02/08/2018 Category: RodentsAuthor: Lara Lisina
No matter how great the scientific progress of mankind, including in agriculture, there are problems that still cannot be completely solved. One of them is mice. Over many years of fighting against annoying rodents, people have accumulated a truly extensive arsenal of so-called folk remedies - from household chemicals to aromatic herbs. What is the best way to get rid of mice?
- 2 House without mice
2.1 Fragrant herbs-helpers2.1.1 Herbs against mice - photo gallery
- 2.2.1 Peppermint against mice
Mice are harmful
You should get rid of mice as early as possible, preventing the population from increasing. To do this, you need to use all available methods and means. Not only folk remedies are used, but also more modern innovative technologies, the effectiveness of which has been proven in practice.
The annoying presence of rodents is accompanied by spoiled food and household items. In addition to the fact that mice spoil trees, they destroy crops both in the garden and in storage. Sensing the smell of food, pests are ready to make their way through the walls, gnawing holes for themselves.
The most common way to fight mice is to purchase a cat or cat, which instinctively begins searching for an opponent at the first discovery of traces of rodents. However, not all breeds of pets are adapted to perform such work. Even if a mouse is the only food item, a lazy house cat will not bother to give chase.
Ultrasound as a rodent repeller
Ultrasonic repellers are small but effective devices.
Ultrasonic devices are considered one of the most humane methods of control in relation to rodents. The operating principle of the devices is simple: they emit waves with frequencies above 20 kHz. A person does not hear sounds above this value, but rats perfectly pick up sound up to 40 kHz, mice - up to 100 kHz. This sound causes panic, fear and forces animals to leave an uninhabitable place.
The main advantage of ultrasonic repellents is the ability to drive away mice without killing them. In this case, all the individuals leave, after which they do not return, as the device continues to work. People, cats and dogs cannot hear sound.
Domestic rodents (hamsters, rats and mice) will hear the sound, it is better to take them away for a while.
The disadvantages of ultrasound repelling include:
- The ability of pests to adapt to the environment. That is, ultrasound may not have an effect on some individuals, and their descendants will no longer be afraid of it;
- Ultrasound operates only in a certain area, in addition, it is not able to overcome some obstacles, that is, you will have to buy several devices for different rooms;
- It is not uncommon to hear negative reviews indicating that ultrasonic devices do not work, mice remain in the house and are even running around the device. However, experiments show that animals react negatively to ultrasound, which means that most likely the problem is in the device itself.
The device must be installed in a room where rodents are most active. It is important to remember that soft materials absorb sound, hard materials reflect, meaning mice can hide behind them.
Important! Each floor will require a separate device, since ultrasound does not travel vertically. If there are a lot of rooms, it is worth buying several weaker devices instead of one powerful one.
Folk remedies
People, preferring chemicals, do not always know that there are many ways to control rodents. These include all kinds of folk remedies, among which the leading position is occupied by essential oils and fragrant herbs.
Some people prefer the smell of wormwood. You can lay out fresh plucked branches of the plant around the house, or fumigate the room (smoldering wormwood). Mice categorically cannot stand such a smell and leave their habitual place.
Interesting: The ancestors believed that the smell of wormwood could drive away evil spirits.
Herbal essential oils
In pharmacies you can buy essential oils that are prepared from herbs. The aroma from the essential oil will be stronger and richer than from fresh or dried herbs. It will be felt longer.
It is known that rats are afraid of the smell of peppermint essential oil. The same goes for mice. The oil is dripped onto cotton pads or napkins and placed in the corners of the rooms.
You can drop a few drops into the water before washing the floors. The smell will be felt throughout the house, so you shouldn’t overdo it. The pungent aroma causes headaches and dizziness.
In addition to mopping the floors, you can diffuse essential oil from a spray bottle. To do this, drop from 1 to 15 drops of oil into 300 ml of water and add 10 ml of alcohol. The mixture is applied wherever animals may be.
Special aroma lamps are sold in stores. The essential oil evaporates along with the smoke, and the smell penetrates into all the cracks.
Direct contact of the animal with the oil must be avoided. If it gets on the fur of a rodent, it will lead to death. For lovers of humane methods of elimination, murder is definitely not suitable.
Mint is the head of everything
If the smell of wormwood is specific and may not be tolerated by some household members, then the aroma of peppermint will be an excellent alternative. This plant has many advantages, such as:
- an indispensable sedative;
- has healing properties;
- exudes a pleasant aroma, refreshing the surrounding area;
- repels rodents and other insects, as well as pests.
- water – 300-400 ml;
- mint oil – up to 15 drops (it all depends on the tolerance of the smell to household members);
- alcohol or alcohol-containing tinctures – 10 ml.
Using mint against rodents is the most humane way to expel mice and rats. At the same time, pets feel calm. There are several options for using mint.
Plant
One of the simplest and absolutely inexpensive ways to use mats is to lay out fresh branches in each room where traces of the presence and activity of mice (mouse droppings) are found. In addition, you can plant a row of mint around the perimeter of the house, which, in addition to performing protective functions, will serve as an excellent decoration for the area. The leaves of the plant can be used both in cooking and for preparing medicinal decoctions and potions.
