How to Get Rid of Mice
Mice may look cute when you spot one scuttling along the footpath during a countryside stroll, but finding one in your home is a different story.
Mice can do significant property damage by chewing through electrical wires, walls, and anything else they can get their teeth on. They also spread diseases and leaving mice infestations untreated can put your family’s health at risk.
Discovering mouse activity, or even worse seeing a mouse in your home, is enough to make anyone a bit skittish but luckily for you, there are many ways to tackle a mouse infestation and make sure they never return.
At Clark Pest Control we have years of experience in dealing with mice in domestic homes and have developed this step-by-step guide to help you remove mice from your home effectively.
Before you go out and buy a trolley load of mouse traps and gadgets promising an instant fix to your mouse problem you need to be sure that it is definitely mice that you are dealing with.
What do mice look like?
The most common rodents which invade houses in the UK are the Brown Rats, Black Rats, and the House Mouse.
The methods you will need to use to deal with these pests vary so being able to tell them apart is essential.
The biggest difference between mice and rats are their size. A house mouse’s body will rarely exceed 10cm and can be as small as 3cm long. Rats on the other hand are much larger and their body size can range from around 15cm to nearly 30cm.
Besides size mice have large ears in comparison to their body size, with a thin hair covered tail and lighter coloured bellies. Rats tend to be darker, with small ears, large feet, and a hairless tail.
Signs that you have a mouse problem
Many people who have mouse infestations will never actually physically see the pests in their home.
Instead, you should look out for these tell-tale signs that you have unwelcome guests.
- Gnaw marks on furniture
- Mouse droppings – 1-2mm long with sharp pointed ends – Often the first and most obvious signs of mice activity.
- Scratching noises in walls and ceilings
- Urine Pillars – Grease, dirt, hair, and mouse urine combined to make small mounds – Usually a sign that mice have been active for a long period.
- Pet Activity – Cats and dogs have enhanced senses of smell and hearing and may either catch a mouse or show particular interest in one spot in your kitchen. You should check this area thoroughly for tiny holes which may be being used as mouse entry points.
How to stop Mice Getting in your Home
Seal Entry Points
Stopping mice from getting inside your property in the first place is the best natural deterrent possible but doing this is easier said than done.
Mice can fit through gaps as small as 5mm wide, climb up to 2m off the ground, and jump over 24cm.
This means you will have to be extremely thorough when looking for, and sealing, entry points.
Some easy ways to block common access spots include:
- Fitting bristles to the bottom of exterior doors which don’t fit flush to the ground
- Covering air vents and fans with wire mesh
- Use steel wool or caulking to fill gaps in pipework or guttering.
Remove Food Sources
There are a few reasons mice look to get into houses during the winter months including shelter, warmth, and, most importantly, food.
Mice only need a very limited amount of food every day to survive, and any scraps or packets left open may be enough for an entire mouse population to thrive in your home.
Mice can chew also through almost all shop bought packaging so you should place all pet food, cereals, flour, and other dry food products in glass or metal containers.
Simply using airtight containers to store food is a huge step towards removing all accessible sources of food and will make your home a much less appealing place for pests.
Create your own mouse repellent
There are several natural mice repellents that you can make using ingredients you may well have lying around in the kitchen cupboard.
Mice have an exceptionally strong sense of smell and there are some scents they simply cannot stand.
Soaking cotton balls in certain oils and placing them under cabinets and in dark corners can be a great way to deter mice from entering the room.
Peppermint oil, cloves, pepper, and vinegar all produce aromas which can be soaked into cotton balls as a form of rodent control and can also prove effective against other wildlife pests such as black and brown rats.
This can be an effective method and is completely safe to use around pets and children.
The smell of the oil will eventually wear off however so you will have to constantly remake your repellents, meaning this is not a permanent solution to your pest problems.
Live Traps
If deterrents are not working in reducing mice activity but you want to avoid harming mice then live traps may be your solution.
