Reasons for the appearance of mice in the house
First, the animals “occupy” the basements. These rooms are excellent for breeding. Moreover, people are often used to storing trash and food supplies in basements.
Therefore, rodents have something to eat there. If we are talking about apartments, animals enter through various outlets - ventilation, sewer, and also through the garbage chute.
Mice can also make their own moves. They are good at gnawing holes in hard building materials such as cement, brick, wood, finding weak points in them.
Good to know! Sometimes pests escape from neighboring houses.
They can get into your home while moving, traveling, transporting things, or delivering bulk purchases from stores.
The danger of mice in the apartment
Animals that seem harmless at first glance cause serious damage not only to your home. Health may be significantly affected.
Rodents carry leptospirosis, rabies, and other diseases. You can get food poisoning by eating food that was used by gray thieves. It’s better to scare away dangerous neighbors right away.
Reasons why you need to get rid of them:
- are a source of property damage: furniture, expensive electrical appliances, food and even walls;
- can cause a fire - wires are chewed in places unnoticeable to residents;
- cause serious diseases that are difficult to treat, and they also cause serious complications: food poisoning, plague, leptospirosis, rabies, cholera and others;
- are carriers of radiation;
- with their appearance come fleas;
- unpleasant pungent odor.
Signs of rodents in the house
Neighborhood with unpleasant animals makes itself felt by several signs:
- The appearance of holes in baseboards or walls, which indicates the presence of passages.
- Traces of damage to teeth, plaque on food.
- Dark gray excrement with a pungent odor.
- Specific sounds made by animals, for example, rustling.
Note! If a large number of rodents enter, their characteristic smell should immediately arouse suspicion. And sounds, especially in the dark, will strengthen the guess.
What are mice afraid of?
The animals are quite shy. They are afraid of certain sounds, smells, flashes of light. They are afraid of ultrasound. In nature, there are many irritants and sources of fear for rodents. For example, they cannot tolerate the smell of many freshly cut field grasses.
What sounds repel mice?
A loud sound that suddenly appears in silence can scare away rodents. Such a change will cause not just fear, but real panic. The sound may not be too loud, but it is sharp. For example, turning on a TV in silence will cause mice to rush around in search of safe shelter.
What smells are rodents afraid of?
A strong smell is a danger signal for mice, so they will be scared off by:
- sharp-smelling plants (for example, wormwood and others);
- chemicals: vinegar, chlorine, and ammonia;
- special synthetic type flavorings produced.
What sounds scare mice?
Rodent repeller devices are very popular now. There are more than enough options and all kinds of modifications. But besides the frequency oscillations emitted by the device, mice are afraid of other sounds:
- quiet ones, which are created by their natural enemies, quietly creeping up on their prey;
- loud sounds made by people (screaming, music) or falling objects;
- strangers, if the animal does not know how to react to them;
- emitted by the mice themselves when they warn of danger, are afraid or fight in their death throes.
Note: The sounds that come from rodents are not audible to humans, since their frequency is up to 70 kHz. That's why they are called ultrasound: they are inaccessible to the human ear. They are what are used in devices.
There are ultrasonic frequencies that animals do not care about and that frighten them. Therefore, the task of the devices is to generate sound in the required range. Mice begin to panic when the device is operated in the following ranges:
- 25-28 kHz - the mouse is in pain and screams,
- 32-33 kHz - danger signal emitted by the animal,
- 35-60 kHz - squeak, expressing discomfort.
It is difficult to guess at what frequency a device must operate for a rodent to be afraid of it. Over time, he will get used to the same type of signal. In modern repellers, frequencies periodically change. Moreover, this is done in random mode, so the mouse cannot get used to the sound.
Article on the topic: Ultrasonic mouse repellers
This is the best way to get rid of a family of mice in a small house. I installed the repeller, plugged it in and forgot about it. There is no need to set traps or poison animals. Everything is simple, convenient and accessible. The main advantages of ultrasonic “saviors”:
- ultrasonic waves affect all mouse droppings, so they leave their homes in full force,
- rodents do not die, which avoids unpleasant odors of decay,
- devices operate in the desired rhythm and mode and do not need adjustment,
- the repeller consumes a minimum of electricity,
- The warranty period is 10 years.
Is it possible to use a phone or computer as a mouse repellent? This idea has been used more than once in attempts to record the required sound on an electronic device. But the speakers are designed to reproduce sounds accessible to humans, not rodents. So this idea turned out to be useless.
Note: Some people try to scare away animals using cruel methods. They nail a live mouse to the wall of the barn and it “screams”, scaring its relatives. The same effect is achieved by burning a live rodent. But this method does not last long. A little time passes and the mouse hordes return.
How to get rid of mice in the house?
Despite the excellent adaptation of rodents, you can still get rid of them forever.
