AudioCircle
Community => Non-audio hobbies and interests => Home Improvements and Renovations => Topic started by: stlrman on 4 Jul 2017, 05:03 pm
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I have been unable to stop the spread of mice in my house!!!!
I called in a pro company , he came , cleaned out a very messy troublesome cabinet. I was supposed to pay about $385 to start mice control, and first visit. He never charged me, said he trusts me, and he will call me in a day or two. He never called me back, I never paid for any services.
He talked about sealing off areas where they are traveling , putting tube traps of poison around the house outside .
I am at my wits end !!! I am still trapping a few, but they are running around our kitchen and living and dining room!!
Should I go with a private service or a big name exterminator?
What should I be looking for as far daily, weekly, monthly service?
How much investment am I looking at?
How long to end our problem?
Thanks !!
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He's right... sealing the outside and poison work very well, in combination they will end the problem. Any pest control business should be able to help you.
Trapping never seems to help, the supply is endless if you allow them an entrance.
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Sealing is the way to go, mice can get through very small gaps so seal everything. Poisons have 2 down sides 1 if you or your neighbor have pets they can eat the mice and get poisoned. 2 they usually die in a wall or under a cabinet where you can't get to them and you have week of rotting mice smell.
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Im surrounded by pastures so I deal with mice a lot, now mostly outside the house. My plan for keeping them in the pastures...#1, seal every crack that will allow them in. I use steel wool for this. #2, good old mouse traps baited with a chocolate chip and some peanut butter. Wedge the chip in there good and you'll get them. My best is two mice in one trap...which I've seen two times. Yeah, I had a mouse problem!
What I have learned is to not poison them. First because of the mouse predators that may be poisoned upon eating them and second have you ever smelled decomposing mouse flesh? I have. It's horrible and lasts a good long time (mostly because the mice will climb back into those cracks and die).
Hope this helps. Brett
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Thanks gentleman!!! :thumb:
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Maybe pay the man his $385 and he'll stop putting mice in your house? :icon_twisted:
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Sounds like it's time for an outdoor cat or 2. Indoor cats can be a great deterrent as well.
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It's been said twice in this thread, and a few times in the first thread, but I can't stress enough, DO NOT POISON the mice! :nono:
They will crawl to an area, die, rot, smell and you'll never find them. It takes two to three weeks for the smell to go away.
--- ask me how I know --- :roll:
They will also "steal" the poison and place them in your shoes for you to find at a later date..... Like they're taunting you.
--- ask me how I know --- :evil:
You can place all the cats and snakes around your house to eat the ones that come in. That will help.
I've got a half dozen electronic "emitters" and more glue traps than I can count, in and around my house.
For the past several months, I've not seen a mouse in my house. I installed the electronic units in my house in August of 2016 and haven't seen a mouse since.
The glue traps, on the other hand, have trapped an incredible amount of crickets and various other insects.
So kind of a extra bonus, in my opinion. That's my recommendation, for what it's worth.
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Bob , I tried the transmitters, they didn't work at all.
Do you have a certain brand?
The poison would not be inside , only in tubes outside , mice go in but don't come out of the tube I think .
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It's been said twice in this thread, and a few times in the first thread, but I can't stress enough, DO NOT POISON the mice! :nono:
They will crawl to an area, die, rot, smell and you'll never find them. It takes two to three weeks for the smell to go away.
--- ask me how I know --- :roll:
They will also "steal" the poison and place them in your shoes for you to find at a later date..... Like they're taunting you.
--- ask me how I know --- :evil:
You can place all the cats and snakes around your house to eat the ones that come in. That will help.
I've got a half dozen electronic "emitters" and more glue traps than I can count, in and around my house.
For the past several months, I've not seen a mouse in my house. I installed the electronic units in my house in August of 2016 and haven't seen a mouse since.
The glue traps, on the other hand, have trapped an incredible amount of crickets and various other insects.
So kind of a extra bonus, in my opinion. That's my recommendation, for what it's worth.
Could not agree more! And I will tell you why. My Dad has a small (650 sq. ft.) rental house that I rented from him for about two years. The hot water heater is inside the main kitchen counter cabinet in a corner dead space. When the mice first showed up I put D-Con all around the place. Well it got rid of them but one died on top of that water heater and it stunk everytime the heater cycled on...for the better part of a year!! now I know most homes have their water heaters exposed but the point is unless you and your family like the smell of dead rotting rodents poison is not the way to go. Get it? Got it? Good!!
So, Bob, how do you know? :lol:
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I have been unable to stop the spread of mice in my house!!!!
I called in a pro company , he came , cleaned out a very messy troublesome cabinet. I was supposed to pay about $385 to start mice control, and first visit. He never charged me, said he trusts me, and he will call me in a day or two. He never called me back, I never paid for any services.
