!
Karen
Hi Tracy! I use just a tiny bit of peanut butter. About the size of a pea. I probably don't replace it as often as I should, lol. Maybe once a month? But you should really replace it every week or so. Do as I say, not as I do. ;) ~ karen!
Melissa Keyser
You lost me at parging. Is that a Canadian house thing? 99.9% I don't have that on my house.
Karen
Same this as stucco! ~ karen
Glenda Shine
I can not begin to tell you how much I enjoy your posts!
Not only are they informative, you have me laughing from the first word, through to the end of your comments.
They say the greatest gift we can have is to bring laughter to others.
Well done!
Karen
Thanks Glenda! Glad to make you laugh. I can't imagine any better way to make a living. :) ~ karen!
D Peterson
A local sheep farmer informed me that sheep's wool is mouse proof. The squirrel had made a hole through the drywall in the garage and was helping itself to the coffee that it scooped out of the Folgers containers in the pantry. It would simply chew a hole in the lid big enough to reach in and then...well you seem to be familiar with the term hog wild...I digress. That is another story.
I stuffed the hole with sheep's wool until no more would force in.
Squirrel made a new hole through the drywall next to the wool plug. That is when we invited the cat to live in the house. I share coffee freely. But not with squirrels.
Renee Ryz
Ug a few years back, we had them in the floorboards. I would hear them at night - drove me insane. We used the snap traps, as I never heard of the electric ones, but luckily none were still alive. Got 32 yes 32 of them within a week or so. Got a mama that I swear by the size was a rat, and that ended it. When we redid our kitchen, we tore up the floor to replace it, as it just skeeved me out that all the mouse poop was in the floor. They shredded all the black paper they used when building the house (60 years old house) Now I have an outside TNR'd colony (The Minions) of 5 that hang out in my back yard, and they leave me presents - so that keeps em from coming in. Another place to check - your dryer vent. Due to some lint, the flap outside was not totally closed, and I have a bird feeder near there, so it was probably feasting on dropped seeds, so I am guessing one of my Minions chased the mouse and it went up the vent. Imagine my delight when I opened the dryer to take out socks (which I dry on HOT) and by the front load door, was a jerkified mouse. barf. The vent was cleaned & flap is closed, and dryer sanitized- but I am putting some wire mesh on the outside to be doubly sure.
Laurie
Hey Karen, what a timely post! I was up early this morning and I heard a little "skritch, skritch" coming from the wall in the dining room.. Yep, a mouse in the wall. Any thoughts on wall mice? I know he'll have to come out to eat at some point, maybe just one of the electronic traps in the kitchen? I already know where he came in, there's a tiny crack in the foundation under the deck. I guess somebody will be worming their way under there this weekend to fill it in with hardware cloth.