It is enough to follow the following instructions:
- Cleaning the premises is a top priority. General and thorough. You will have to look into all the hard-to-reach corners, check food supplies, throw out everything unnecessary and spoiled, do a wet cleaning by adding chlorine to the water.
- Carefully inspect the home to detect burrows. Inspect the kitchen and bathroom especially carefully: sinks, cabinets. Fill any holes found with a mounting agent.
- Choose a poison and place it in places where it will be hidden from small children and pets.
- Lay out mousetraps. Use lard as bait, or you can use a piece of bread, onto which you need to drip aromatic vegetable oil. Mousetraps need to be checked constantly.
- Get a cat. The animals will not be able to stand the smell of this animal and will soon leave the house.
- Bait made from cement and cereal grains will help. Mix the ingredients and place them in the corners. Place water in bowls nearby. All mice will die.
- Buy a device with ultrasound. This is the safest method to drive pests out of your home. But also the most expensive.
Ultrasonic repellers
More and more people are using modern methods to control mice. For example, ultrasonic repellers.
The effect of ultrasound: a certain wave frequency affects the animal’s hearing in such a way that it begins to panic, fear, and pain in the ears.
Let's celebrate! But such effects can only be observed in rodents. Ultrasound does not affect humans, nor does it affect domestic animals. The mice run for their lives.
hail
The frequently used Grad device operates silently. It repels all rodents within an area of 500 square meters.
With this product you can get rid of harmful animals forever. Ultrasound waves make mice feel pain and fear, and also disorientate them in space. Animals can neither eat nor reproduce. “Grad” works both from the mains and from batteries.
Electric cat
This device serves both during the day and at night. Affects mice using sound and ultrasonic waves. The generator in the device continuously emits waves, changing frequency.
Rodents cannot tolerate such sounds. Within two weeks they leave their home. The coverage area of the device is 200 square meters. It is powered by mains and battery.
Preparatory stage
The first task to begin the fight against mice is general cleaning of all premises. It is necessary to take out the accumulated rubbish, clean all the corners, and look through all the kitchen cabinets to see if pests can access food. It is better to hide everything edible in the refrigerator or pack it in airtight containers.
Carefully ensure that after eating there are no crumbs or food residues left on the table or floor; the trash can should be taken out every evening, without leaving anything edible in the kitchen overnight.
Inspect the room and seal all the cracks in the baseboards and walls so that mice cannot get into the apartment. If the house is panel, then use polyurethane foam to seal the joints between them.
Folk remedies for rodent control
These methods really work; many generations have tested them. You don't have to pay a lot of money for them. It is difficult to call some folk remedies humane.
Popular ones:
- Take a glass bottle with a neck of suitable diameter. Pour aromatic sunflower oil over the inner walls. Place the bottle at an angle. Until the morning, home pests will definitely fall into the slippery trap.
- Make a mixture of sugar and flour (take one glass each), 2.5 cups of gypsum, and butter. Place in the corners. Mice will die from such a treat.
Elder
Freshly cut elderberries placed indoors can repel all rodents. They will not be able to bear the unpleasant aroma and will leave the house. The roots of the plant contain poison - hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, planting bushes around the house will forever get rid of uninvited guests.
Coriander
Spices and herbs also smell sharp and unpleasant to mice. This is especially true for coriander, which affects the nervous system of the pest. It is enough to buy cilantro in the form of greens or powder and place it around foods (preferably cereals). The specific aroma will scare away small dirty tricks.
Peppermint
This plant has a strong and pungent smell. Peppermint contains several essential oils. They have repellent properties that are designed to repel mice.
You can drop mint tincture onto mint balls and place them in places where rodents frequently appear (change them once a week). It is also good to place a freshly cut plant on the floor near the entrance to the burrows. Dried is also suitable.
Sagebrush
Wormwood has a specific bitter aroma. Both fresh and dry plants will help in pest control. It can be spread out or set on fire when dry to smolder. They also use tincture, and also purchase it at the pharmacy.
Traps and mousetraps
People fight rodents using different methods. They try to repel mice humanely. But often the struggle begins to resemble a war, where all methods are good. When mice appear in the house, traps and mousetraps are a great way to solve the problem.
The traditional solution is to place several mousetraps in places of excrement. Be sure to anoint the trap with sunflower aromatic oil.
This way the animals will be caught faster. Choose any bait - whatever rodents love. You must remember to change the location of the mousetraps and clean them periodically.
There are traps located in the house:
- Purchased. These include adhesive tapes and plastic ones from China.