He talked about sealing off areas where they are traveling , putting tube traps of poison around the house outside .
I am at my wits end !!! I am still trapping a few, but they are running around our kitchen and living and dining room!!
Should I go with a private service or a big name exterminator?
What should I be looking for as far daily, weekly, monthly service?
How much investment am I looking at?
How long to end our problem?
Thanks !!
Having lived in several apartments in NYC prior to moving to my detached house, I can attest that the best solution is #1-Sealing all entry points....be it radiator pipes that come from different parts of the house to exterior cracks. Mice are small and with springy bodies, they can fit pretty much anywhere especially those radiator joint cracks.
Fill them with steel wool-----I heard this from other people long time ago.
#2-Whatever mice you have inside, place traps along elongated walls and on corners. Do not place them next to the obvious entry points where the mice will sneak out.
With solutions 1 and 2, you will have this under control in no time.
I have only used poison in a pesky garage but never indoors...Do not like the smell of decaying poisoned mice.
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The two brands I've bought from Amazon now show "No longer available". :roll: :duh:
For what it's worth, here's the key words (title) of the items I bought;
Pack of 4 Koocat Ultrasonic Pest Repeller for Insects, Rodents, Mice, Rats, Ants, Spiders, Cockroaches, Bug - Premium Pest Control Repellent
Set of 4 Cravegreens Pest Control Ultrasonic Repeller -Electronic Plug -In Repeller for Insects- Best Repellent for, Cockroach, Rodents, Flies, Roach
Jake.... uhg... I put my shoes on one day and felt something in the toes. I turned the shoe upside down, and guess what falls out.... Decon. :evil:
My home theater rack system is a vertical unit that has an open ceiling to the cavity between the basement and main floor.
Works great for airflow and getting rid of heat from the amps. At the top, there's a 2"x4" about 8' high. I've seen mouse poop in, on, and around my audio and home theater equipment. So I put a box of Decon up there on that 2"x4". A couple months later, I found that box laying at the bottom of the rack system. Empty.
It was almost like they ate dinner and kicked the plate back at me to refill for them. :evil:
Not long after that, I was buying air fresheners and hiding it like Easter eggs inside that cavity between the ceiling of the basement and floor upstairs to mask the rotting corpses.
My main PC desk is right behind my main HT seating chairs. Behind me, are acoustic panels hanging on the wall. One day I heard a ticking/scratching sound directly and immediately behind my head. I turned in my chair to see a tail hanging under one of the panels. There was a mouse inside the panel walking along the 1" wood strip of the panel, but his tail was hanging down. I almost grabbed it and pulled it. down. Gotta say, that creeped me out. It was 6" behind my head just walking along like nothing... since my head was so close, it could have jumped over and landed on my head without much effort.
Suffice it to say that I've gone "full Caddyshack" on the mice.
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Wow, that is a creepy experience, Bob.
Question about the electronic repellers. Do you have pets? If so, do the repellers bother them?
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In my experience, the electronic/ultrasonic/emitter/devices don't work very well on mice, but stress out dogs.
No one has mentioned yet, but seal up all sources of food. Get a bunch of extra rubber totes if you have to and put all your food into them. Only open them to take food out, and seal when not in use. Be careful when you eat or where you prep meals and don't leave crumbs or anything anywhere. Instead of one big garbage in the kitchen, take out smaller bags daily. Get rid of sources of food for the mice and they will stop coming in searching for it.
Along those lines and something that people always forget about, but remove all sources of water as well. Fix the drippy faucets, don't leave water splashed along countertops in the bathroom and kitchen, beware of condensation from toilets, etc.
Sealing up the house is only half the battle. You have to get rid of all the stuff that the mice are looking for.
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In my experience, the electronic/ultrasonic/emitter/devices don't work very well on mice, but stress out dogs.
Interesting, we have cats and that's the specific pet I am looking for answers about but am curious concerning all animals.
No one has mentioned yet, but seal up all sources of food. Get a bunch of extra rubber totes if you have to and put all your food into them. Only open them to take food out, and seal when not in use. Be careful when you eat or where you prep meals and don't leave crumbs or anything anywhere. Instead of one big garbage in the kitchen, take out smaller bags daily. Get rid of sources of food for the mice and they will stop coming in searching for it.
I didn't go through the original thread but this very true. Eliminate their access to all food sources and generally they will just move out.
Along those lines and something that people always forget about, but remove all sources of water as well. Fix the drippy faucets, don't leave water splashed along countertops in the bathroom and kitchen, beware of condensation from toilets, etc.
Sealing up the house is only half the battle. You have to get rid of all the stuff that the mice are looking for.
Agreed. It easy to overlook the smallest detail when it come to the big three, access, food, and water.
