Mice in the pantry. Any exterminators here?

BurtonRW · Feb 14, 2017

We have a mouse or mouses invading our pantry. I can't figure out exactly where they're coming from, but I'm ready to call in the professionals. Any exterminators here who work in AA County?

Reply here or shoot me a PM. Need to deal with this ASAP.

Thanks.

-Rob

trickg · Feb 14, 2017

Get a big pack of cheap spring mousetraps. We used to use bits of bread in the trip plate when I was a kid, but apparently peanut butter is almost irresistible to the little jerks.

One time as a kid we had them invading the floor level kitchen cupboards, and I kid you not, initially when we started setting the traps, it was sometimes within just a minute or two that the trap was sprung. In any case, it only took a few days and the issue was pretty much solved - any mouse that was able to breed had been snapped up.

BurtonRW · Feb 14, 2017

I have baited traps. We've caught several. I really want an expert to come and plug up the gaps I'm not seeing.

It's a bit of an odd house design, but the way the pantry is (and for lack of evidence that they're getting in/out anywhere else), I'm fairly certain that their access is directly to/from the outside to the pantry.

-Rob

Z_Man · Feb 14, 2017

im sure there are plenty of cats in shelters that could use a foster parent until a permanent home can be found

Biggfoot44 · Feb 14, 2017

I asked my primary Exterminators, and they both said "meow" .

trickg · Feb 14, 2017

Biggfoot44 said:
I asked my primary Exterminators, and they both said "meow" .

My wife is severely allergic to cats, so that wouldn't be a viable option for us.

I still say to set a bunch of traps and be diligent with it. Chances are the exterminator is going to do a very similar thing, but they'll charge you a lot more for it.

Uncle Duke · Feb 14, 2017

Peanut butter on bread for traps.

Check the outside for entrance points. Doesn't take much of one to be a potential gateway.

If a mouse can squeeze his head through an outside opening, he's inside.

If an old home, check for vents that are no longer used, or have openings or no damper.

Biggfoot44 · Feb 14, 2017

Cheese popcorn is the ultimate bait.

stu929 · Feb 14, 2017

I understand wanting to get things plugged up but pb on a snap trap is very popular and has always served me will in different houses ive lived in.

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Trekker · Feb 14, 2017

There was some discussion on this issue earlier this month in the water cooler. Perhaps some of the information there could prove useful to you:

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=205747&highlight=mouse+trap

Bountied · Feb 14, 2017

We had mice in our attic. At first I thought it was a squirrel because the chewing sounds was so loud. I had no idea where it was getting in. No sign inside anywhere. I ended up putting some traps outside on the ground near where I was hearing them in the house. I caught one and the chewing stopped. A few moths later I heard chewing again, put out a trap, caught the mouse, no more noises. It's been quiet for over a year.

My point is try putting traps outside near where you think they are getting in and also try removing their food source.

http://fivegallonideas.com/bucket-mouse-trap/

If you're feeling creative checkout the 5 gallon bucket mouse trap. It handles several mice at once.

cww · Feb 14, 2017

spring and sticky traps will work

follow the poop and you will most likely find your entrance point, they can get in very thin tight spots including up under siding and into an unknown hole in the underlying OSB board or block work

Digby · Feb 14, 2017

BurtonRW said:
I have baited traps. We've caught several. I really want an expert to come and plug up the gaps I'm not seeing.

It's a bit of an odd house design, but the way the pantry is (and for lack of evidence that they're getting in/out anywhere else), I'm fairly certain that their access is directly to/from the outside to the pantry.

-Rob

Rob
I had a similar issue. My immediate problem was not killing what was inside the house, since spring traps do that efficiently, but rather finding and plugging the gaps that allowed the mice to enter.

The problem I encountered is that the exterminators I called in for quotes did not crawl around the outside and look for gaps or entry points and seal them. Rather, all they wanted to do is to set poison traps in the house and then return a month later and reset the traps. That does nothing to address the root of the problem. Moreover, the poison they use allows the mice to go off somewhere in your house to die and decompose, generally in a location that is totally inaccessible to you.

In the end, I bought a Black & Decker Thermal detector for $25 from Amazon. It was useful in detecting where warm air was escaping from the perimeter of the house -- obvious entry points for mice. I then plugged every access point I could find myself, with caulk and steel wool. I also hired a handyman to crawl under the porch and seal the gaps in the sill plate that I was not willing to try to reach myself. Between the two of us, we got most of the house sealed off.

