Do you have a mouse problem? In one way or another, those annoying critters have to go – not only do they pose a health threat because they leave their droppings everywhere, but they also chew away at your furniture/house installments, devaluing your house and further putting you in danger.
The Bait Mechanics
The most effective mouse traps use some form of bait. The main point of the bait is for the mouse to take (eat) the bait, thereby triggering the trap – all of which ends in a trapped, and possibly dead, mouse to be disposed of.
The problem that many homeowners face is that it’s often hard attracting the mouse to a particular bait – a block of cheese placed on the trap isn’t any more appealing than a slice of pizza laid on the counter/in the garbage can.
Another problem is that the type of bait placed on the trap isn’t bulky enough for the trap to be triggered while the mouse happily eats away – mice will gently lick away at the bait without moving the bait enough for the trap to trigger.
If the mouse isn’t taking the bait (the type of food is not attractive enough), try some of the baits that have been known to get good results: peanut butter, bacon, meat, etc. You should get rid of the other options for food for the mice (laid out pizza, pies, etc) so that they have no real alternatives for food source besides your bait.
If the tackled bait isn’t triggering the trap, the problem is that the bait is often too fluid (runny, soft, etc) so that it does not make an impact large enough for the trigger to work.
Try a bulky, heavy bait that is attractive to the mice – get a chunky peanut butter instead of the “smooth spread” brands. Try adding bits of bacon to the peanut butter to make it chunkier. The mouse might still try licking off the peanut butter, but the trap will trigger when it licks the bacon as well while licking the peanut butter.
Additional Help
If you feel like you need professional help on catching these annoying critters or any advice on the best bait to use for mouse traps, TalkLocal can connect you with up to three local professionals in just minutes! Use TalkLocal and let us do the searching for you.
