DIY Pest Control - Mice

Your primary concern should be on how to get rid of mice if you ascertain their presence in your home. Mice and their waste are hazardous for health and can be the cause for many diseases. Mice also damage the wiring in your house and generally bite into anything they can get their teeth into. If you need to get rid of these pests in your home fast, following are some ways to make it possible.

CONFIRM MICE EXIST

How do you determine that you have mice in your home? You will find chewed up newspapers and packing material, mice droppings, squealing noises coming from walls or ceilings, and sometimes even mice foot prints. You will find unexplained holes and the scrambling of mice when you open cupboards or kitchen cabinets

CLEAN YOUR HOME WELL

Once you are sure you have mice, you have to determine what is attracting these rodents to your home. One of the most common reasons is food in your kitchen, especially when you leave dishes in the sink over night and food in cardboard boxes. Clear the food from your home or put it in air tight containers so mice cannot get to it. Pet food is another attraction for these rodents. Locate where the mice are entering from and fix that opening. If the hole is small, put steel wool well secured with nails there. so they will be unable to bite through and enter.

LOCATE THEIR HIDING PLACE

Keep looking until you find where the mice are hiding in your home. That is no easy task. They will hide and start families inside your home. Keep looking for tell tale signs, like mice droppings and tiny mice footprints. Once you discover where they are hiding, arrange for traps with bait so they are caught and removed.

TRAPS ARE A MUST

Mouse traps are the best way of getting rid of mice the natural way. Not only are they easily available, they are inexpensive and easy to set up. All they need is bait and pronto, before you know it, they will do their job! There are also electric mouse traps available that will electrocute a mouse in ten seconds on contact. A more humane trap is shaped like a cage where a mouse can get in but will be unable to get out. You will then have to make sure you let them loose away from your house, or else they will simply come back. There are different varieties of traps that are inexpensive, easily available in any home store, and quick to use.

GLUE TRAPS

Try getting rid of mice with glue traps. They are inexpensive and easily available everywhere. They come ready with bait on them. You can make it more attractive to the mice by adding a bit of cheese if you want. Place these traps all over your home. If you have small children or pets in your home, place these traps in places where they can’t get to them, like behind the refrigerator, under the staircase, back of your cupboards or under your sink. Make sure you check these traps everyday, because they are very effective and you don’t want a forgotten dead mouse stinking up the place.

HUMANE TRAPS

These are traps that look like tiny cages. The bait that you place inside will attract a mouse and he will try to get to it. Once in, he can’t get out and is left stuck inside, until you find him alive and kicking. You will have to then open the trap and let the mouse out somewhere, preferably far from your home so he doesn’t come back.

SPRING SNAP TRAPS

These traps are also very effective and easily available in local hardware stores. They are inexpensive and the most popular. They have been around for a long time and are simple to use. All you have to do is set them up where you want to put them, add bait, and wait. Same care applies to placing them if you have small kids or pets in your home. They can be a bit messy if a mouse is caught because you will have to dispose of the catch.

POISON

When all else fails, the final resort should be rat poison. The downside of this is that the mouse can die anywhere inside and you will have a foul smell flooding your home until you find out where he died. Special care has to be taken if you have small children or pets in your house. Accidents have been known to happen, so extreme caution should be taken when using poison. The above three methods offered are safer and more effective in helping rid your home of mice. Poison should only be considered as the extreme last option after you have tried all kinds of traps and have failed.

SECURE YOUR YARD

Look outside and try to find any place where the mice have made their home. This could be in uncut grass, in old abandoned sheds, or garages. Get rid of the mice by putting up traps and clearing the place. Give the shed and garage a good cleaning and spray with a mouse repellent. Check all the entries to your house to make sure there is no remaining cracks or holes a mouse can use. Finally, seal any loose opening, so all entries are secure and safe from these rodents.


Source: www.doityourself.com