5 Reasons Your DIY Mouse Traps Might Not Be Working

There are dozens of products on the market to help homeowners get rid of mice, so it can be frustrating when mice continue to be a nuisance after you have placed traps around your home. Instead of continuing to spend money on alternative methods, first check to be sure you are not making one of these common mistakes.

How to Make Your DIY Mouse Control More Effective

One mouse in your home is bad enough. But the rate at which mice reproduce – a single female can have more than 30 babies in a year – means that one can quickly turn into dozens. Getting an infestation under control requires solutions that work fast. You can increase the efficiency of your mouse trapping when you:

• Put Traps in the Right Place – A mouse generally will not run across the center of a room since there is no protection there. By placing your traps where mice already are – in corners, along walls, and behind appliances – you increase the chance that the mice will approach the trap.
• Use Attractive Bait – Despite what the cartoons say, cheese is not always the best bait for mice. If mice aren’t biting, try peanut butter, marshmallows, or beef jerky instead. Make sure that it is firmly stuck on the trap.
• Set Many Traps – Mice are a social animal, and you will rarely have one. You will also want about 3 traps for every rodent on your property to increase the chances of catching them. Set each trap about 10 feet apart.
• Check Your Traps Often – If a mouse is caught or has managed to steal the bait without snapping the trap, you have a useless trap. You should look over each trap at least daily and reset them.
• Seal Up Mouse Entrances – Part of mouse control includes making sure more mice cannot get in. By covering any hole around your home that is ½ wide or larger, you will not be fighting with new mice moving in.

Another option is to turn to professional mouse control. Unlike DIY mouse trapping, 24 Hour Pest Control has trapped thousands of mice in NYC. We have proven experience with what methods work on local rodent populations, eliminating the time you would otherwise spend on trial and error. If you have been unsuccessful in solving your mouse problem, call our team today.