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I have 3 cats. 2 are indoor only. 1 is indoor/outdoor.
The cat allowed outside is a very competent hunter. There is not much he won't take a run at. Birds, mice, voles, moles, rabbits, rats...
He has brought back a fair number of mice. I have never, ever seen one or evidence inside the house.
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Wow, that is a creepy experience, Bob.
Question about the electronic repellers. Do you have pets? If so, do the repellers bother them?
We have one cat and it does not seemed bothered by the devices spread around the house.
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In my experience the electronic devices don't work. The best trap I found is called the Rat Zapper, will work on mice, rats and squirrels.
It electrocutes them. We use them under the hoods of are cars' to keep the mice and packrats from eating the wiring and fuel lines.
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Thank, Bob. We don't have mice (a couple of the cats are outstanding mousers) but we do have some bug that gives a nasty, itchy bite and it's not fleas or 'skeeters. I'm thinking it is spiders of some sort due to a waning red spot after the itch is gone.
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Chiggers?
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Living in the country a few miles from Sweetwater (home of the Rattlesnake Roundup) we keep outside cats to keep out rodents which keeps away snakes. They work great. Problem is, two cats turn into 6, and 6 can turn into 20 very quickly. Coyotes tend to keep the cat population somewhat in check. Occasionally have to trap a few to take to a friends barn. It's about time to trap... 4 large kittens and 4 adults.
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Haven't seen the bug in question yet. Supposedly no chiggers in the western US.
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Thank, Bob. We don't have mice (a couple of the cats are outstanding mousers) but we do have some bug that gives a nasty, itchy bite and it's not fleas or 'skeeters. I'm thinking it is spiders of some sort due to a waning red spot after the itch is gone.
Bedbugs....if the spot is more mound like and sometimes there is a yellow head. If it takes days to subside....bedbugs. Depending on the family member that was the victim of feeding...different people have different reaction unlike mosquito bites that swell and subside within couple of hours.
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Bob, did you get your ultrasonic devices from a guy in a white van? I hear they have the best products. :icon_twisted:
We live in the country and had mice for years. A combination of plenty of traps, and BRONZE wool, not steel (rusts), did the trick. Despite having a cockatiel that throws seeds all over the damned house, we've not seen a mouse for quite some time.
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Thank, Bob. We don't have mice (a couple of the cats are outstanding mousers) but we do have some bug that gives a nasty, itchy bite and it's not fleas or 'skeeters. I'm thinking it is spiders of some sort due to a waning red spot after the itch is gone.
Bedbugs.
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Bob, did you get your ultrasonic devices from a guy in a white van? I hear they have the best products. :icon_twisted:
Yea, he's got great deals on audio equipment too!
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Bedbugs....if the spot is more mound like and sometimes there is a yellow head. If it takes days to subside....bedbugs. Depending on the family member that was the victim of feeding...different people have different reaction unlike mosquito bites that swell and subside within couple of hours.
Bedbugs.
Hmm...just moved here so that may be the issue. There is usually some visible evidence on and around the mattress, bedding, and frame correct?
My bites are the size of a dime and so is the resulting red spot. The pictures I look at online show tiny a little bigger than the head of a pin. Also do not get bit everyday, just occasionally.
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Just saw a few minute segment on the news about bedbugs (which makes me an internet expert) but they seem to hide in the cozy parts of the bed/furniture. Life the mattresses, cushion, and flip things over to look "under its skirt".
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Hmm...just moved here so that may be the issue. There is usually some visible evidence on and around the mattress, bedding, and frame correct?
My bites are the size of a dime and so is the resulting red spot. The pictures I look at online show tiny a little bigger than the head of a pin. Also do not get bit everyday, just occasionally.
Change all your sheet to white ones. After a while you will notice yellow spots of discoloration....this is evidence of bedbug infestation. I once stayed 1 night at a formerly Motel 6, which became just a regular motel just about to cross to Louisiana, near the Texas border. I was woken up by my mom after she said that she was bitten several times and lo and behold, both of my children were bitten...my daughter badly and her reaction was really insane same as my mom's bites. We saw at least 3 of these bedbugs crawling. They hide very well and wait until the victim falls asleep.
Learning lesson...never ever stay at the cheapest motel because you might NEVER know what will be haunting you, feeding on you at night. :thumb:
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This guy is REALLY enthusiastic about bed bugs. :lol:
How to Inspect a Bed for Bed Bugs
https://youtu.be/yGYbkjKnoag
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I was just at the hardware store and Great Stuff expandable foam now has a foam meant for sealing out pests. I picked up a can...
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Get some Cats. No more mice. Mice proofing is a waste of money and hard to get complete. Cats baby cats. Beld bugs ? Call Rosco.
charles
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Mice and cats....two pests in my opinion.
