I thought I would turn the gang here in the hopes that your thoughts might help me solve a pest problem. My family has a vacation/weekend house in the "country" and we get a lot of pests that have decided to share the house with us. I understand this is a place in the woods, near farms, etc. and certain things are to be expected, but there has to be a way to lessen the blow.

First, the mice. I've baited the house heavily -- under the crawlspace, in every closet, behind furniture, you name it! We don't leave any food out. Since we're at the house only about twice a month, pantry items are either cans or dry cereal, pasta, etc. kept secured in Rubbermaid containers. But these darned mice still persist! Last weekend I found they horded the poison pellets and “warehoused” them in my bed (under the covers near my pillow no less). What am I doing wrong? I leave the heat on at the house when we're gone to prevent the pipes from freezing, so my thought is that they're entering the house to find shelter.

Then the flies and assorted "winged" bugs. Flies are an issue around here, and the best solution I could come up with was to replace all the window screens and try to seal off the house as well as I could. I also spray the entire exterior & crawlspace of the house with insecticide (using my 2-gallon pressurized spray applicator) at least 3 times a year. It seems to put a dent on the pest issue, but in no time at all they're back.

So, my fellow problem solvers, got any advice for me? Burning the house down is not an option. I just want to keep these pests out of my living quarters. Has anyone identified the better mouse/pest trap yet? I'm so tired of these squatters sharing my space and forcing me to spend my weekends disenfecting the house rather than enjoying my time in the woods.

 

How about those "sonic" gadgets that emit an inaudible sound that's supposed to drive the critters away. They're advertised to work for bugs and mice. I've never tried one but it might be worth a shot.

Pretty funny that they "baited" your bed

 

Sonic: Got 2 in the house. I think it's a load of BS since they're around.

I think they baited my bed on purpose -- to get back at me for trying to kill them!

 

They finally get used to it and seem to like it...start dancing and clapping hands doing El Fandango!

In my backwoods cabin I "sprinkle" a few mothballs around and toss a few of those scented dryer cloths in strategic locations. It seems to help, but I think eventually they will overcome even that.

 

Ever thought of getting a few cats and leaving them around there. Make sure to get a male and female. They should take care of most the mice.

 

Try a wasp trap with honey/water in it to attract the flies.
They can get in but they can't get out

Have the mouse traps been set along a wall ?
They way of travel is usualy always along to base boards.

Traps !
What kind are they?
Are they the rodent Motel style that can accommodate a dozen or so ?
How about Moth ***** laid along and near doorways and other crawl spaces?

 

I've always had good luck with regular traps baited with peanut butter and lots of persistance in reloading them.

Make sure that garbage and pet food are inaccessable to mice.

Are winged bugs comming down the chimney?

 

Thanks for the responses so far guys... hopefully I'll be able to solve this one with your help.

To answer the questions asked so far:

Traps: I've been using poison in lieu of traps. Our frequency of visits to the house varies from every week to once a month, and I know that the traps need to be emptied & reset often, so I didn't think traps were a viable solution. Then there's the thought of a mouse rotting in one for a month before I can empty it... But I have been setting the poison packets against walls, under the sink, etc. Most rooms contain several poison packets (the commercially available ones that consist of a small bag/packet with pellets inside). If you think traps are a better solution knowing the details of my situation, I'm willing to try. I'll also bring a generous amount of mothballs with me the next time I go up, as well as the wasp honey trap you mentioned. Thanks for the ideas.

Chimney: No fireplace, so no chimney. Can't figure out where they're coming in from. And no, there is absolutely no accessable food anywhere in the house. Dad left a single piece of chocolate out once about 4 months ago, which is when the infestation began. Since then, not a single crumb is ever neglected.

 

To me the benefit of having the mice (Dry Out) in a Mouse Motel so later theycan all be dumped out ,is more appealing to having mice dry out in the wall or some other spot in the house where I can't find them.
I have never seen mice go in the house ,eat, then head outside so it can die

I think this article was written justfor you.

http://www.pest-pros.com/articles/Ad...our%20home.htm

 

when we were in Greece we found a product made by Bayer called "baygon" ( genius N ) and it kept all flying insects OUT!!

we had a house right by the water and when our old cat died we decided not to get another one ( we're both allergic ) one day a rat ran across our patio stopped looked at us then kept going i just ****!
so we went a found a Siamese cat off of a farm. had not a mouse,fly nothing ever again!!! hell our dog didn't even have a prayer.


bremerton6

 

First off you need to seal every entry point you can find. Check around doors, windows, water and electrical lines ect. If you're there at night turn on the lights and walk around the outside looking for places that light seeps out. When you find those entry points seal them up!

As for the bait pull all that loose bait you have out and throw it away! Look around farm supply stores or maybe even Lowes or Home Depot for bait blocks. These blocks will have a small hole through the middle. These holes are used by exterminators to hold the bait in the bait stations we use. These holes are also the right size to run them onto a coat hanger. You can then attach the coat hanger to the wall, floor or something so they can't drag it around. The loose bait is dangerous since as you found out they stash the stuff everywhere.

Glueboards also work well. I use the ones that are called "Catchmaster". A box of 72 should cost you around $30. They work great! If you want to go the rooute of using a pro let me know and I'll see if I can find one in your area. I know lots of good extreminators in NJ and may be able to set you up with one.

Stay away from the sonic devices they are good for one thing only. Seperating you from your money!!

 

Seriously, the first thing to do is go around and pee on the whole outside of your house yourself. At the footing, not on the walls, for obvious reasons.

Bring a dog along to pee and poop on the outside.

The thing is to prevent the mice from having easy access. Put steel screens over all roof/attic vents. Then seal all open edges (making sure the attic can breath with vents) between the roof and wall with expanding foam. Best thing is to spray the foam and push the metal screen into it.

Mice and flies get inside from an open attic. Once they are inside the attic, the rest iof the house is cheese.

Then push metal screen under the last layer of shingles or siding and spray foam into the space between the wall and sill plate.

Then take expanding foam and foam around every pipe that comes through the floor.

Take some type of RTV sealant and chalk around the inside of every electric outlet and around where the cord enters the box. A lot of times, mice will hid in these and wait until you are gone or the lights are off to come out and get stuff.

re:mice in beds
Nothing you are going to do is going to stop that. If it is cold enough out, they will come under the covers even while you are there. Even if you tuck in the covers, they will either eat a whole into the box spring and nap there or chew a hole in the covers and nap underneath.

On your doors, do not depend on the rubber at the bottom to keep mice out. Close the door and place a 2x2 p.t. piece of wood very snug against the bottom of the door and screw it to the plate.

 

I lived in a rental house that had mice problems. Picked up two cats at the pound, let them come and go via a cat door and the mouse problem was gone pronto. good luck.

 

Then you get fleas! if you want to use an animal to catch them nothing beats a few big black snakes! Plus you don't have to feed them! Ha..ha..

 

If you have flies in the winter, your baits are working. The fly larva have to grow up somewhere.Work on sealing the building and maintaining a clear space around it. That is to make it easier to keepup with places they get in. Also remember the roof and overhanging branches. All comfortable vacation homes have that aura of dead rat and probably have water with rust stains that smells of iron.