Mice are harmless, cute rodents with a body length of up to 7 cm. Everyone imagined seeing this miracle with small pink ears in an apartment, however, a more comfortable home for them is a place where people very rarely visit, for example, a dacha. That’s when they show their negative side - they build nests, construct a network of passages, damage property, destroy supplies, and much more. If this is not counteracted in any way, rodents will take over the area forever. Therefore, owners of non-residential country houses need to know how to deal with mice in the country. All existing methods are discussed further in the article.
Types of mice and their characteristics
Most often, two types of mice annoy people:
- brownies;
- voles.
The former spend most of their lives in human housing, the latter live in nature during the warm season, but with the onset of cold weather they seek shelter in houses, barns and garages.
House mouse
The house mouse is a dark gray or gray-brown rodent. The body length is from 7 to 9 cm, the length of the tail is slightly more than half the length of the body. These are very prolific animals. Living in favorable conditions (for example, in a warm house), mice reproduce throughout the year, bringing 6 to 12 litters, each with from 3 to 12 pups.
Home
Despite the name, the house mouse can live in a field, garden or vegetable garden. But still, these rodents prefer to live close to people, settle comfortably in the house, and go outside from time to time.
Vole
Field mice are slightly larger than their domestic relatives. The rodent's body length can reach 12 cm, the tail makes up 70% of the body length. The fur of voles is lighter, most often ocher-gray. These rodents live in meadows, fields, in bushes, and sometimes settle in garden plots.
With the onset of winter, voles can enter the house in search of warmth and food and stay there until spring.
What is the greenhouse effect?
Short answer:
The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun. This process makes the Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes the Earth a comfortable place to live.
Watch this video to learn about the greenhouse effect!
How does the greenhouse effect work?
As the name suggests, the greenhouse effect works... like a greenhouse! A greenhouse is a building with glass walls and a glass roof. Greenhouses are used for growing plants such as tomatoes and tropical flowers.
The inside of the greenhouse remains warm even in winter. During the day, sunlight enters the greenhouse, which warms the plants and the air inside. It is colder outside at night, but the inside of the greenhouse remains quite warm. This is because the glass walls of the greenhouse trap heat from the sun.
The greenhouse traps heat from the sun during the day. Its glass walls trap the sun's heat, keeping plants in the greenhouse warm—even on cold nights.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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The greenhouse effect works much the same way on Earth. Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat like the glass roof of a greenhouse. These heat-trapping gases are called greenhouse gases.
During the day, the Sun shines through the atmosphere. The Earth's surface is heated by the sun. At night, the Earth's surface cools, releasing heat into the air. But some of the heat is retained by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This is what keeps our Earth warm and cozy at an average of 14 degrees Celsius.
The Earth's atmosphere traps some of the sun's heat, preventing it from escaping back into space at night. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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How do people influence the greenhouse effect?
Human activity changes the Earth's natural greenhouse effect. Burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil releases more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.
NASA has observed an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Too much of these greenhouse gases can cause the Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more heat. This causes the Earth to warm up.
What reduces the greenhouse effect on Earth?
Just like a glass greenhouse, an earthen greenhouse is full of plants! Plants can help balance the greenhouse effect on Earth. All plants, from giant trees to tiny phytoplankton in the ocean, absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
The ocean also absorbs a lot of excess carbon dioxide from the air. Unfortunately, increasing carbon dioxide in the ocean changes the water, making it more acidic. This is called ocean acidification.
More acidic water can be harmful to many marine life, such as some shellfish and corals. Warming oceans due to too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may also be harmful to these organisms. Warmer water is the main cause of coral bleaching.
This photo shows a bleached brain coral. The main cause of coral bleaching is warming oceans. Ocean acidification also negatively impacts coral reef communities. Credit: NOAA
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Signs of mice
You can detect the appearance of uninvited guests quite quickly. Despite their caution and secretive lifestyle, mice leave marks that become more visible over time.
In the garden
The following signs indicate that voles have appeared at the dacha and are taking over the garden:
- damaged root vegetables, vegetables, berries, flower bulbs;
- gnawed bark of fruit trees and shrubs;
- holes in the ground;
- Mouse excrement is found on paths and beds.
Pets, when going outside, behave restlessly, constantly sniffing, walking around the area.
In the greenhouse
Mice very often choose a greenhouse as a shelter. The following will help you guess the presence of rodents:
- mouse feces;
- damage to stems and fruits;
- holes in the ground;
- characteristic unpleasant odor.
If you enter the greenhouse at night, you can hear rustling and squeaking sounds.
In the house
If there are mice in a country house, this will be indicated by:
- damaged bags and packages with cereals, pasta, flour;
- chewed candles, soap, books, wires;
- mouse droppings on the floor;
- holes in the insulation and siding of the house;
- gnawed vegetables and fruits stored in the basement;
- garbage found along the walls or in corners (scraps of paper, bags, pieces of fabric);
- Over time, an unpleasant characteristic odor appears;
- at night you can hear rustling and squeaking noises in the walls or under the floor.
Mice in the house
And if one of the household members notices a running mouse, this is a sure sign that the rodents have already firmly established themselves in the house and it’s time to take measures to expel them.
How to reduce humidity in a greenhouse
Have you ever walked into a greenhouse in the morning when the sun is rising? You open the door, step forward, and your glasses immediately fog up. You breathe in this fresh, warm air. Water drips and accumulates on all the walls - condensation has accumulated overnight. Even the leaves of plants shimmer with the collected water.
For most people this is a beautiful scene. For farmers it means a little more.