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Ugh bed bugs... if you suspect you have them, call a professional. I've dealt with bedbugs a couple times now and it is almost impossible to get rid of them on your own.
On the expandable foam... I'd still stuff the cracks with bronze wool first (I never thought about steel rusting, but that's a good point). Some of those foams are soft enough to chew through. Although I imagine steel wool impreganated within foam won't have to worry about rusting.
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Ugh bed bugs... if you suspect you have them, call a professional. I've dealt with bedbugs a couple times now and it is almost impossible to get rid of them on your own.
On the expandable foam... I'd still stuff the cracks with bronze wool first (I never thought about steel rusting, but that's a good point). Some of those foams are soft enough to chew through. Although I imagine steel wool impreganated within foam won't have to worry about rusting.
A mix of foam and steel wool works great but it's messy. Using the foam right out of the can seems much nicer and easier... it says it blocks insects and mice and it's also double the price of normal foam so I'll give it a shot as-is and hope it works. :)
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We live in the country and had mice for years. A combination of plenty of traps, and BRONZE wool, not steel (rusts), did the trick. Despite having a cockatiel that throws seeds all over the damned house, we've not seen a mouse for quite some time.
Xcluder fill fabric and Stuf-fit copper mesh are decent products used by pest control companies.
With all those seeds in the house, be on the lookout for Indian Meal Moths next.
Just kidding. But not really.
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Ugh. My new house is in the middle of acres of woods, and we have mice, spiders, copperheads, what have you. Definitely agree never never use poison on mice (or much else). Snap traps are very humane (instant death) but as mentioned, points of entry have to be managed. I have a hundred I think.
Had to give up seedy bread, which I love. The mice love it even more (seeds that is).
And yes, you'd think the copperheads & mice would cancel each other out, but I tend to dispatch copperheads as they are a serious threat to my four-legged canine girl.
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Well ,the mice have won again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :duh: :duh: :scratch: :scratch:
Killed a few more months ago, then didn't see any actions for three weeks , and I thought we had won the battle.
Then we see one or two.
I have 15 traps in three rooms!! They seem to know to stay away!! Is this possible ?? So I leave a plastic bag on the couch with cookies in another plastic bag,I'm leaving the house in an hour , and the little f 'ers got at it! I used to be able to catch in the traps, not anymore!!
I am at a loss.
One f'er ran past my fing pillow when I was sleeping. That was super fowl and scary!
I am very close to calling in a professional company.
Can a pro company really put an end to this shit??
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Living out in the sticks, we've had a problem with mice over the years. I've used a plethora of poisons, 'snap' traps and glue traps, but that gets messy, especially when they die in the walls.
But on August 18 of 2016, I bought four of the ultrasonic repellents, and I've not captured or killed a mouse, nor have I seen any evidence of mice in the house since.
The first batch I bought are currently unavailable, but I did buy another four (for a total of eight), and the second set I bought were >> THESE << (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BY2NZ7M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). So I've got eight in a 1800 square foot house, upstairs and downstairs both (3600 square feet "protected").
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I saw one a few months ago, found a hole, plugged it and added an ultrasonic repellent to my garage, as they get in there, then the house. Haven't seen one since...
But yes, at this point call a pro if you've done what you can do, they can solve the problem.
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But on August 18 of 2016, I bought four of the ultrasonic repellents, and I've not captured or killed a mouse, nor have I seen any evidence of mice in the house since.
As a counterpoint, I have had zero luck with the ultrasonic repellents, but it caused the dog to stress out and get anxious to the point that she was biting her paws.
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As a counterpoint, I have had zero luck with the ultrasonic repellents, but it caused the dog to stress out and get anxious to the point that she was biting her paws.
If it's affecting the "desired" animals, then yea... it must go.
I would also mention that despite the claims of chasing away various types of insects, I can honestly say it made zero difference. :roll:
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... I would also mention that despite the claims of chasing away various types of insects, I can honestly say it made zero difference. :roll:
How about spiders?
Years ago I had a girlfriend living here that insisted ultrasonic devices must be installed in each room. Haven't seen a spider in the house since. Not even cobwebs.
The best part is that she left, too. :D
Have fun,
Jerry
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Thanks guys!
I have the ultra sonic thingies in the Kitchen, but I was catching lots of mice in the kitchen.
Is there a best sonic device? And I need them in every room ?
Thanks!!
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We've got spiders here. Little ones, medium ones, and some large enough they're worth of display in the zoo (or a shotgun blast).
As far as disbursement, I've got 8 in an 1800 square foot house, mainfloor and basement, I guess that works out to about every other room or so?
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For spiders, spray with Demon insecticide- available at feed and farm stores. Spray in the late spring and you are good for the season.