How the experts get rid of mice (and now you can, too)

Do you dread the change in seasons because you know it’s the start of mouse season? No matter how much you try to deter them, at some point you see the telltale signs: mouse droppings. Yuck. So maybe you consider hiring a fancy exterminator but you hesitate to spend the money. In this article, I’m going to share with you how the experts get rid of mice, and how you can, now, too.

Don’t bother with mouse traps

Sure, you might catch a mouse or two with a mouse trap. But pretty soon they will learn how to nibble the cheese or peanut butter without setting off the trap. Or they will just avoid it altogether, having seen or heard their friend Mickie get caught.

So if you’ve bought mousetraps and you’ve caught a mouse or two, you may think you’re done. But most likely, you’ll keep seeing droppings. That’s when you’ll want to employ some more sophisticated weaponry.

Glue traps

Glue traps can be effective, particularly with younger mice. I’ve caught some under my fridge. It can be quite disturbing when you come down in the morning and hear the little squeak, squeak of a mouse hopelessly caught in one and then have to dispose of it. So, it’s not my favorite method.

Sealing up holes is always a good idea

If you hire a professional, the first thing an exterminator will do is recommend sealing up holes around windows and doors that are any larger than an 1/8 of an inch.

Usually they will use a type of polyurethane expanding foam. This foam is sprayed and it has some volume and then it hardens so that pests can’t get in. You can use other methods, like carpentry especially if the area is visible, as the foam is not very attractive. It is very important to seal up any obvious holes as you do not want any easy entry points.

When I hired an inspector, they went all around the basement and exterior of the house. Any suspicious areas around windows were foamed up.

Don’t forget the kitchen

Also, you want to consider that if you live in an apartment or a town home, mice are likely traveling from apartment to apartment or town home to town home. One of the ways they get around is through holes related to gas or plumbing where the pipe has just a little room around it. Especially in the kitchen, you want to inspect the areas where the water and gas come in and plug any holes as these are a common entry point. Kitchens have both holes and food, both favorites of the mouse!

How the experts get rid of mice (secret weapon)

The next part I’m about to tell you is key, if you want to get rid of your mice. Professional exterminators set up bait boxes in all of the areas where you see mouse droppings.

You’ll want to get your own set of bait boxes.

Now, there are lots of types of bait boxes, electronic, etc. But the type I’m going to tell you about is that type that professionals use: they are sturdy plastic and open with a key. As they are fully reusable, you can buy them once and keep them forever. This is the type that I bought.

They have a key which opens them. This makes them safer particularly if you have small children or pets. You’ll still want to keep them away from any dogs because at least for me, I know that my large dog could still get in if he really wanted to.

Then, you want to buy pellets. The ones I bought are called TomCat All Weather Bait Chunx and they come in a 4 lb container.  They should last several seasons.

Set up your bait boxes

Before you do this, clean and sanitize the areas where the mouse droppings were. This is because you want to be able to see any new mouse droppings and where they occur. When you see any new ones, clean and sanitize the area and put down a bait box.

You’ll want to place the bait boxes anywhere you’ve seen mouse droppings – in closets, near trash cans, etc.

To fill the bait boxes simply open the bait box with the key and then place the bait inside and close it back up.

You can do a periodic check of your bait boxes every month and see if you need to replace the bait. You’ll start to get a sense of how long you can go before replacing the bait.

This is what I paid $500 for! And now you can be the expert.