OT: Mice in attic?

[Nashville Lion]

Hey all knowing board. our house is surrounded by woods so we always have a ton of wildlife...deer, foxes, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, etc.

Every winter it seems some mice want to find their way into the attic to get warm...hear them at night at times. I don't care what anyone says...it is extremely hard to seal up around attic to prevent them from coming in. With that said...what products has anyone used? I set up some bait traps and then some kill traps with bait. Any other ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Frabjous]

Glue boards with peanut butter in the middle.

 

[Whaaaaaaaany]

Let some snakes loose in the attic

 

[rudedude]

So sure it’s mice and not squirrels?

 

[Nashville Lion]

So sure it’s mice and not squirrels?

Pretty sure....I had squirrel issue at other house. They made way more noise and created a big mess.

 

[joeparules]

We are in similar situation with mice every winter. I set two traditional spring traps with peanut butter and check every few days. I also set a couple in my shed near the woods as a pre-emptive strike.

 

[Nitwit97]

Let some snakes loose in the attic

How about cats? Then graduate to snakes to catch the cats. It’s that easy

it is impossible to seal everything. We had one come in at ground level, if you stuff the penetration with wire scrubbing pads, the mouse chews on that, and that’s all she wrote. Stuff the hole with the wire scrubbing pad, then seal with caulk/sealant. You should be good to go.

 

[Nittany_93]

Just deployed an electronic mouse trap. Battery and AC capable. Led and audible signal when tripped. Cleaner and easier to set.

 

[Cabinpenn]

Build a blind in the attic and Get some fake flowers. Get a 30.06 with a one power infra red scope (it's dark in the attic) or an AR15 on full automatic. Sight the gun in at 4 to 5 feet. Then say: "Just look at the flowers, Mickey". Happy hunting!

 

[massimoManca II]

So sure it’s mice and not squirrels?

This is the time if year when field mice try like crazy to get inside.... not fun when they perish in the crawlspace

 

[Nashville Lion]

Just deployed an electronic mouse trap. Battery and AC capable. Led and audible signal when tripped. Cleaner and easier to set.

how do those work?? you catching some stuff.

About two months ago, my daughter left some food in the garage...and I got a few in there...I set traps and killed like 7 in one week....then set bait traps and none since.

 

[MoyerJones]

Cut away trees (should be at least five feet from your house)

Set a bunch of traps in your basement. If they’re in your attic they are likely in the rest of your house. I say basement because you have to think about the easiest way they get in. If it’s the garage...then do the garage too.

There are a lot of places you can inspect and seal INSIDE your house...kitchen cabinet areas, under your stove. Etc. Check your outdoor grill.

Put a bunch of the kill traps everywhere you find mice crap, and check them and replace them constantly. It will eventually just stop.

Keep in mind that if you’ve had a “real” mouse problem that has been let go for a couple of years...don’t be surprised if you catch a dozen or more in the first few weeks. They multiply quite quickly. If your house is their winter retreat, generations upon generations of that mice family will be returning this winter to multiply a few times more.

Next year, thin them out in August-September and you only need to leave a few hidden traps around for the 1 or 2 that make their way in.

Get all food sources locked up in Tupperware.

You’re never going to keep them out forever but if you can get them between September and November, you’ll be good.

I wouldn’t put the poison traps in the house (put them in a shed). If they don’t make it outside when they die, you won’t be able to find them but you’ll smell them.

 

[MoyerJones]

How about cats? Then graduate to snakes to catch the cats. It’s that easy

it is impossible to seal everything. We had one come in at ground level, if you stuff the penetration with wire scrubbing pads, the mouse chews on that, and that’s all she wrote. Stuff the hole with the wire scrubbing pad, then seal with caulk/sealant. You should be good to go.

They make a spray foam with wire mesh. I’ve never tried it. But you are correct about the wire mesh trick.

 

[Cletus11]

i buy the old fashion wooden ones that snap. can get them on amazon for less than a $1 per trap. bait them with peanut butter. go check them and if you catch one, i just have a plastic shopping bag that i throw the whole trap in mouse and all and right out to the trash can. don't bother trying to unhinge it with the dead mouse, etc...and just have another new trap already baited with me that i put back in the same spot. much easier that way. who wants to rebait a trap after unhinging a dead mouse.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

squirrels have done so much damage to my house.
About 10 years ago I had a guy come and fix/seal 40+ ways they were getting in my attic.
There are probably that many again. I fixed a couple of the major ones this summer - one hole was the size of my fist through the roof and through a shingle. One of my sill(?) vents was basically torn off.
I use live traps inside my house and a .22 outside for the squirrels.

