How to get rid of mice in an apartment

Mice live next to the man of the millennium. Many ingenious and dangerous methods have been invented in the fight against “uninvited guests.” But as soon as autumn approaches, you hear the patter of little paws, squeaking, and rustling. They not only create an unpleasant smell in the house, but also chewed things and spoiled food.

Mice live next to the man of the millennium. Many ingenious and dangerous methods have been invented in the fight against “uninvited guests.” But as soon as autumn approaches, you hear the patter of little paws, squeaking, and rustling. They not only create an unpleasant smell in the house, but also chewed things and spoiled food. Of course, you can use poisons and mousetraps, or you should try more humane means, for example, repelling with odors. These are proven, folk methods, thanks to which rodents leave a person’s home and rarely return to it.

Help of essential oils in the fight against rodents

Knowing what smells mice don’t like, you can, if not get rid of them forever, then scare them away for a long time. Many herbs also contain essential oils, but their concentration in dry mixtures is not so high, and therefore the smell is rather weak.

The most effective essential oil with a sharp and persistent aroma that rodents do not like is peppermint oil. Before using it, you need to find holes or holes through which mice enter the house. It is these places that are subject to treatment, which is used in 2 options.

Option 1: Moisten several cotton pads or balls of cotton wool with a mixture of oils. We put the product in the hole and seal it with tape so that the smell does not penetrate into the apartment. The mixture contains: 50 ml. vegetable oil + 20 k. peppermint oil. This composition can be prepared in advance and stored in a tightly closed container.

Option 2: Pour the prepared mixture into a spray bottle, mix thoroughly (shake before use) and spray in the kitchen, along the baseboards, in places that rodents visit most often. The composition consists of 1-15 k essential oil + 300-400 ml. water + 10 ml. alcohol

Note: A one-time treatment will not help; it should be repeated several times. Essential oil will not kill mice, but will only repel them. But if it gets on the pest’s fur, it may die. Then you will find more than just essential oil aromas.

Plants in the fight against rodents

Mice have a well-developed sense of smell, so they react to any odors. Among them there are those that scare them away, causing disgust. Since ancient times, various herbs (dry, fresh, tinctures from them) have been used in the fight against “uninvited guests.” These pleasant-smelling “repellents” are completely safe for the inhabitants of the house.

Among the herbs that are most unpleasant to mice are:

1. Chamomile, the flowers of which should be scattered in the places where the food is located (fresh or dry: it works equally well).
2. Wild mint, which is laid out in bunches, after drying, in places where rodents gather. You can also use a tincture from it, lubricating the places where “furry guests” appear most often.
3. Elderberry, the smell of which is especially unpleasant for animals. It is enough to lay out twigs with berries on the shelves of the kitchen cabinets, and the mice will stop rustling in the kitchen at night.

This is interesting: Rodents are so disgusted with elderberry that they avoid houses next to which this plant is planted. So, if you live in a private house, plant elderberries nearby and do not be afraid of a mouse invasion. Planting mint bushes in the backyard will also come in handy: mice will avoid them.

1. Wormwood is a herb whose smell is quite pungent and is not liked not only by pests, but also by some people. Dry bunches of grass are laid out on kitchen shelves and in corners (or around the perimeter) of the house.
2. Tansy also has a pungent odor, causing unpleasant emotions in “uninvited residents.” Bunches of dried grass are laid out around the house and not only mice, but also ants and flies leave it. By repelling mice, you will also get rid of other unpleasant inhabitants of the apartment.
3. Ledum is a poisonous plant, but due to its high content of essential oils it can repel pests from a long distance. It is enough to lay out just a few bunches of wild rosemary in the apartment.
4. Black root is poisonous not only to mice, but also to people, so it should be placed only in places where animals are frequented and used carefully, especially if there are children in the house.
5. 8. Hazel grouse bulbs have a garlicky aroma and mice avoid it.

Important: It is advisable not to just lay out the bunches of herbs, but to first dip them in boiling water. So there will be a smell

the strongest and stay in the air longer. Place safe plants throughout the house, poisonous plants near mouse holes. The “poison” should be updated once a week.

You can try placing burdock in the holes. Gray pests do not like thorns; they avoid them. Therefore, they will not climb into the holes where the “spiny balls” are laid out. They will either leave, which is doubtful, or make new moves.

Folk remedies that remove mice from the house include ordinary stove ash. It is scattered on dry floors, in the cellar, and in other places where mouse paths pass. The ash contains alkali, which gets on the paws of mice and corrodes them. Mice lick it off, thereby causing irritation in the mouth and stomach. Small broken glass is used as a means of pest control. Mouse feet are delicate and splinters cause serious and painful injuries. Because of ash or broken glass, they may change their location.

Biological control agents

We have known the fairy tale about what mice are afraid of since childhood. This, of course, is a treacherous cat who only thinks about how to eat the stupid mouse. Indeed, a young and fighting cat is able to cope with a large number of rodents. And if this predator lives in the house, then there is no reason to worry about a mouse invasion. She will catch a few victims, the rest will leave on their own. Interestingly, the cat usually does not eat the mouse, bringing the owner a trophy.

