How to get rid of mice in the house? What are the traps to use? What is the right method to get rid of them? Here are the answers to all these questions.
I. Damage caused by mice in a house
It is not for nothing that humans have cultivated such a bad reputation towards rodents, especially mice, to which they are phobic.
The threats that these animals pose to humans are many and varied. To build their nests, they gnaw on all the objects they find within their reach, cutting off pieces that they then carry to their burrows.
The objects affected are furniture, linen, doors … which are thus deteriorated.
Mice are also known to harbor parasites such as bed bugs, fleas, and lice which can be transmitted to members of the household which is unpleasant.
Mice are also a reservoir of bacteria that can be a real danger to humans if they catch them, among these diseases are leptospirosis and plague, the latter of which has wreaked havoc in previous centuries.
II. How to get rid of mice in the house
Being infested by rodents is a difficult situation live. And of fear of being affected by the damage they cause, we often tend to get depressed.
But there are several ways to get rid of them.
Depending on the extent and conditions of the invasion, you can choose the right mouse trap or repellent.
1) Use mouse repellents
Logically, you put in place repellents before the invasion of mice, but if by misfortune you are already infested, it is always possible to use repellent substances to minimize the damage.
a. Use essential oils against mice
Oils extracted from garlic, eucalyptus or laurel can be used as a mouse repellent.
We have two choices as to how to use it: either spray a few drops of these essential oils mixed with water in places that may harbor mice, or put drops in cotton balls and place them around the house.
b. Use peppermint against mice
Mint is one of the plants that repel mice whenever they are near.
You can plant it in your garden if you have one, or simply grow it in pots on your balcony. This will allow you to partially immunize your home from mouse invasions.
2. kill mice with rat poison
Rat poison is a poison that causes blood clotting in the mouse that swallows it, causing internal bleeding that kills the animal.
It is a poison that is produced in the form of powder, paste, and aromatic blocks, which can be used alone or put in bait boxes to isolate them from the contact of children and pets.
a. The powdered rat poison
Powdered rat poison is one of the oldest rat poisoners in existence. It can be found in stores in the form of boxes or sachets.
The poison in question usually contains an odor similar to that of food coveted by rodents.
A considerable amount is sprinkled on paths used by these animals or in front of their burrows.
b. Paste rat poison
Paste rat poison is a more modern and practical form of rat poison than powder.
It is a soft paste packed in a bag, it is colored and flavored with the taste of food. It is used to attract the rodent more to make it eat the poison.
Like any trap, it is placed near the hiding places of rodents, except that the advantage this time is that the poison is accompanied by a box to isolate it from other animals and to allow access only to these pests
c. Block rat poison
The block rat poison or aromatic block is like the two previous examples. A poison that is used to deratting a house but is also used as an excellent means of prevention.
It is also equipped with a more aesthetic box that serves to prevent children and animals from touching it.
Also, to attract mice and rats, the block rat poison contains a food odor that can last up to 3 months.
It is sold in the form of a cube packed in bags.
3. using traps to remove mice from a home
There are many physical mouse traps to get rid of these rodents that have invaded your home.
Here are the most popular and easy-to-use mousetraps:
a. Using the mouse catcher to catch mice
A mouse catcher is a wooden tool with a metal bar that closes in on the rodent when it tries to detach the bait from it.
There are other modernized models of faggots. Like all traps, they are placed in the places closest to the burrows, isolating them so that the operation can be carried out properly, without causing harm to pets or children.
b.Use the trap against rodents
The creel is a metal cage, recently modernized into a box inside which food is placed as an attractant and which is placed in a corner likely to shelter mice.
When the mice try to retrieve their food from inside, the door of the cage closes and the animal gets stuck inside.
These traps are often used to spare the lives of rodents and release them into the wild, away from homes.
III. Make a prevention system against rodents
We only think of getting rid of mice when they have settled down and reproduced in our homes.
However, this situation can be avoided in advance, or at least we can become aware of the presence of these harmful rodents prematurely.
To do this, there are some measures to take, here are some of them:
- Clean the interior of the house and spray sensitive areas with bleach
- Clean the outside of the house and cut the grass if there is any
- Plug all holes that can let mice in from inside and outside
- Place mouse traps in corners that may contain mice or rats
- Growing repellent plants like mint in pots
- Adopt a cat to repel rodents
IV. The signs of a mouse in your home
To get rid of mice in the house you must first become aware of their presence which is not always easy.
Sometimes they infest our house for weeks, even months, to see the first signs of their presence, which is not very obvious in a large house.
Fact Because mice are small, fast, and only come out at night, it is difficult to be aware of their presence.
However, there are a few signs that can alert you to their presence. It is even possible to catch them running through your living room or hallway to their shelter.
Here are some signs that if you see at least three, it is a sure sign that you have rodents visiting you:
- Finding rather black droppings a few millimeters in size shaped like grains of rice
- Hearing high-pitched screaming or scratching noises at night
- Find incisor marks on furniture or other elements of your home
- Noticing a strange new smell
- Finding black spots and paw prints in the corners and feet of walls
- Find nests built with pieces of cardboard, wood…