Though mice don’t typically harm humans physically, mice spread nasty diseases, cause messes, and contaminate the foods and surfaces they come in contact with. They are also one of the fastest reproducing pests to infest homes, and their population can quickly get out of hand. Learning how to get rid of mice and how to keep them away with natural mouse repellents will help you protect your family, pets, and your home from the threat of a mouse invasion.
Mice are quite possibly the most feared, disease spreading, and common pests on the planet. Mice can be found all over the world, and the more populated the area, the more they seem to thrive. They have learned that human dwellings provide them with all they need to survive, including shelter, food, and water. It’s hard to explain, but men, women, and children all jump at the sight of a single mouse scurrying across the kitchen floor.
Do You Have Mice in Your House?
Mice have a terrible reputation, and they have earned that reputation by damaging homes and belongings, contaminating food and water, and spreading disease. Signs of a single mouse or a family of mice are rather easy to spot. Mice will enter your home through cracks and crevices in the foundation, under doors, and through air ducts. Once inside, they begin searching for food, water, and a place to reproduce. The most identifiable sign that you have a mouse or mice in your home is droppings. Mice leave droppings or feces everywhere they go, and they are small black pellets.
Other signs of mouse activity in your home will be clothes, towels, or different types of fabrics with holes and pieces missing. Mice gather these materials to create a warm and cozy nest for their young. You will also be able to recognize mouse activity in and around your pantry, where they will chew into boxes or bags of stored food to eat. If you have any of these signs in your home, you may have a bigger problem on your hands than you might think.
Mice reproduce at an alarming rate. If you see a mouse in your home, you most likely have more than just that one. A pair of mice can produce up to 2,000 young in a year since their offspring can reproduce by the time they’re about a month old. If you suspect that mice have moved into your house, you will need to take immediate action to keep them from getting entirely out of control. If a mouse infestation is in full swing, you may need to get assistance from a professional pest control agency.
Natural Mouse Repellents
There are many ways of getting mice out of your home, including the common traps and baits, but there are rumored to be other methods that might deter mice from entering your home. If you are going to attempt rodent control by yourself then natural mouse repellents may be a preferred option in situations where children and pets are present in the home. Speaking of pets, cats are one of the most effective mouse repellents as they are one of the mouse’s natural predators. Have you considered having a pet owl? They are also great at hunting mice.
If you have a pet cat, it will hunt and kill mice that make their way into your home or, at the very least, deter them from coming back if they happen to escape from the cat’s grasp. If you already have an indoor cat, you’re one step ahead of the mice. Not everyone can have cats in their homes due to allergies, so this option isn’t for everyone. And not every cat adhere’s to its predator roots. Some are domesticated and civilized enough that when asked to hunt mice they will give you that familiar cat stare which says “Please… You can’t be serious.” That cat disdain for its person is all too palpable. “Haven’t I trained you better my dear human?”
Another excellent mouse repellent is peppermint oil. Not only can peppermint oil serve as a natural repellent for mice, but it also smells great (well according to many Christmas lovers). Disbursing this throughout your house where there are signs of mouse activity is as easy as soaking a cotton ball in the oil and placing it around your home. Pepper, cloves, and cayenne pepper are also thought to deter mice from wanting to hide under beds, in attics, or cabinets. You can use one or all of these products combined as a means of kindly asking mice to stay out of your house. Granted, when a mouse gets hungry enough and desperate enough, a little fragrance won’t deter them for long.
If you want something a little stronger there are two other pungent smells with a higher success rate; fox urine, and ammonia. Fox urine can be bought online or at your local Home Depot. Handle with care, and please don’t drink this. And don’t let your family dog eat the dosed cotton balls either. Ammonia is said to smell like the urine of possible predators to a mouse. Placing caps full of ammonia in areas where mice may be entering your home could also be a viable way of keeping them from moving into your residence. Again, proceed with caution. Even though ammonia is all natural, it does not mean its not dangerous.
Did you know Bulwark offers an All-Natural Pest Control Service? Ask our pro!
