Catch Mice With The Right Lure

Pest Control people are always asked, what can you do to catch my mice that I can’t? Honestly not much. We have access to bulk traps, a variety and higher grade poison baits, and knowledge. I’ve found over the years that there are people out there who will pay top price to have to Not deal with a problem. They are either afraid of mice, they don’t want to deal with picking up dead mice, or they just don’t want to be crawling into crawl spaces or under stoves. Other people are more adventurous and don’t mind trying to solve their mouse problem themselves.

For those who don’t want to deal with the mice, Grove Pest Control can help, for those who want to seek and destroy their unwanted visitors themselves, here are some tips.

The biggest thing to consider when handling snap traps is to wear gloves. These days with people lathering on hand sanitizers, that odor and scent will transfer to the snap trap, rendering it useless. Mice don’t like strong odors like chemical or smoke on their food. You have to remember that these rodents have a very keen nose, so be sure to wear gloves.

As for placements, place the snap traps where the mice are visiting, in as safe a manner that you can. If droppings are showing up on your table each night, then place some snap traps up there, use a piece of paper to put the snaps on top of to help with clean up. If you have cats or kids who will potentially get their paws or fingers snapped, then that option is not the best, so place them in secure or out of the way areas. Another rule is to use many of them. I can’t tell you how many customers who call because they are struggling to get rid of the mice and when I ask what they have been doing to control the mice they show me where they placed one trap under the sink, and one trap behind the sofa, etc. That was their failure. Give the mice a variety or many to choose from. Use at least 3 or 4 snaps in an area, the chances of catching the mice will increase.

Now for the lures, what to use to catch the buggers. First rule of thumb is to use what is working. If they mice were eating on a candy bar in a closet, then take that candy bar and attach it to the trigger. If they are eating cat or dog food, do the same. Be sure to really squish it onto the trigger to make it a struggle for them to eat it. SNAP.

Other options are as follow: Peanut butter, cheese, chocolate syrup, bacon grease, cut up slim jims, cotton balls. That last one surprises people. If you secure a small piece of cotton ball to the trigger, they will go to take that for nesting material, thus setting off the trigger.

Last tip for the lures mentioned above, and that is to be greedy. Just a smear of peanut butter in the cup or trigger of the snap trap or small piece of cheese crushed into the cup or trigger is all you need. I can’t tell you how many times I go out to a customer’s house who have been trying to catch the mouse by themselves and I find a trap with a gob of peanut butter. The mice are just licking that glob of peanut butter and getting used to the trap which will decrease the possibility of catching the mouse and you are just feeding and making that mouse stronger. A little dab will do ya.