Mice are perhaps one of the most elusive pests in the world!
You may have probably been wondering why there are still swarms of pest mice all around your house despite the fact that you have already place traps in almost everywhere inside the house. You should understand that mice are highly adaptive animals and have the characteristic to assess the things around it. That’s why it keenly spots new things around it and investigates them. Somehow their senses would tell them that there is danger that await when they somehow come in contact with the mice traps and they instinctively avoid them.
Any homeowner should not underestimate the keenness of mice for they too can be smart creatures.
For the benefit of the doubt, one should fully comprehend the extent of a mouse's animal intellect. One should underscore the very significant fact that mice have been there since time immemorial. Remembering the bubonic plague that struck the entire Europe during the 14th-15th century, you can already deduce how apparently almost improbable to catch them in an easy bait. Include to the count as well the time when the Four Corners Disease struck US, that even until now there are still a continuously growing demographic of mortality related with mice derived diseases. Hantaviruses and Salmonellosis are some of the most notable viruses and bacteria of all time that are related to mice infestation and contamination. This only goes to prove as well, not only is it that mice are very difficult to get rid of; they are also very fatal if they plague a household.
Let alone the fact that they can plague an entire community, even a country, this should tip someone off how potentially dangerous they can get once they find their way to your houses.
Another thing to consider why mice infestation should be immediately dealt with is the fact that mice are super breeders. They proliferate in numbers exponentially and before you know it, you have mice running around in all the corners of your dwelling, even under your very own bed. Next thing you know, you have a mouse sleeping right next to you when you wake up. Mice produce 6-12 litters continuously for the entire annum.
The greatest economic loss that one could suffer from mice infestation is not from the amount of food that they consume but from the damages they can impose when they are around. Mice can gnaw their way to your wardrobes, furniture, appliances, and to your food contaminating it with the diseases that they carry and endangering the members of the household including yourself. They are sparingly the cause why there are incidences of electrical shortages and electrical device failure (i.e. fridge, freezer). Not to mention the furniture that you would have to dispose of from inutility due to gnawing damages caused by mice.
Now that you know how unbelievably cunning they are in their evasive instincts, the question left for you to answer this time is "how would you effectively set-up the traps in such a way that you will really catch them for good?" It's a question that almost everyone with mice infected houses would ask. But unfortunately for some, they could not find the answer.
The only way you will be able to successfully eradicate the pest mice infestation in your house is to think like them. If you would be able to analyze where their possible itineraries inside your house are, you will then be able to know when and where you will be setting-up your traps in order to catch them right. But first things first, before you can ever develop the mice-exterminator instincts, you have to first understand the dynamic nature of mice and how they thrive for their existence.
Vermin Behavior
You should have probably already noticed that mice are nocturnal creatures. This is the reason why they are barely seen roaming in the house in broad daylight. And when you are fast asleep, they make their move, scavenging and foraging in your tables or anywhere in the house where there are quantities of leftover food. Mice can easily thrive in small amounts of food, as they can only averagely consume 3-4 grams per day. Therefore, a small amount of food morsels scattered anywhere can provide livelihood for these diligent night workers. However, if there is the presence of a bigger stuffed host in the table, they will also not think twice in ravaging them to their satisfaction. Over time the damage they cause can become considerable, plus the fact that they can contaminate your food with the diseases that they carry.
In the light of the fact that they are nocturnal creatures, the only time you will discover their existence, apart from rare visual contact with them roaming around, is through their droppings. Mice droppings are about 1/8 to 1/2 inches long and cylindrical in shape. These dropping are the most obvious indicators that there are mice inhabiting your household. They are most usually seen at the back of your fridge, under the sink, and anywhere dark and damp. You can also detect them with the scratching sounds of them scurrying to their hideouts, squeaking and gnawing and the of course the damages they cause to your properties.
Mice forage is shorter in distance compared to rats. They usually ferret for food in a distance 10-25 feet from their shelter. If the food within the infested household is abundant to adequate, the foraging distance would vary significantly and could naturally come less if there is an easy supply access. Mice are also fund of consuming seeds and cereal grains. Moreover they also prefer high fat and protein diet which would include the consumption of nuts, butter, and bacon as well as sweets.
Strategizing the Entrapment Process
Now that you have a heads-up on how their animal behavior works, you can now be able to effective spot their next course of action as well prepare appropriately your traps.
1. Set Your Traps Right.
First, since you know that mice are highly intuitive creatures that they can detect and identify your traps quite sparingly, then it would be wise for you transfer your traps' location from time to time. However, it should be within the vermin's waypoint, otherwise you may be catching your dog's paw instead.
2. Place the Right Bait.
When setting-up a mouse trap, make sure that the bait that you are using, are those consumables which are highly attractive to mice. Although, cheese as often portrayed in caricatures could work, they are not as effective as peanut butters and cereal grains. So instead of placing cheese as bait, use the mentioned favored mice foods in place.
3. Divide and Conquer.
To control their way routes and prevent them from roaming around the place, you have to think like how they move as well. The best option for you to control their movements is to block all of their possible entries. Note that mice could conveniently squeeze-in small openings no larger than half a diameter of a dime. If there are cracks anywhere in the walls or in the foundation that are larger or of the same size as to what was proportioned above, they should be sealed right away. This way, you seize control of their waypoints as you can now easily identify their entries and exits since you have narrowed their counts by sealing other entries.
After this, you can now then employ the usage of rodenticides, traps and glue boards all proven very effective in catching mice. Pest mice control should still be exercised in extreme caution at all times as there are will always be hazards in misusing them.
All the best,
Sergiu Zburatoru
