For the last couple of months I began to see evidence that my humble domicile had been invaded by vermin of the rodent persuasion. It seems like I would hear things like objects on the countertop being rattled in the wee hours of the morning. Sure enough, upon close examination of the countertop I could see multiple spots of mouse poop on the counter. I quickly moved any foodstuffs and tabletop appliances out of the way. I thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every inch of the counter.
It was then that I set about devising my plan to vanquish my invaders.
First I tried the spring-loaded traps. I managed to catch one mouse in one trap, but I began to see evidence that some mousy entity was smart enough to lick the peanut butter off the trip lever without activating it. Clearly I was dealing with a professional standing army of trained infiltrators.
Next, I set out the cylinder type traps, four to be exact. Again, I caught one mouse, but the rest of the traps remained untripped for days while my enemy bivouacked on my counter top at night.
Frustrated, I turned to mouse sized sticky traps.
Again, I caught one mouse one night. I thought surely the infestation is over.
Wrong.
Night after night the other sticky traps remained untouched. At the end of a long week, one trap had clearly been stepped on but the mouse managed to chew the edge of the trap, wedge it between the counter and the stove, and get away.
Clearly, my quarry was not your run-of-the-mill mouse. I was dealing with an advance rodent demolition team.
I switched to rat sized sticky traps. One must plant the appropriate type of landmines, right?
I nailed three mice in one night!
I thought the war was over. I cleaned and disinfected the countertop, and moved all my tabletop appliances back to their original positions. I was secure in the knowledge that I had vanquished the last furry creeper in the night.
But then…about a week later…I began to notice the return of…you guessed it…mouse poop.
How many more of these bastards are there?
I lay in wait one night. As I heard movement on the counter, I flipped the light on. Staring back at me was a creature with an attitude that said, “I am just as smart, and just as trained as you.” As I lunged toward him he ran back into the crevice between the counter and the wall.
Damn. What to do now?
During this entire conflict, I had resisted resorting to chemical warfare, modern conventions being what they are and all.
Still, having an unwelcome squatter in my territory was no Bueno por chit.
I caved in to the temptation to purchase some OTC rodenticide. IIRC it contained difethialone which the manufacturer claims may kill in one dose.
I set out my chemical landmine and waited. Sure enough, the next day most of the poison was gone, and the rest of it had disappeared the following day.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
I reread the packaging. “May take a few days to kill” or something to that effect.
Peachy. With my luck the mouse would probably die behind the counter and I’ll have to choose between tearing the cabinets out or smelling dead animal.
I read some literature on the net that tells how the poison kills, and how the dying mouse will probably wander around disoriented out in the open before dying.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally, after a night of socializing, I came home and went to bed. The next morning I saw Mr. Gray Mouse, of late deceased, lying in the middle of the floor in all his rigor mortised glory. A quick swipe with the broom into the dustpan and my last holdout was disposed of.
[b]I have been mouse free for nearly a month now, and I have a new education about what kills and what doesn’t.
- Spring-loaded trap: old school and too easy for a mouse with a light touch to eat the bait without tripping it.
- Cylinder type: good for very small mice only. Other mice learn to ignore it.
- Small sticky trap: too easy for mice to struggle enough to get away.
- Large sticky trap: Very effective, but the other mice learned to steer around them.
- Rat Poison: The Winner. Enemy soldier never suspected his rations were tainted with anti-coagulant.[/b]
Summary:
Doc Glockster for the win.
I think I will go right to large sticky traps and poison from now on.