No help for your mouse problem, but following ...

 

[L.A.Lion]

I pump aerosolized fentanyl into my crawl space. Makes it much more fun to pull the dead mice out later.

 

[katchthis]

I think the pro put poison in small bags of rice , took care of attic mice quickly

 

[Nashville Lion]

Cut away trees (should be at least five feet from your house)

Set a bunch of traps in your basement. If they’re in your attic they are likely in the rest of your house. I say basement because you have to think about the easiest way they get in. If it’s the garage...then do the garage too.

There are a lot of places you can inspect and seal INSIDE your house...kitchen cabinet areas, under your stove. Etc. Check your outdoor grill.

Put a bunch of the kill traps everywhere you find mice crap, and check them and replace them constantly. It will eventually just stop.

Keep in mind that if you’ve had a “real” mouse problem that has been let go for a couple of years...don’t be surprised if you catch a dozen or more in the first few weeks. They multiply quite quickly. If your house is their winter retreat, generations upon generations of that mice family will be returning this winter to multiply a few times more.

Next year, thin them out in August-September and you only need to leave a few hidden traps around for the 1 or 2 that make their way in.

Get all food sources locked up in Tupperware.

You’re never going to keep them out forever but if you can get them between September and November, you’ll be good.

I wouldn’t put the poison traps in the house (put them in a shed). If they don’t make it outside when they die, you won’t be able to find them but you’ll smell them.

Thanks for all the advice. Appreciate it.

 

[PeetzPoolBoy]

I suggest taking a tour of the exterior of your house and note how many holes or gaps you have that are the size of a dime or larger. Dime sized holes are all that is required for a mouse to enter and set up residence in your house

 

[PeetzPoolBoy]

squirrels have done so much damage to my house.
About 10 years ago I had a guy come and fix/seal 40+ ways they were getting in my attic.
There are probably that many again. I fixed a couple of the major ones this summer - one hole was the size of my fist through the roof and through a shingle. One of my sill(?) vents was basically torn off.
I use live traps inside my house and a .22 outside for the squirrels.

No help for your mouse problem, but following ...

You’re fighting a losing battle with wood siding and eaves. The only thing that cures rodent problems is fiber cement materials (I.e. Hardie Board). You’ll still need to seal any gaps with mortar-based caulk.

 

[bplionfan]

This is the time if year when field mice try like crazy to get inside.... not fun when they perish in the crawlspace

Yep, just had one die in basement wall. Stunk for a week.

 

[cment]

Just accept that you will always have mice in the winter in your home in your location. If you have young kids pay them $1 for every critter they catch.

 

[91Joe95]

Hey all knowing board. our house is surrounded by woods so we always have a ton of wildlife...deer, foxes, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, etc.

Every winter it seems some mice want to find their way into the attic to get warm...hear them at night at times. I don't care what anyone says...it is extremely hard to seal up around attic to prevent them from coming in. With that said...what products has anyone used? I set up some bait traps and then some kill traps with bait. Any other ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Carbon monoxide.

 

[91Joe95]

i buy the old fashion wooden ones that snap. can get them on amazon for less than a $1 per trap. bait them with peanut butter. go check them and if you catch one, i just have a plastic shopping bag that i throw the whole trap in mouse and all and right out to the trash can. don't bother trying to unhinge it with the dead mouse, etc...and just have another new trap already baited with me that i put back in the same spot. much easier that way. who wants to rebait a trap after unhinging a dead mouse.

I put a paper lunch bag on its side, slide the trap inside, and leave the bag open. The mice find their way in, and easy clean up. Just close up the bag and toss.

 

[nitanee123]

Found mice droppings in my basement on Saturday. I purchased a glass bowl and put oil in the bottom so they couldn’t crawl out. The next day, I saw a trail of oil from bowl to a bunch of boxes.

On Monday, I set up 4 wooden traps with cheese as bait. Tuesday morning, all cheese was taken and the traps weren’t tripped. I drizzled carame on the trap to see if that might cause more activity but no luck.

Today, I set up a 5 gallon bucket trap “rolling log” trap. I’ve checked a few times today but no activity. Hopefully tomorrow morning I’ll find something.

 

[Nittany18]

No mice in attic, but voles in yard. Any ideas how to get rid of these? I love my yard.

 

[dailybuck777]

I have had mice in my basement a couple of times. Placed about 4 D-Con mice killer bait stations in strategic places, and both times, they were gone the next day. Had a similar issue in attic of rental I own. Used the bait stations (Can get at Home Depot) and they worked like a charm.

