Prior to about three weeks ago, I never had problems with mice in my apartment. I guess the little bastards had to come in from the cold and take up residence somewhere…
In any case, they’re here. And I’ve taken up arms against the little monsters. The following describes my anti-mouse campaign, in case anyone cares or wants to benefit from my learning.
Phase 1 - Making the apartment less hospitable to rodents. First of all, a top-to-bottom cleaning of the ol’ bachelor pad was in order. I got rid of the empty pizza boxes in the corner. I also spent 2 hours with my trusty Hoover cleaning dust and food particles from every corner of the place, including under the fridge. One corner of the kitchen was clearly a rodent stronghold and was completely taken out. The mice had dragged food particles into a dark corner, including several recognizable articles: two or three bits of Honeycomb cereal and four or five Cocoa Puffs. I also got rid of a candy dish and a bowl of nuts that I left out over the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, their food stashes are gone (at least the ones I can see, anyway.)
Phase 2 - Deploying traps. This was a learning experience. I went down to Gristede’s and purchased an arsenal of traps. These included small glue traps and the classic spring-loaded “Victor-type” traps. Personally, I rarely keep cheese in the house, unless it comes in an aerosol or tin can. However, mom had purchased some obscure type of cheese on a previous visit, and I decided to sacrifice it for bait. Of course, two straight nights of Gruyere-baited traps yielded no results. Upon checking the traps the mornings after, they were cleaned out without appropriate detonation. Crafty little bastards…
A friend suggested peanut butter, which worked about as well. My rodent friends somehow managed to clean out the traps without setting them off. Research & Development decided that the peanut butter was too greasy and not sticky enough, so we decided to alter its molecular structure by leaving the jar of Skippy Super Chunk out one night so it could firm up. The resultant extra-firm peanut butter was still ineffective as a bait. I was just feeding the little bastards. Conclusion: Victor-type traps are ineffective against said enemy. Reallocate funds to other avenues of destruction.
Glue traps, on the other hand were wildly successful. Initially, Gristede’s provided small traps about the size of a floppy disk that were very effective. A subsequent visit revealed a larger size that are (according to the box) able to hold RATS and even SNAKES. Field testing with both varieties revealed that the larger size would snag an average of one mouse per night, while the smaller size would nab one every three days or so.
One problem with the glue traps: Once caught, the mice struggle and make a lot of noise trying to escape from the glue. Several missions had to be launched at 3 and 4 AM to put rodents out of their misery and dispose of spent traps.
Phase 3 - Help from the exterminator. Regrettably, my ally that can deploy chemical weapons against the aggressor is a hard man to get a hold of. My building pays for an exterminator to visit on the first Monday of every month to spray for roaches, mice and anything else that might mount an offensive. Regrettably, the exterminator will not spray unless someone stays home from work to meet him and let him into the apartment. Problem is, I’ve gotta be at work so I can earn money to deploy more glue traps. I’m workin’ on a solution.
Any ideas for more efficient mouse slaughter? Tips or tricks you’ve learned over the years? Hook a brother up.
