seems like a couple furry creatures have decided to spend the winter with me without offering to pay rent what is the best way to exterminate mice? I know decon works great,but i don't really want dead mice where i can't find them and stinking up the house.is the best option the old standby wooden trap?

 

Wooden trap, "hotel" style plastic or metal trap or my method, cats.

I know what you mean about finding them. Moved the couch to sweep the other week and there was a long dead one lying there.

 

A hungry cat

 

We use the little plastic "hotels" where once they go in they can't get out. No mess. Just throw away after use. When they get into our garage for the winter we take the cars out one night and put the cat inside. One or two nights and the job is done!

 

Snap trap with peanut butter. Maybe they will get salmonella poison if the traps miss. Good luck.

 

If you know where they are running around you could try glue boards too.

 

I like the humane traps sold at Lowes and HD for about 5 bucks. Hand-size plastic boxes, that let the mouse walk in, but trap it inside. I usually get the mouse, drive it to work and let it go. we have feral cats at work, I figure they will do the rest.
My workmate told me about a trick, run a wood plank up to an empty plastic 5 gallon bucket, or kitchen size waste can. place bait at inside bucket, and the mouse will eventually walk the plank, and dive into the bucket. Once in there they eat the bait but can't get out.

I always use peanut butter..it is the best bait, every critter loves it.

 

We've had success with the peanut butter in the snap traps, but I bought one of those 'mouse movers', you know the elctronic things you plug in? Haven't seen any of the furry critters since.

 

I use the old snap traps & peanut butter.I don't believe in a humane way to get rid of pest.I just kill the nasty little critters.I shoot the squirrels in my yard & any birds that land in my garden.My Gamo varmint master kills them very well.It shoots the gamo alloy pellets at 1200 fps & is very quiet. It has a lazer site for night time pest too

 

One place we lived in, the garage got a pretty good population of mice going. Pulled the truck, out put the door down and sat and waited.............With a .22 Ruger auto pistol loaded with .22lr shot shells. After about 2 hours and 10 mice later, no problems!...and those tiny shot pellets do not damage anything but the mice!......Other than that, the old victor snap traps are still king!

 

Victor snap traps and PB for bait. I have tried glue traps, but I had a couple get away from them. Unless its Speedy Gonzalas, they are getting away from the old snap trap.

 

My dad would use the bucket and 2x4 method. He'd put a little birdseed in the bottom (doesn't go rancid), then check it once in a while. If there was a mouse in the bucket, well, that's the second use for the 2x4... Pitch the mouse and reset.

Jason

 

I second the snap trap with peanut butter. peanut butter attracts mice and is sticky so they have to mess with the trap.

I have tried the weird giant "Clothespin" looking trap from victor. NO Results after several years.

Snap traps with peanut butter work every time. I once caught something like 3 or 4 mice as fast as I could reset the same trap. These were in a small space under my sink with a small mouse hole. I just put the trap near the hole and caught all the mice in just a few minutes.

I had luck with rats using a Have a Heart live trap cage. Used peanuts for bait. I would suppose there are small traps for mice if you want a no kill solution.

My cat was worthless. The hamster used to escape and steal all the cat food and take it back to his cage. Worthless cat.

My weiner hound was death from above. Killed mice so fast you thought he had missed. But the dead boides were proof. But not very good at hunting them, he had to have mice pointed out to him.

Posion bait works well but you have to put it where pets and kids won't find it and sometimes you get funky smells.

Get a trap and enjoy some peanut butter.

Jim Henderson