They are disease vectors

Though the common mouse may not pose serious risks to your health in comparison to the deer mouse, studies have pointed out that they can still spread through urine, droppings, and saliva diseases such listeria and hantavirus. All these diseases are deadly and having mice in your house increases the chances of catching them.

Mice can destroy your home

It might sound dramatically funny admitting that a mouse can burn down your house but the underlying truth is that they can. Just like the typical rodents, mice enjoy chewing wires and thread-like materials to keep their teeth short or still as a means of getting access to places that such things may be blocking. In the case of electrical wires, once two of them, the neural and the live, become bare and get into contact with each other, there will be a short-circuit which may then cause fire damages to your house. For that matter, the Illinois Department of Public Health warns that close to 30 percent of all fires attributed to “unknown causes” in the United States are most likely caused by rodents. In addition, mice like chewing through soft materials such as wooden furniture, rubber, soft board walls, plastic materials, and even aluminum.

They will eat or contaminate food stored in your house

Previously, it was pointed out that mice will literally chew and eat through anything. In particular, they love grains and they can gain access to a box or cereal or crackers with minimal efforts. On the same note, they will consume from between 20-25 times a day and are likely to make their nest near the food source (think of your kitchen or food store). The department of Health, Durham, claims that mice might contaminate roughly 10 times more food than they eat. Thus, eating food that has been contaminated by mice is a sure-fire means of getting infections from them.

Signs you have mice in your house

If you can come across mice droppings or their nesting materials, hear squeaking and hissing noise in your cabinet, or have seen gnawed food packages, chances are that you have mice in your house.

Best ways to get rid of mice in your house artificially

Taking into consideration of the high health and property risks that mice pose in your house, cleaning up their nesting or spots they have urinated and defecated on is a procedure that should not be taken lightly.

For instance, using a vacuum cleaner to sweep mice droppings is strongly discouraged as it can propagate more bacteria and dust into the air making you very ill. It is recommended that one should wear a mask and vinyl groves while cleaning up mice-infected areas.

Traps

One of the most effective methods of controlling the number of mice in your house is by use of traps. Albeit traps are time consuming, they are effective in your house especially if only a few mice are present. Mousetraps are also the first things that people are likely to try once they discover that their houses are infested by mice. Using of traps is one of the best ways of getting rid of mice in your house. First, traps do not rely on potentially hazardous rodenticides which may be consumed accidentally by other animals such as pets and birds. Secondly, by using traps to get rid of mice in your house, you will be able to locate the dead rodent. This helps in eliminating the likelihood of dead mice odor that is often the case when their poisoning is done within housing premises.

The number of mousetraps you will buy depends on the number of mice that you intend to catch within the shortest time possible before they have time to breed and create more mess. Finding the best trap location is more important than what type of trappings you use. It is recommended that you place them several feet away from mice nests mostly along the walls or behind furniture. It is important to state that a mouse is a very skittish animal and will be more likely to investigate a new object if it feels unsafe. All the same, the rule of the thumb is that you should change the location of the trap if does not catch any mice after a few days. Alternatively, you may change the type of bait or trap that you are using. Some of the popular baits for mice include peanut butter, roast meat, and fried egg.

There are a variety of mousetraps and can be purchase from most hardware, agrovet stores, or grocery shops. Below are some of the most popular mouse trap options that you may try:

The Victor Electric Mouse Trap

The Victor Electric Mouse Trap is considered an effective method of eliminating mice from houses in that it is quick and clean. It is easy to set and you do not have to touch the dead mouse. However, to increase chances of success, you should place several traps to kill as many mice as possible within the shortest time. If you do not want to make several purchases, then consider emptying the trap as soon as it catches the mouse. Remember that mice live in groups and the appearance of one could signal the presence of several others. The trap uses bait placed in the back unit to attract mice. Upon entering the trap, the mouse triggers a high voltage current consequently becoming electrocuted in seconds, a method that is considered humane. Once this has happened, you only have to open the lid while disposing the dead rat. This trap is effective and it can be used for several years and the chances of its missing the target are close to none.

The Snap Mouse Trap

Using the snap mouse trap is perhaps the most common method of eliminating mice from houses. They are preferred in that they kill the mouse instantly with a bar that snaps over their neck. The major weakness in this type of trapping is that the snap may not be set properly. In that case, the mouse may grab the bait without triggering the bait. In addition, the mouse may end up being severely injured or suffering if the snap does not kill it instantly. With time, the snapping mechanism gets weak and hence you should change the trap after several successful catches.

