Best mouse trap. Best bait for mouse trap. How to catch a mouse
Traditional spring-loaded mouse trap was invented by Hiram Maxim. It is a simple device with a spring lever. This mouse trap is used with bait. Although cheese is considered to be classic bait, mice are not so fond of it, as they are fond of nuts, chocolate, bread or meat, and sunflower seeds. It is also possible to use butter or peanut butter. After the mouse touches the trigger the lever strikes it and usually kills.
Rat traps are used to catch rats. They look like oversized mouse traps, with a strong spring and with teeth at the bottom. Rats are smarter and sharper than mice. When spring is triggered they often have time to rebound from the trap and then eat the bait. When a rat trap is ready it is recommended to place it at the bottom of an empty bucket.
How to set a mouse trap?
Without bait a mouse trap will be absolutely useless, so the first thing is to place something edible and attractive to rodents into it.
Sequence of events:
• Bait is placed on the trigger;
• continue with retracting the clamp carefully;
• you should put the retainer on the clamp;
• the retainer itself is inserted into the trigger.
The retainer is mounted so that the slightest touch would lead to its slippage from the trigger.
The mouse trap is put into a place of seen activity of rodents and their possible appearance.
The principle of mouse trap operation
Everything happens pretty quickly and easily. A mouse comes for food having smelt the bait. Trying to remove a piece of cake, a rodent actuates the trigger: the retainer slips, releasing the clamp, which closes. The clamp grabs the mouse; it escapes from the mechanism very rarely. Then you have to remove the mouse from the mouse trap and set the device again. You should take precautions – the clamp can pin fingers. Disinfestations with the help of mechanical devices may take a long time.
Best mouse trap
The best mouse trap is a classic spring-loaded trap. It refers to old-fashioned, but effective methods of mice destruction. After you have put the bait into a mouse trap, a curious mouse will check it. There are traditional and non-traditional mouse traps and methods of disinfestations.
| 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill per Setting | 1, 3 or 10, depending on trap | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Kill Method | Humane, high voltage shock | Powerful bar | Powerful snare | Powerful kill bar | Powerful kill bar |
| Ease of Use | Insert batteries,bait,turn on and place | Bait,set and place | Bait,set and place | Bait,set and place | Bait,set and place |
| Bait Location | Along the back wall in the trough or on the back wall | Hatch | Trough | Hook or Trough, depending on trap | Pedal or Pre-baited depending on trap |
| Kill Indicator Notification | Blinking green indicator light | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Safety Information | No chemicals or poisons, use with caution around children and pets | No chemicals or poisons, use with caution around children and pets | No chemicals or poisons, use with caution around children and pets | No chemicals or poisons, use with caution around children and pets | No chemicals or poisons, use with caution around children and pets |
| Reusable or Disposable | Reusable | Disposable | Reusable or Disposable | Reusable or Disposable | Reusable or Disposable |
| Indoor or Outdoor Use | Indoor | Indoor or Outdoor | Indoor or Outdoor | Indoor or Outdoor | Indoor or Outdoor |
| Batteries Required | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Three main types of traditional mouse traps
1. The first type – classic snap mouse trap, which was invented in 1884. Today this old-fashioned mouse trap is the most effective one. The mouse which has come for the bait to this mouse trap steps on the plate seal and a steel rod retracted with a spring closes with force. And now this is the most popular type of mouse traps.
2. The second type – adhesive or sticky mouse traps that use sticky substance to catch the mouse. However, these traps cause indignations of some animal rights advocates, as glued mouse sometimes bites off its own limbs to escape.
3. There are mousetraps representing a wire cage with a slamming door. Mice usually remain alive and unharmed.
Repellents and fortifications. Non-traditional methods of disinfestations
When dealing with mice the very first thing is to prevent their entry into the house. Now a large number of deodorants are for sale. They are intended to scare away the mice; they have the smell of predators and repel the mice. Some apartments and private homes owners prefer strong-smelling essences with the smell of pine or even cayenne pepper or its leaves. But experts say that their effectiveness is questionable and they disinfest badly.
As for the high tech, some companies offer hypersonic repellents, which, in their opinion, keep mice away from home. These devices emit a sound with a frequency of more than 20 kHz that is higher than human ear can percept. Some devices modulate frequency between 32 and 64 kHz. Mice cannot adapt to this frequency. But some experts are skeptical. In their opinion, the use of ultrasound to control mice (or insects or birds) can harm pets. Perhaps, these devices will be improved in future, but still there is no evidence that they are truly effective in killing mice.
Route technology: how to find and catch the mouse
A mouse is a very elusive rodent. It bites the bait at night and disappears in the daytime. But at the same time a mouse always leaves marks, exposing its movement. These marks can be visible under UV light and can help in disinfestations. Mouse urine fluoresces under ultraviolet light. Therefore, illuminating the place with this light, you can see where the mouse defecated. The use of ultraviolet light is a powerful inspection tool, although it requires a trained eye to distinguish for certain a shining spot of mouse urine and stains from the floor detergent spray.
However, just leaving mouse traps where you have found the presence of a mouse will not be the best approach to disinfestations. One company has developed a fluorescent powder, which can help determine the path to follow mice to their nests. When the mouse touches the powder it remains on their feet, so that the mouse leaves traces to its nest. If the nest is found, disinfestations are not so difficult. For the mice to smear with powder, put it into a box with food bait or put it on the cotton balls that mouse use as material for building nests. Then trace footprints under ultraviolet light to find where mice keep their reserves. This will determine the path to the repository or the way out of the house, if mice penetrate into the house from the outside.
How to catch a mouse without a mouse trap
A famous blogger Chris “MacGyver” Glass published a very simple and effective way of catching mice in his blog. Below there is free translation, although the pictures show clearly how it works:
• Make a construction that is shown in the picture. For this purpose you can use medium density cardboard. The cardboard should not be too heavy or too light. A hole in the construction should be of the size that will let the mouse easily get into the construction.
• Put small bait on the edge of the “mouse trap”. Put the construction itself on the edge of any chosen surface in such a way that the bait would be on the opposite side (see figure).
• Now you need to deliver an open empty bin under the construction for the mouse not to get out.
Here is the construction:
1. A platform for the mouse or a tabletop
2. The construction from cardboard with bait
3. A bin
Once the mouse goes along the construction to the goal, it will inevitably fall into the bin. What to do next is a matter of humanity; the main charm of this method is that you can catch a mouse without a mouse trap.
