There comes a point in time when enough is enough. You’re tired of being the gracious host of a furry gray mouse. You didn’t invite it into your home. If it was just passing through, you might be a little more accommodating, but that darn mouse has overstayed its welcome. You’re out for blood, and you want it dead … NOW! So that begs the question that this article is poised to answer: how to kill mice.
There are a lot of non-lethal methods for getting rid of mice, but sometimes you just want to get the mouse out of your house and move on with your life. It’s a nuisance. It’s unsanitary. Sometimes it’s downright scary. You don’t have to live in fear though because there are proven methods to get rid of mice.
The most common lethal trap to deploy is the typical snap trap. You’re more than familiar with these already, I’m sure. What you’ve probably seen is the inexpensive wood board snap traps made by Victor. If you’re going to deploy a snap trap design, most experts recommend that you set SIX traps per affected room. The reason for this is because the first night you set traps, they are most effective. Mice are naturally curious, so they will go up to the traps and try to figure out what they are. When they see the food on there, you want to make sure they go for it and ultimately get caught.
While the Victor traps are decent at catching mice, what I generally recommend are the Snap-E Mouse Traps. I recommend them for a couple reasons. First of all they are effective traps that boast a high kill rate. The other thing is that they are higher quality and will last for more than a single catch. They also have an easy release trigger so you don’t have to handle the mouse and makes cleanup a breeze. These are things you don’t generally think about when killing mice, but you’re going to be glad you did. Just like with the Victor traps, it is recommended to set SIX traps per affected room. Use your best judgment, but remember the first night is the most important night, so you don’t want to mess up that opportunity.
One final word about boosting your success rate at killing mice… How you bait the trap is just as important, if not MORE important, than the trap itself. I always recommend using peanut butter as I find it to be the most effective for a couple reasons. First of all, mice love it. Second of all, because it’s naturally sticky, mice can’t push it off the trigger paddle. They have to lick it off, and ultimately trigger the snapping mechanism. There’s no picking it up off the paddle. It’s an all or none. The other secret to baiting the trap is to lightly spread it in the center of the bait cup. If you put a large glop of it on the trap, mice aren’t going to have to try very hard to get to it. You want just enough to give off the scent and make the mouse come to it.
That’s about all there is to know about how to kill mice.
Good luck!