Live bait traps work by luring mice through the small entrance hole with food such as cheese, peanut butter, or dried fruit before the rodent triggers the mechanism to close the door behind them.
As opposed to classic wooden snap traps these traps rarely malfunction and cause the mouse unnecessary pain by getting them half caught in the mechanism.
These mouse traps are made from see through plastic or mesh so you can easily see if you have caught a mouse.
Limitations to Live Mouse Traps
Once you have caught a mouse you are the one responsible for ensuring it is not inhumanely harmed and you should release it several miles away from the property to ensure it doesn’t return.
The mouse will often be unable to survive in this new environment and the ordeal will have caused unnecessary stress when a lethal trap may have been more humane.
This type of mouse trap needs to be checked at least once every 12-24 hours as leaving a rodent trapped for any longer can cause extreme distress and a high possibility of a painful death from hypothermia.
Traditional Methods to Get Rid of Mice
If you have found that more humane methods have proven ineffective, or you simply want to know how to get rid of mice as fast as possible, these more conventional approaches may suit you.
Bait Stations
Bait stations are a combination of mouse trap and rodenticides designed to lure mice into a small plastic box before consuming highly toxic bait.
Once poisoned mice may return to their nest and poison many other mice, making this a good way to target the entire population as opposed to just one mouse.
The bait used in these stations can vary from sealed packets which mice will chew through, to grain, paste or blocks of poison.
In order to protect pets and children it is recommended that you use a solid form of poison, so it does not spill accidentally.
Unlike snap traps these traps are tamper and weather resistant so can be placed outside and should not cause harm to non-target animals.
Limitations to Bait Stations
As with any form of pest poisoning, there are risks to using bait stations.
Bait stations undoubtably kill mice, but there is no way to know whereabouts they will die.
If you are lucky the poisoned mouse will die away from the property, but this is not guaranteed and you may experience the unpleasant experience of finding dead mice inside your home using this method.
If you have pets, this method may not be well-suited as if a cat or dog were to find a mouse dead, or kill it themselves, there is a significant risk that they will consume poison themselves and become seriously unwell.
Lethal Traps
In general, it is better to use mouse traps to kill mice, as opposed to poisoning.
Your options for lethal trapping include:
Snap Traps
The most common type of mouse trap, snap traps come in a number of forms including bar and hidden kill.
When they work properly the trap will lure in a mouse using bait such as peanut butter before snapping shut and hopefully killing the mouse instantly.
These can be used to tackle large mouse populations as they not only kill quickly but can be placed in numerous locations at once and do not require regular checks.
Electric Traps
These traps work in a similar way to live traps, luring mice into a small container before triggering a small electric shock which kills the pest instantly.
They are designed to be harmless to humans and pets, so you do not have to worry about placing them in high traffic locations around the house.
Glue Traps
You should never use glue traps to try and deal with mice as these are extremely inhumane due to the fact they do not kill the animal themselves simply hold them in place whilst they slowly die of starvation or hypothermia.
Hire Professional Pest Control
If you are finding it difficult to remove mice from your home or you feel that the infestation has got out of hand it is time to use the services of a professional pest control company like Clark Pest Control.
Dealing with rodents requires a genuine understanding of their biology and behaviour as any changes to their environment will put them on alert and they may simply move to a different location.
Traps and other extermination measures need to be placed very carefully in specific locations to be effective.
At Clark Pest Control our professional rodent control technicians are fully trained in exactly how to get rid of rats and make sure they don’t come back.
To talk to one of our personnel about arranging a free survey, or to book in some pest control service, give us a call now on 0800 808 5615.
Alternatively, complete our contact form, and one of our sales representatives will be in touch as soon as possible.
Why Choose Clark Pest Control?
- 24/7 Same Day Response
- Local Branches Across the UK
- State of the Art Equipment
- Fully Insured Pest Control Service
- British Pest Control Association (BPCA)
- Accredited Pest Technicians
- Cost-Effective.
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