by hunkmenlordy » 06 Feb 2019, 20:29
The first thing I do is find their runs. They will likely be along ledges and baseboards. They will look like smears of grease along the wall. These tell me how they are moving around in the house, where they are going and where they are living.
The second thing I do is lock all food into hard plastic containers. They can chew through it but are unlikely to want to go through all of the work, especially when they can't smell through it. Lexan plastic is what I use. It's a little bit expensive but it will serve you well. Like these.
After I locked away the food, I make sure the water sources are identified. Now I have all 3 locations that they are going: Their home, their food, and their water.
So now I am ready for effective trapping. Effective trapping means laying a metric sh*t TON of snap traps. Change out the type of trap that I am using: clearly they have figured out how to get around the ones I am using now. Place them along the runs, perpendicular to the direction of the run. Place them at corners on both sides facing into the corner. I consider laying down unset traps with no bait and letting them get used to their presence for a while. Then set them all up at once.
The best place to trap is on a vertical run where they have to climb up. Narrow the climb so they have to scramble up blindly, and then trap the sh*t out of it. When they stick their paw up to grab and climb they'll hit the trap.
When I know where the nest is, find something to spray it with and coat it. Consider calling a pro.
Finally, I seal off their entrance into the home. Find any holes (mice can get through a hole the size of a pencil eraser) and fill them with steel wool and insulating foam. Fully inspect my home with a flashlight, pull away all furniture, inspect all pipes, and seal it tight.
The first thing I do is find their runs. They will likely be along ledges and baseboards. They will look like smears of grease along the wall. These tell me how they are moving around in the house, where they are going and where they are living.
The second thing I do is lock all food into hard plastic containers. They can chew through it but are unlikely to want to go through all of the work, especially when they can't smell through it. Lexan plastic is what I use. It's a little bit expensive but it will serve you well. Like these.
After I locked away the food, I make sure the water sources are identified. Now I have all 3 locations that they are going: Their home, their food, and their water.
So now I am ready for effective trapping. Effective trapping means laying a metric sh*t TON of snap traps. Change out the type of trap that I am using: clearly they have figured out how to get around the ones I am using now. Place them along the runs, perpendicular to the direction of the run. Place them at corners on both sides facing into the corner. I consider laying down unset traps with no bait and letting them get used to their presence for a while. Then set them all up at once.
The best place to trap is on a vertical run where they have to climb up. Narrow the climb so they have to scramble up blindly, and then trap the sh*t out of it. When they stick their paw up to grab and climb they'll hit the trap.
When I know where the nest is, find something to spray it with and coat it. Consider calling a pro.
Finally, I seal off their entrance into the home. Find any holes (mice can get through a hole the size of a pencil eraser) and fill them with steel wool and insulating foam. Fully inspect my home with a flashlight, pull away all furniture, inspect all pipes, and seal it tight.