Glue Boards

One of the alternatives to traps is the glue board. This functions by capturing and holding the mice that attempting to cross them in a similar manner as flypaper catches insects. The major drawback associated with the glue boards is that the trapped mouse takes relatively longer to die instantly. Instead, you will need to kill it by sharply heating it at the base of the skull using a stiff object such as the stick. Other manufacturers also suggest drowning the mouse although this is considered a less humane way of killing it. In using the glue board to get rid of mice in your house, it is also advisable that you keep it away from small children and pets that might get stuck.

Apart from the trapping methods, the other best ways to get rid of mice in your house include baits, anticoagulant rodenticides, and some natural methods.

Baits

Commercial baits for killing mice are formulated with attractant (usually food) and rodenticides (toxins). Reforms in rodenticides regulation were initiated in the mid of 2011 in bids to control rodenticides hazards to other non-target animals or human beings. Some popular bait include peanut butter, beef jerky and cheese which lure rodents such as mouse to a taste with the aim of getting them trapped.

Anticoagulant rodenticides

Anticoagulants are drugs that make an animal’s blood to lose its clotting ability. This triggers damages to the capillaries hence resulting to internal fatal internal bleeding. These active formulations are set at very low levels consequently delaying the onset of symptoms to allow the mice to eat the bait without being alarmed by its taste or early illnesses. When prepared with the appropriate food baits, anticoagulants are an effective ways of eliminating mice from your house.

A precaution that should be taken while using the anticoagulants to kill mice is that not all of them are likely to eat the bait when it first becomes available. For that matter, it is recommended that you start the elimination process by providing an uninterrupted supply of the bait for at least 7 days or until evidence of mice activity increases. Usually, a mouse will die after 2-5 days after consuming the anticoagulant bait. This slow killing is aimed at allowing accidental poisoning to be attended to before serious illness happens. In addition, it helps in dissociating illnesses from particular baits.

Best ways to get rid of mice in your house naturally

Some of the ways discussed earlier in regards to getting rid of mice in your house are potentially dangerous, or still expensive. The following sections detail on some best ways to get rid of mice in your house naturally.

Mothballs

You should place mothballs directly into the areas inhabited by mice. Due to their toxic nature, the mice will die soon after the exposure. Due to this, the way of handling them should take into consideration of their possible adverse effects to non-target animals or human beings.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is a natural product and can be used both indoors and outdoors to get rid of mice from in your house. From this perspective, you will need to soak some cotton balls on some peppermint oil. You should then leave the wet cotton balls along the pathways of the mice. Since it is the smell from the peppermint that is responsible for repelling the mice, you will need to constantly refresh the cotton balls by soaking them. To increase the effectiveness of the peppermint oil, ensure that it is labeled as 100% pure.

Fresh cab

Fresh cab rodent repellent is a formulation of pleasant-smelling mix of cob, herbal, and plant extracts. Although human beings claim that the smell is pleasant, rodents such as mice do not like the smell and will leave the area to escape it. This makes it easier while sealing their holes since they will leave as soon as they detect the smell.

Preventing mice in your house

Regardless of how best are your ways of getting rid of mice in your house, stopping them from invading your house is, by far, the best alternative. Typically, this involves checking the perimeter of your house wall and filling any holes or cracks that could be acting as the pathways or nests to the mice. Moreover, getting rid of all accumulated rubbish such as leaves, heaps of firewood and other debris near your house will certainly make it difficult for the mice to gain access to your house and properties. In other words, observing proper hygiene through frequent removal of garbage will significantly minimize the likelihood of mice invasion to your house.

Other methods of deterring mice invasion to your house include storing your food especially dry grains in hard plastic or glass containers with tightly fitting lids. This will go a long way in minimizing the chances of your food being contaminated by mice-spread diseases.

The Bottom line

Mice are not only destructive to your house but can also act as vectors of deadly diseases. Thus, it is necessary you chose the Best ways to get rid of mice in your house. Some of the methods discussed so far are either artificial or natural. The natural methods include the trappings, anticoagulants and the baits. While some trappings will kill the mouse instantly, others will trap it live until you kill or release it. Baits are usually some types of food attractive to mice which are placed in the traps. The anticoagulants act by preventing blood clot in animals hence triggering fatal internal bleeding in their body. The natural methods are some of the readily available ways of killing or repelling mice. Regardless of the means used in getting rid of mice in your house, the most effective way is preventing them from being there in the first place. It has been observed that proper hygiene habits may significantly lower the chances of your house being infected by mice.