- Homemade:
- buy special glue and coat the surface of the plywood thickly. And put aromatic bait in the center. Small dirty tricks stick firmly;
- A frequently used trap is the “Jar on a Coin”. There is a chance to catch the animal alive. Place a piece of lard or smoked sausage under the jar. A wide-necked jar will cover a thief;
- you will need half a bucket of water. Place a wooden strip on it in the middle. Place the bucket in such a way that rodents can climb onto the board. Under the weight of their own, they will fall into the water and drown.
Cats and dogs
Perhaps the oldest way to repel mice is to get a cat. But this method does not always help. Firstly, not all cats turn out to be hunters.
Secondly, some residents may be allergic to cat waste. In addition, many cats are pampered by their owners with treats, and the pets do not need to get food.
Let's celebrate! If there is a dog in the house, there is an urgent need to scare away rodents.
A dog has lower immunity than a cat. Therefore, she suffers from diseases carried by mice.
Smells that mice try to avoid
If the premises are not residential (garage, barn, warehouse) or left for a long time, then removing mice from the house is a matter of technique. Like people, they have unpleasant odors:
- burnt rubber,
- burnt wool or fluff,
- kerosene,
- naphthalene,
- cheap Soviet-made perfumes.
In a residential apartment, such “aromas” will harm their inhabitants: harmful combustion decay products will enter the body. But if you enter your home every now and then, you can create a toxic atmosphere.
Important: When setting fire, to avoid poisoning, use gloves and a respirator. Do everything quickly, closing doors and windows. You can enter the room a few days after thorough ventilation.
There are smells that mice love and that can be used to lure them into a trap. For example, they are attracted to the smell of beer. The bottle needs to be placed at an angle and the neck needs to be “paved a path”. At night they will come for a beer, and in the morning you will find them in a bottle. Of course, not all at once, but several individuals will be caught. They will slide down the slippery neck and will not be able to get out. It's not as scary as glue, poison, mousetraps and other terrible devices.
Professional pest control
The above methods of pest control are good when there are not too many animals. If none of the methods can cope with the number of “refugees”, you should turn to professionals. There is a pest control service for this.
Experts will discover the nest’s habitat and the causes of its occurrence. And most importantly, they will be able to scare away or rid your home of mice.
The work takes place in two stages:
- Removing pests from the house.
- Expelling mice living outside.
Let's celebrate! In order to scare away or poison unwanted neighbors, the service uses chemicals, devices, and biological agents.
What smells can repel rodents?
Not only herbs can repel rodents. What smell do they still not tolerate? Mice run away from various pungent “odors”:
- vinegar;
- bleach;
- ammonia.
Using these products at home is also easy. To do this, you will need to prepare several small rags, moisten them with ammonia, bleach or vinegar and place them in mouse holes. These cloths will need to be changed from time to time so that the rodent repellent does not erode. Thus, in just a few days, the smell of vinegar or bleach will allow you to completely clean your home of rodents.
Important : when choosing a particular drug for rodent control, consider the type of room in which it will be used. So, if you want to rid a barn, shed or other non-residential building of pests, you can freely use any of the presented means. But at home there is no need to use ammonia or chlorine - these chemicals can have a bad effect on people. It is much wiser to use rags soaked in vinegar in such conditions.
Several years ago it was also believed that mice did not touch glass wool and did not enter those houses where it was present. But in fact, this statement is not entirely true. The fact is that rodents were really afraid of glass wool, but only that which was produced according to Soviet standards. Its modern analogue is quite soft and practically cannot harm rodents; there are even cases of mouse nests being discovered directly in glass wool.
Three traditional methods for mice - video:
Methods for preventing the appearance of rodents in the house
It is easier to prevent mice from appearing in the house than to later spend money and effort to fight them.
Therefore you need:
- constantly monitor the cleanliness of the premises;
- Properly store food and supplies. Do not create access to them for gray thieves;
- cover up holes and even narrow cracks, and provide all outlets with metal gratings;
- sometimes, for preventive purposes, you can plant herbs that repel animals;
- garbage cans should be located as far as possible from the house;
- with the onset of autumn, you need to close the front door tightly and never leave it open;
- Place birdhouses near the house. Birds of prey will help repel pests.
You can fight mice yourself in different ways. There are quite a lot of them. These are folk remedies, special devices, traps, as well as natural hunters - cats.
Good to know! Or you can turn to professionals. In any case, preventive measures must be observed. Moreover, a clean and uncluttered room has never hurt anyone.
Electronic devices
Scientific progress is rapidly moving forward, reaching unprecedented heights. The advent of electronic ultrasonic and electromagnetic “cats” makes it possible to get rid of all household pests, including rats and cockroaches. An electronic repeller will help remove mice from your apartment. This is the most humane way, the mice themselves leave the human home. In this case, the person does not feel any discomfort at all, no preparations, searches for victims, or throwing away sticky traps are needed. But such a convenient invention, of course, costs a lot and not everyone can afford it.