Catching mice with traps isn’t easy. Believe it or not, this task does require skill and a degree of insider knowledge. Simply placing the traps randomly rarely works. You need to know what you’re doing. To help you make sense of the ins and outs of catching mice successfully, we’ve written this short guide. If you want to increase your odds of actually catching any mice, here are some tips. Mouse can contaminate food and even be a fire hazard, so catching as many as you can is imperative.
The beginners guide to catching mice
First of all, there are dozens of mouse traps available. These include things like the jaw mouse trap, spring-loaded mouse trap, electric mouse trap, glue mousetrap, and rodent bait station. Many homeowners go with the traditional spring-loaded mouse trap. These have worked well for hundreds of years and are still highly effective. You also have something called live capture traps. These are essentially traps that do not harm or kill the mouse. Depending on how you feel about this subject, you may want to use a live capture trap.
When catching mice, it’s extremely important that you place the trap correctly. You don’t want to leave traps out in the open. You see, mice generally move around the periphery of a room, keeping close to the wall. They do this because walls provide them with increased protection against predators. Therefore, setting traps against a wall will have a higher success rate.
You may also need to guide mice towards the trap. What we mean by this, is that you’ll need to leave a trail of food crumbs that lead to the trap itself. When catching mice, the absolute best bait is peanut butter. Most kinds of nuts, including peanuts, also work extremely well.
Setting the scene for maximum success
It is critically important that you keep the rest of the house, especially your kitchen, clean. The reason why is simple. Mice are easily distracted. If there is another source of food, then they will move towards this, instead of towards the trap.
Above all, you must be patient. Do not place the traps and expect to find captured mice the very next morning. It may take a few days before the mouse is tempted by the trap. They don’t have neophobia about traps in the same way rats do, but they still need to get used to their presence in the environment. Also, keep going once you’ve captured a mouse. It’s highly likely that you have more than one in your house, so keep setting your traps until you’re not catching anything.
Finally, if you’re using live capture traps, then make sure you empty these far away from your home. Do not empty the traps in your garden. If you do this, the mouse will simply trot back into your house. If catching mice yourself doesn’t get rid of the problem, then you may need professional mouse control services. Feel free to give Diamond a call for any advice you require about catching mice and how we deal with mouse infestations.