Mice - aaagghh!

[traceybath]

I know i'm being a total wimp but have found mouse droppings in my airing cupboard.

We live in a farmhouse so pretty sure we're going to get mice (first winter in this house). And had thought we'd got some in store room but couldn't find any evidence but now found droppings in my airing cupboard - yuck!

The house has holes everywhere by pipes etc and its rented so can't do much to plug them up.

So whats the best way of keeping them at bay - have got traps and i've bought some of those things you plug in which are meant to repel them but is this it - am i just going to be pulling mice out of traps all winter .

Help!

traceybath - i've lived in the country for 13 years. Found a field mouse few months ago and I went a bit mad at first.. but then I thought I have probably had them more often than I know!! Set a few traps, tidy up after meals - no crumbs! Try to keep windows and doors closed. Relax you're in the country!
Buy some of the expanding foam stuff you get in DIY shops to plug up the holes. Speak to your landlord - all the holes are also letting out your heat!!

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I second the traps thing - the old fashioned, kill-'em-quick type, forget the "humane" variety. We caught four in one episode of Corrie. We now store dry goods in plastic boxes with lids, and bread in a breadbin. We also have electronic rodent repellents plugged in in the kitchen and upstairs hallway, and haven't seen one since. Be aware that the "ultrasonic" part will probably hurt the ears of anyone aged under 25, though.

thanks ladies - traps in place and also ultrasonic things

Some swear by ultrasonics but they didn't work for us.

I'm extremely phobic of mice and have posted for help in the mental health bit! No answer yet.

Really sympathise anyway as I know how it feels. One ran out from under my sofa as I was watching telly!!!!

ps I also swear by old fashioned traps, as long as you have a knight in shining armour in the house to check and empty them! My DH is off on holiday with the lads for a week soon and I'm going to have to stay at my mums that week in case I hear that horrible 'whack' and have a trap to empty!

Peanut butter seems to be the bait of choice these days, we used mars bar too.

Just in case your mice end up being as crafty as ours - they avoided the old-fashioned traps, and managed to keep breeding, little blighters. The ultrasonic didn't seem to bother them in slightest. But we finally got little plastic sealed boxes of poison, mouse-sized ones, from B&Q. Even tho' sealed we still put them way out of reach of DS. We had tried putting loose poison in their nest, but they spread it all over the floor and on all our crockery and food (the poison is brightly coloured so luckily we could see it was there).

Poison is cruel, but we were at wits end and totally infested (reckon we had well over 1000 in a small flat...Mostly living in the wall cavities and under floorboards). It worked, they're dead. It was traumatic though.

We ignored the poo. Big mistake. After about a month of increasing poo all over the place we went on holiday. A week later they had bred and there were loads of tiny fearless little creatures gnawing and pooing everywhere. Electric shock traps and electronic thingy - with magnetic repulsion as well as ultrasound has worked.

As for no crumbs - that is unacheivable in our house but despite the massive mousy feast on the floor they have moved next door and we have had none for a year.