One or two still manage to get in, but the spring traps baited with peanut butter finish them off quickly.

So what you may need is a handyman, not an exterminator, as in my case.
Good luck!
John

Digby · Feb 14, 2017

Rob
Here's a link to the thermal detector I used. Generally, B&D tools are junk, but this one worked pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-TLD100-Thermal-Detector/dp/B0044R87BE

YerNotGood · Feb 14, 2017

I have a mouse (or more) in my pantry and attic as well. I have 6-8 baited traps at any given point in time in my house and haven't caught a single one. I put them in tight spaces, in open spaces, bait them while wearing gloves, tried sticky traps...all the tricks and no luck. I baited them with peanut butter, almond butter, chocolate, bacon, olive oil, dog food and others with no luck. I even bought some improved non-standard snap traps on amazon to give a try but still nothing. My latest attempt was this strong herbal scented pouch that is supposed to keep them away. NO DICE!

DJones2987 · Feb 14, 2017

I'm an exterminator but way far away. If you have a gas stove check where the gas line comes into the kitchen, or if it's electric where the power comes up from the basement for the stove. If there's more than a 1/4" gap they can get in. Also check where your AC units power lines come into the house, and door sweeps on exterior doors.

Glaron · Feb 14, 2017

Digby said:
Rob
I had a similar issue. My immediate problem was not killing what was inside the house, since spring traps do that efficiently, but rather finding and plugging the gaps that allowed the mice to enter.

John

DJones2987 said:
I'm an exterminator but way far away. If you have a gas stove check where the gas line comes into the kitchen, or if it's electric where the power comes up from the basement for the stove. If there's more than a 1/4" gap they can get in. Also check where your AC units power lines come into the house, and door sweeps on exterior doors.

===========
What these guys said. I had that problem years ago. I first tracked the entry point and closed it. It was the seal on the gas line entering the house directly it shrank over time. The followed the line to the gas stove. The there was a big hole to feed the stove. They then gnawed a hole into the pantry.

I closed all the entries first. Then cleaned the pantry starting at the top down.

It feels better to have a solid solution and to take care of it yourself.

Lastly I patched the hole in the closet. Oh and dogs to quite well herding mice.

Snap traps, sticky traps under the oven too low for a snap trap. It will clear up.

good guy 176 · Feb 14, 2017

YerNotGood said:
I have a mouse (or more) in my pantry and attic as well. I have 6-8 baited traps at any given point in time in my house and haven't caught a single one. I put them in tight spaces, in open spaces, bait them while wearing gloves, tried sticky traps...all the tricks and no luck. I baited them with peanut butter, almond butter, chocolate, bacon, olive oil, dog food and others with no luck. I even bought some improved non-standard snap traps on amazon to give a try but still nothing. My latest attempt was this strong herbal scented pouch that is supposed to keep them away. NO DICE!

Be patient. Wife feeds the birds here so we have a continuing issue with both mice and rats. Caught two meece and two large rats recently, with the rats much harder to lure than mice.

We had luck last month with peanut butter and a chunk of bacon inbedded and tied onto the spring loaded traps and sticky pads. Had good luck with sticky traps for the little guys. Keep traps set year round for fewer problems with the buggers.

We poisoned the rat tunnels (in the dirt under deck steps) and nesting area with 5 gallons of Clorox and seem to have solved the matter with the rats for now, but they will return.

Lew--Ranger63

Daveyboysmith · Feb 14, 2017

Biggfoot44 said:
Cheese popcorn is the ultimate bait.

x1000 , I spent a lot of time delivering snack products to run down stores in the city.... Mice will jump over pet food and 100 other types of chips to specifically tear into a bag of cheddar popcorn.

Daveyboysmith · Feb 14, 2017

YerNotGood said:
I have a mouse (or more) in my pantry and attic as well. I have 6-8 baited traps at any given point in time in my house and haven't caught a single one. I put them in tight spaces, in open spaces, bait them while wearing gloves, tried sticky traps...all the tricks and no luck. I baited them with peanut butter, almond butter, chocolate, bacon, olive oil, dog food and others with no luck. I even bought some improved non-standard snap traps on amazon to give a try but still nothing. My latest attempt was this strong herbal scented pouch that is supposed to keep them away. NO DICE!

I've picked up bags on the shelves while stocking of cheddar popcorn only to find that the mouse was unwilling to leave until i physically disrupted him from his score.

Mice in the pantry. Any exterminators here?

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