Dry mint
The versatility of mint is obvious. In addition to the fresh plant, dry leaves are widely used in everyday life. To combat mice, a sock filled with dry leaves is used as a quick solution. This container is filled and tied tightly, subsequently laying out peculiar bags around the house near all existing holes through which mice could theoretically get through.
Spray
It's very easy to prepare a mint-flavored liquid to spray using a spray bottle. Fresh or dried mint leaves are added to boiling water to create an aromatic liquid. The concentrated solution must be judged and poured into plastic bottles with a spray cap.
This aromatic infusion is suitable for treating the entire room. You need to spray all cabinets, shelves, containers and rooms where rodent activity has been recorded. To enhance the effect, you can add a few drops of essential oil to the solution.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint essential oil can be added to the prepared solution intended for spraying the room. It is also recommended to place cotton pads soaked in mint oil throughout the rooms. An added bonus is a homemade air freshener.
To prepare the spray solution, you need to follow the following recipe:
The prepared mixture should be shaken well and only then begin to treat problem areas. You shouldn't apply too much product.
Hot pepper spray
The spray consists of hot pepper. Upon contact with it, mice will experience a burning sensation in their eyes and nose, which will force them to immediately leave their cozy place.
The cooking method is as follows. Cut fresh hot pepper into pieces, about half a glass. Mix with 2 teaspoons of ground pepper, also hot. Bring 4 liters of water to a boil. Place the mixture in a bucket and then pour boiling water over it. Cover and let sit for 24 hours. Strain through cheesecloth. Next, fill any empty spray bottle with infusion, for example, a slab cleaner.
Spray around the house, in rooms, behind cabinets. Repeat in a day or two. Store unused mixture in a cool place.
Adviсe
You can grow mint on your own plot if you live in the private sector. In apartments, growing plants is possible in pots. In this case, you will always have fresh mint branches on hand.
If you don’t have the opportunity or desire to plant mint at home, then dry leaves can be purchased at any pharmacy. The collection is relatively inexpensive, so it is considered accessible at any time of the year. After all, infusions prepared from peppermint are more often used for medicinal and preventive purposes.
It is better to treat premises with mint solutions regularly (1-2 times a week) until the waste products of mice disappear. After all, rodents cannot stand the smell of mint and after prolonged aromatherapy they will leave the house with the whole family.
Protection
Once the mice are gone, renovations should be carried out to eliminate areas through which rodents may enter in the future. For repair work, any available materials are used, but the best option is to line the walls with sheets of metal. It is important not to spoil the façade of the building. But it is quite possible to protect outbuildings with such material.
If it is not possible to veneer the wall, then you can close the holes. Mice can chew through any other material and consider it an additional food option. But steel wool (wool) is just perfect for clogging passages. No matter how much it wants, a mouse will not and will not be able to chew through this insulator, since consumption of such food is fatal for rodents.
Other
Pest control can be carried out by various means, including innovative ones. Mousetraps and other traps are not always effective. Today, consumers are presented with a wide selection of repellers for mice and other rodents that interfere with a full life and housekeeping.
Universal devices perfectly repel pests, preventing them from approaching your home. Peppermint and other folk remedies can be used as a supplement, because mice, in addition to perfect hearing, have a sensitive sense of smell, and the pungent smell of fragrant herbs will speed up the process of expelling unexpected guests.
Will tar help?
Ordinary birch tar can also help cope with rats - they hate its pungent smell.
Birch tar - an old, proven remedy for rats
Tar can be used to lubricate corners, jambs and edges of furniture. And to increase the area of its impact, you need to soak sawdust in it and scatter it on the floor of the room. True, this method should be used with reservations: living in a house strewn with sawdust is not very convenient. Therefore, leave them for the attic, basement, yard, basement and technical outbuildings and sheds. However, if you leave the house for the winter, you can scatter sawdust soaked in tar in the rooms and hallways - in the spring it will be easy to sweep them away when cleaning. In addition to tar, sawdust can also be impregnated with turpentine, kerosene, naphthalene and formaldehyde. But here you need to be careful, since turpentine, kerosene, and tar are highly flammable, and the fumes of naphthalene and formaldehyde are poisonous.
Nuances
It is worth paying attention to the fact that the use of mint and preparations prepared with it is contraindicated if one of the household members suffers from low blood pressure or manifestations of an allergic reaction after contact with this plant. If you have already decided to use mint to fight mice, then it is better for residents to leave the premises while the housing is being treated, and after a walk it would not hurt to ventilate.
Whatever means and method of rodent control is chosen, the end result is much more important than the financial and time costs. By following all the recommendations, you can get rid of mice in a short period of time and prevent their appearance in the future.
Source
The effectiveness of the repellent method
It’s worth saying right away that opinions differ regarding the effectiveness of the scaring method. There are those who support this method and talk about good results, but there are also those who say that it is completely ineffective.
But despite the controversial issues, for a long time people have been using a variety of aromatic herbs and remedies that can drive rats away from the territory.
In many ways, the effectiveness depends on the correct use of a particular product. You need to understand how the substance can affect the rodent and what results to expect.
Repellent substances are not capable of destroying pests; they are intended to make the animal feel uncomfortable and create the most unfavorable living conditions so that they want to leave the house.
