Three Ways to Install Wooden Mousetraps That Really Catch Mice
There was a rodent infestation at my parents’ house last summer . “Just put the mousetraps on,” people told me. If only it were that easy. It turns out that there are better and better baiting and trap-setting techniques that increase the chances of catching these rough and slippery critters.
I wish I knew these tips to increase our chances of catching mice in our standard Victor traps . We originally fed our mousetraps with bits of peanut butter, one of their favorite things in the world; but the mice were smart. Somehow they licked the peanut butter and never opened the traps. If that’s you too, try this:
- The bait should be under the trigger, not on top: don’t use too much peanut butter. Place a small amount under the spring-loaded trigger to make the mouse rip out the peanut butter and possibly trigger the trap.
- Mix a little cotton with a Q-tip with the bait: Tear off some of the cotton from the Q-tip and roll it into the bait. This gets stuck in the teeth of the mouse and can trigger the trap.
- Make the trap more sensitive. At about 2:15, the video shows how to adjust the sensitivity of the trap so that it clicks on the slightest movement.
For more tipson bait can be found in thisvideo from the Z-HUT, which is used as bait food for cats or dogs , and thevideo has a high success rate. Of course, you can use different mousetraps, including non-lethal ones.
3 Ways to Get Rid of Mice with Mouse Traps | GardenFork