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Best Pest Control Methods
There are many ways to control rodents. You can get rid of mice in your dacha using such means as:
- traps;
- pesticide;
- folk recipes;
- biological;
- special devices.
Another option is to turn to professionals.
When choosing the most suitable method, take into account the number of rodents, their habitat, safety, humanity, ease of use and cost of the product.
Cleaning the summer cottage
In order to combat rodents, it is necessary to maintain order not only in the house, but also in the surrounding area, in the garden and vegetable garden. Activities that need to be carried out on the site:
- regularly get rid of weeds and mow lawns;
- remove fallen leaves, remains of vegetables, root crops;
- prevent the accumulation of construction waste.
In the fall, you need to dig up the ground to destroy the burrows of voles.
Physical methods
Effective rodent repellents include a variety of traps. Among them there are designs both for catching rodents and for their destruction. For mice and rats in the countryside they use:
- traps;
- spring mousetraps;
- glue traps (the animal sticks and dies from dehydration and hunger);
- cages (the animal falls into a trap, remaining unharmed);
- electronic traps (mice caught in the trap die instantly from an electrical discharge).
Many craftsmen build traps from scrap materials, such as plastic bottles or glass jars.
Chemicals for rodent control
An effective and popular option for getting rid of rodents is the use of poison. Rodenticides can be fast-acting or cumulative. For a summer residence, it is better to choose mummifying agents to avoid the appearance of an unpleasant odor from dead animals. The drugs are released in the form:
- powders;
- pastes, gels;
- solid briquettes, tablets;
- poisoned baits;
- solutions, suspensions;
- sprays and aerosols.
Aerosol
It is not always possible to fight mice in the country with the help of chemicals, since pets can reach the toxic substance and become poisoned.
Folk remedies
Many owners prefer to use folk remedies against rodents in their dachas. The following recipes will help you get rid of mice:
- a mixture of flour and gypsum in a 1:1 ratio (be sure to place a bowl of water next to it) - the gypsum in the stomach will harden and the mouse will die;
- a mixture of soda, sugar and flour (water is also needed) - when mixing food with water, a reaction will occur in the stomach, the gas released will kill the rodent;
- kerosene, turpentine, vinegar, ammonia, naphthalene - the smell of these substances will make mice leave the house (essential oils of mint and wormwood are used for the same purpose).
Another remedy for mice is wood ash. It is scattered around the area, along the walls in the house.
Ultrasonic repellers
Lately, mouse repellents such as mouse repellers have become increasingly popular. These devices do not kill rodents, but affect their nervous system, causing discomfort, fear, anxiety, and forcing them to leave in search of a safer place. There are three types of repellers:
- ultrasonic;
- electromagnetic;
- combined.
Depending on the power, the device can repel rodents both in the house and on the property.
Help from professionals
If you can’t deal with rodents on your own, you can entrust this task to professionals. To combat mice, specialists use the latest equipment and modern powerful drugs. Usually the result is achieved after the first treatment.
Natural enemies of mice
One of the most effective ways to deal with rodents in the countryside is to have an animal that catches them. It doesn't have to be a cat or cat. Ferrets, as well as some dog breeds, such as dachshund, fox terrier, and miniature pinscher, can destroy mice.
What is the best way to get rid of mice in the country in winter?
With the onset of cold weather, even those rodents who previously felt great in natural conditions tend to get into the house. They are looking for a warm shelter in which to survive the winter safely. If people live in the house throughout the year, then any available rodent control methods can be used.
Mousetrap
If the country house is empty in winter, then the following measures will help get rid of mice in it:
- sealing all cracks and holes found in the floor, walls, and attic;
- thorough cleaning of the site in the fall (it is necessary to remove remaining vegetables and root crops, grass, and mulch from the beds);
- removal of all products (there should be no food left for rodents in the house);
- the use of repellents (in the premises you can place dried plants, the smell of which repels mice, rags soaked in turpentine or kerosene);
- traps (in an empty house it is better to leave glue traps, traps, spring mousetraps);
- fumigation of premises with smoke bombs or burnt rubber.
It is better to use several methods at once to better protect your home from rodents.
Preventing the appearance of mice in the country
There are a number of recommendations, following which you can significantly reduce the risk of rodents in your summer cottage and in your home. The following steps will help you secure your dacha:
- timely harvesting;
- cleaning the site (plant or construction debris should not accumulate on it);
- digging the ground in autumn or spring;
- timely removal of garbage, maintaining cleanliness on the site with garbage containers;
- placing the compost pit as far as possible from the house;
- regular wet cleaning of the house;
- proper storage of vegetables in the underground and food in the house (pasta, cereals, flour are stored in hermetically sealed containers, fruits and vegetables are put in the refrigerator);
- sealing cracks and crevices in the house, protecting technical and ventilation openings with a metal mesh with small cells.
If the house remains empty for the winter, you shouldn’t leave food in it, but a few mousetraps won’t hurt.
For prevention purposes, you can plant elderberry, mint, and wormwood on your site. Dried herbs are laid out in the house and basement.
A regular mousetrap plus peanut butter will help catch rodents
Standard mousetraps are not always effective against mice, so cunning rodents may simply not fall for them or be able to take the bait so that the trap does not work. However, mice's weakness for peanut butter may work to your advantage. To do this, you need to put peanut butter not only in the center of the mousetrap, but also spread it around the edges to lull the animal's vigilance. When he tries the bait from the edge and makes sure that it is safe, the oil will remain only in the center, where the mouse will go, and the trap will then slam shut.