 

[81b&w]

Cut away trees (should be at least five feet from your house)

Set a bunch of traps in your basement. If they’re in your attic they are likely in the rest of your house. I say basement because you have to think about the easiest way they get in. If it’s the garage...then do the garage too.

There are a lot of places you can inspect and seal INSIDE your house...kitchen cabinet areas, under your stove. Etc. Check your outdoor grill.

Put a bunch of the kill traps everywhere you find mice crap, and check them and replace them constantly. It will eventually just stop.

Keep in mind that if you’ve had a “real” mouse problem that has been let go for a couple of years...don’t be surprised if you catch a dozen or more in the first few weeks. They multiply quite quickly. If your house is their winter retreat, generations upon generations of that mice family will be returning this winter to multiply a few times more.

Next year, thin them out in August-September and you only need to leave a few hidden traps around for the 1 or 2 that make their way in.

Get all food sources locked up in Tupperware.

You’re never going to keep them out forever but if you can get them between September and November, you’ll be good.

I wouldn’t put the poison traps in the house (put them in a shed). If they don’t make it outside when they die, you won’t be able to find them but you’ll smell them.

And what World War should we call this?

 

[MoyerJones]

And what World War should we call this?

Ha! It was!

 

[Air Force 1]

I get some green squares (I forget the name) from Lowe’s and since it’s hard to climb to the back recesses of the attic I stand where I can I throw them back as far as I can every few years. It takes care of my mice problem.

 

[garw]

I will rent you my mouse killing cat Simburt. 25 pounds of fury.

 

[Nashville Lion]

No mice in attic, but voles in yard. Any ideas how to get rid of these? I love my yard.

For moles in yard, I have these things we placed in the yard for that. I will have to look and see what brand they are.

 

[wlawn]

For all your needs...Woodstream(Victor traps etc.) in Lititz PA, a little plug for my son. haha

 

[bigsue]

No mice in attic, but voles in yard. Any ideas how to get rid of these? I love my yard.

Had them in my landscape beds. Used a product called Talprid and to my amazement, it worked.

 

[paulrandythomas]

A Crossbow is the best solution for all of these problems.

 

[bigsue]

For mice, I bought bait stations-the one's like you see around industrial/office buildings (Amazon) . Then load with a product called" just one bite" , which I also buy on Amazon in a tub (65 count I believe) for approx $60. Been using for 13yrs now. They are waterproof and hold 3 baits. Typically last 6-8 months. Have 6 stations around my house, garage and pole barn weld shop. No mice in my house, sh*t really works like it says. Mice also dry up an don't stink after a tasty little bite or two. Other great thing is these bait stations only allow mice into the poison due to an interior maze and bait is held in place by little pins and pets/other critters can't get in.

 

[Cletus11]

Any solution for voles tearing up the yard would be great. they are killing my yard. i tried some of the poison gummy worms but that did not work.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Any solution for voles tearing up the yard would be great. they are killing my yard. i tried some of the poison gummy worms but that did not work.

get rid of the grubs

 

[hagberg]

Glue boards with peanut butter in the middle.

I've used glue boards but don't like them because the mice don't die right away. I started using Tomcat Press 'n Set traps (2 for < $4 at Walmart or Amazon); they work just like the old wood snap traps, but all you have to do to unload the dead mouse is pinch the back part of the the trap.

I've also found that dry cat food works as well as peanut butter and is easier to use. Side note: if you have cats and leave dry food out for them, mice will steal it and store it all over your house. Heard it from a friend.....

 

[harbest]

Hey all knowing board. our house is surrounded by woods so we always have a ton of wildlife...deer, foxes, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, etc.

Every winter it seems some mice want to find their way into the attic to get warm...hear them at night at times. I don't care what anyone says...it is extremely hard to seal up around attic to prevent them from coming in. With that said...what products has anyone used? I set up some bait traps and then some kill traps with bait. Any other ideas or suggestions? Thanks in advance.

About a year ago, I was sitting on my bed while my wife was in the kitchen getting ready for work one morning. We have a small one floor 6 room house with an attic and cellar. All of a sudden, I hear her shriek and look up to see a small brown creature run across my floor and scurry into my bedroom closet and disappear. My wife had a bad experience with mice when she was young before I knew her, so I was going to correct the problem THAT DAY! I went out, bought a 6 pack of spring loaded mousetraps, placed one in the bedroom closet, one in the enclosure that had the steps to the attic, one in the attic, and 2 in the cellar, all loaded with a dab of peanut butter. Since the rodent showed itself on the main floor, I thought it was a waste to put the traps in the attic, but my wife insisted. I gave it a couple days and lo and behold, guess which trap caught the critter. The one in the attic! I hate it when my wife is right.