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Although grains and other food remains are their staple food, mice eat almost everything. Perhaps mice can be easily identified by what they do not eat rather than what they eat. Due to this behavior, mice are destructive in homes and fields. It is therefore important to control them.

Understanding the behavior of field mice is the key to eliminating them. By knowing certain facts about mice, you are one step to controlling them.

Use of Repellents.

Mice have a poor eye sight but gifted with a very sophisticated sense of smell. They can smell and distinguish certain odors. This characteristic is useful in controlling them. They are sensitive to certain substances such as castor oil based derivatives which are used as repellents. You should apply these repellents by spraying it around the farm. Natural repellents include Garlic, Lavender, mints, camphor, alliums, and euphorbias. These repellents may not be effective if the population of the mice in the field is very high.

Use of Traps.

Traps can either be live or kill traps. You should be careful when setting kill traps as they can pose danger to children and pets. Kill traps are effective if they are placed and set appropriately. If you are setting the trap in your house, place it at entry points and check for results the following day. You should be careful to use gloves when collecting and disposing corpses as they may carry diseases such as plague.

Setting live traps can be fun. Before you begin setting a live trap, identify active entry points, hiding and exit sites. Place a grain or any other appropriate food material at the site and check if the grain is eaten by mice. Once you have identified the active sites, set the live traps and collect the trapped mice in a cage. Mice become aggressive when trapped thus they should be handled with caution as they can bite.

Underground Barriers

Underground barriers such as meshes and steel metals can be buried at least 6 inches below the ground to bar mice from entering the farm. Although, underground barriers are relatively expensive, they are very effective in preserving farms from mice invasion. Alternatively, drenches or ditches can be dug around the farm. This method is cheap and effective if the drenches are maintained to prevent filling with soil.

Remove Nesting materials.

Mice live in nests. Materials such as clothing, newspapers and empty bags left on the floor of the house can offer visiting mice with good breeding and hiding places. You should dispose old cloths, papers and other materials appropriately.

Dispose Left Overs Properly

A key strategy to eliminating mice depends on starving them. Keeping the house clean after dinning can help to avoid hungry mice from invading the house. Food should also be stored properly to discourage mice infestation in the house. If you have pets at home, you should feed them and gather their feeding troughs to discourage mice from raiding the garden.

Fix tiny holes.

Mice can squeeze through holes as tiny as 1/4 inch while others may even scrap building materials such as wood and brick to create a way for passage. Mice can thus be controlled by fixing tiny holes around buildings. You should regularly survey the living house and buildings for small entrances.

Poisons and Baits.

While poison baits are effective for killing mice within a short time, they can pose danger to children and pets. One of the most effective mice poison is the chocolate plaster of Paris. If you keep pets at home, you should avoid the method entirely. Alternatively, a tamper proof bait container in which food is placed directly in the mouse`s hole may be used. This will reduce poison exposure to pets and other ground birds. Other baits may require approval by a pest control professional.

Encourage Predators.

Mice are nocturnal animals, spending most of their daytime hiding in burrows. When they come out at night looking for food, they watch out for danger. They run fast and hide in their holes when they sense danger. You should encourage pets to accompany you to the garden when you are strolling to catch any stray mouse. Whereas predators such as foxes, dogs, cats, owls and hawks may not eliminate them, they can assist to keep their population at a controlled level.

Slash Tall Grass and Till the Garden

Keeping tall grass in the field provides suitable conditions for the mice to thrive. You should cut tall grass around the compound to discourage mice infestation in the garden. Tilling the garden helps to reduce hiding places for the mice and destroys their tunnels. Tilling and cutting tall grass may not be an effective control method, but is a good preventive measure.

Wrap Trees

If bark destruction from mice is a problem, you can mount the lower trunks of large shrubs and tree trunks with a loose cylinder of ¼ inch wire netting. This can be reinforced by burying the mesh a few inches below the ground.

Sometimes the population of mice in the field may be considerably high. Controlling such a huge population may require a combination of several methods to increase effectiveness. In most cases, cultural methods such as ridding dirt, starving the mice, cutting grass, tilling the garden, constructing underground barriers, creating buffer zones, applying repellants and setting traps are combined with biological methods such as encouraging predators in a strategy called integrated pest management (IPM). This strategy is the most effective tool for eliminating mice in the field. You should implement IPM if you are dealing with a huge population of mice in your garden.

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