Statistics show that one cat catches up to 60 mice a year, keeping its territory under control. She is a lone hunter who goes through all the hunting rituals, tracking and catching a rodent. But the mustachioed predator can infect the owner with an allergy or infectious disease obtained from mice, for example, toxoplasmosis.

Note: If you take a predator from your neighbors to save you from rodents, of which you already have quite a lot, then it is not a fact that he is able to cope with them. The infestation of mice is “not something he can handle.” In addition, the animal should not be shy. Not all pets exhibit hunting instincts.

Other animals also hunt mice: dogs, ferrets, weasels, and some birds of prey. Your indoor dog, of course, will take part in catching rodents, but you can’t expect much help from other predators, because they hunt in natural conditions.

Where do mice come from in an apartment?

Among the 100 species of rodents common in Russia, the most famous are the field, house and forest mice. Accordingly, during the “hungry and cold” season - which is from early September to November - they break into people’s homes, causing considerable discomfort to its residents. In addition to damaging furniture and other interior items, eating everything they meet on their way - from wallpaper to clothing, these rodents instill primitive fear in some. In addition, if mice have lived in a room for quite a long time, a characteristic sourish unpleasant odor appears in it, which is quite difficult to get rid of.

Squeak of decorative mice

Usually, animals express their dissatisfaction with the conditions of detention or report a painful condition with loud exclamations. The mouse can squeak:

• under stress;
• lack of water or food;
• during illness;
• due to itchy skin as a result of infection with ectoparasites;
• with allergic dermatitis, when the skin is flaky, painful and inflamed.

It is believed that a small rodent can squeak for about a week after changing its place of residence - and this is the norm, since it takes some time to adapt to a new home.

It is important to never add new residents to an already established team, otherwise you will end up with a real mouse booth, which will ultimately end not just with indignant exclamations, but also with the murder of the uninvited guest. In the latter case, a desperate whistle will be heard guaranteed.

Illness is another reason for squeaking. At the same time, it will be more like crying - loud, pitiful and prolonged, only intensifying over time. If you suspect health problems, you should carefully examine the mouse to see if it has any damage, or show it to a veterinarian. True, finding a good ratologist (rodent specialist) can be problematic, especially in small provincial towns.

By the way, in some cases, disturbances stop when the type of bedding is changed or the nest where the small gray cub lives is thoroughly cleaned.

Often, owners mistake chest whistling or wheezing due to breathing problems as a result of a cold or pneumonia for a squeak. If pneumonia or bronchitis is suspected, the animal is transplanted into a separate container (quarantine) so that the rodent does not become a source of infection for other pets, and the dynamics of the process are carefully monitored. If the condition worsens, antibiotics and vitamins may be required.

Interesting Facts

It is believed that under normal conditions animals communicate with each other in the ultrasonic range, which is why it is not often possible to hear a mouse squeak.

During sexual games, the male attracts the attention of the opposite sex with special singing, which is also inaccessible to the human ear.

Surprisingly, there are several contradictory folk superstitions about mouse squeaking:

• one of them says that hearing a squeak means the death of the owner of the house;
• another says it's for a wedding,
• and the third even predicts a hungry and miserable winter.

Prevention of mouse infestations

If you have gotten rid of rodents, there is no need to relax. They may visit your home again. Therefore, try to follow a number of simple rules:

1. Store products in refrigerators or closed containers out of reach of mice.
2. The apartment must be in immaculately clean condition.
3. If the house (apartment) is old, then seal all the holes and openings so that “not a single mouse gets through.”
4. Place wormwood, mint, or cotton balls soaked in essential oil in the corners.
5. Get a mustachioed hunter cat.

Important: If you notice the smell or traces of mice, do not hesitate. You need to take action right away, since the females are very fertile and getting rid of a large mouse family will subsequently be much more difficult.

Sometimes mice cause us sympathy, because they are so cute and fluffy, they have funny habits. There are hobbyists who keep pet mice. But remember that they carry dangerous diseases such as tularemia, leptospirosis, salmonellosis and others. In addition, they need to constantly grind down their incisors, so mice chew on everything: furniture, wires, walls, floors. Their appearance in the house is associated with a lot of troubles. And the methods you just read about will allow you to get rid of “uninvited guests.”

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What smells repel mice?

Smells are one of the folk methods of fighting mice, which is also the most natural - plants can be used both fresh and dried. A few sprigs of mint or bay leaf are enough and the rodents will leave the home. A good preventative measure is plantings and mint bushes, which become a hedge for rodents.

They also dislike the odors that come from vinegar essence and ammonia - they are applied to cotton balls and placed in the suspected habitats of pests.

Signs of mice in the house

The main ways from which uninvited guests can enter your home are the basement, sewers, ventilation pipes, and garbage chutes. There are direct signs that mice have entered your home:

1. Holes in walls and floors are passages that rodents need to move freely around the apartment;
2. Mouse droppings are small black oblong feces;
3. The smell is sour and musty, easily recognizable;
4. Sounds – if during the day mice can make a slight rustling noise when moving, then at night, especially if there are large concentrations of them, quite loud sounds can occur under the floor and behind the walls, accompanied by a characteristic mouse high-pitched squeak;
5. Wary behavior of a cat - if the pet constantly sniffs and looks for something, freezes in one place for a long time - perhaps he is hunting for mice, the presence of which you do not even suspect.