Ben has been in my kitchen , Help!

[goclark]

About a week ago I saw a mouse run across my kitchen sink!

I am so afraid of Mice , I mean I could not sleep that night.

My cousin came down the next day and set 3 traps, he caught a little one by the tail with an old fashion trap with some peanut butter on it.

I was still going crazy so I called the exterminator. He did a free inspection, nice and professional guy.

The total bill for him to close up all the holes, insulate the crawl spaces, cover the vents etc. etc. etc. would be $1,5000.

He showed me the mice droppings in various places so I know he is not kidding.

He explain that there is another Stimulus for Jobs that helps in California and if I did all the things he mentioned in the TRAP (sp) Package, it would be $5,100 and I would get 1,5000 back on my taxes this year.

Sounded wonderful but I don't have $5,100 to spend on Ben and Co. as well as the other items.

Help!
My cousin said that he can get some D-Con for about $10 and it would work too. :shrug:

My Mom is 91 with Alzheimer's and she lives with me too. I am so afraid that she will wonder in the house and Ben and his Siblings would scare her.

What would you suggest?
Thanks so much,

I always get such great wisdom at this Forum.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Get sonic repellants for each room. Plug all holes you can reach,

including around pipes under sinks and washers, with steel wool. Clean everything up with bleach so you can tell if your visitors return. :)

[goclark]

2. Are those the things you plug in?

I've been using Bleach all over the house.

I am so afraid of rodents that I tip toe into the kitchen now and start looking around slowly. :scared:
Thanks so much

I'll get some today.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Yes, those are the ones. :^)

[goclark]

8. Will get them tomorrow morning , thanks , Question

?


Do I put one in each room of the house or ?

Txs

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Depends on the range. Mine are 20 ft diameter range, I think, so I have two in my kitchen, one at

either end. I have some in the other rooms too.

[goclark]

10. I'm getting ready to find all the Bens

in this house.

Onward and upward.
txs

[surrealAmerican]

3. I second GreenPartyVoter's suggestion.

You may be able to do a fair amount of sealing off yourself, although I used "hardware cloth", which is a fine mesh, stapled in place around the pipes. It stays put, and the mice can't get through it.

[goclark]

4. Thanks , can I get it at Home Depot?

We did put some Brillo into two holds and he still got into that cabinet under the sink. The trap did catch him that time.

The Exterminator said that he thinks they could be staying in the Retrofitting under the house.
In California we do it to help with those Quakes.

We have had the Retrofitting for 10 years and I have never seen a mouse here for 50 years and now this.

Txs again.

[surrealAmerican]

13. They ought to have the stuff at Home Depot.

The thing I don't like about steel wool is that it might not stay where you put it. I'm not familiar with retrofitting having never lived in an earthquake-prone area.

[goclark]

14. They put iron looking interlocking grates around the surface

of your house.
You can only see it if you are in the crawl space

It's done in Carolina as well.

In CA it is suppose to reduce the damage in an earthquake - it might.

All I know is the two times we had a quake since it's been installed ~ it seemed like a train was hitting my house and shaking it.

So far, the damage has not been as bad as before but if it's the big one, that may be another story.

[tigereye]

5. an exterminator told me glue traps worked best - kind of cruel, though

I'd probably go with the hav-a-hart ones. Apparently they aren't that hard to catch = their memories aren't that good and they are very inquisitive. I learned this from a "This American Life" episode. :D

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I forgot to empty a "kind" trap and Mr. mousem died a horrific death. :^(

[goclark]

11. Yes, when I saw Ben in that standard trap hanging on by only his tail

I almost ran out the front door.

Ants and mice, I can't handle them well.

[goclark]

16. Thanks so much

Have A Heart - I like that, it has a ring to it.

I will try my best to have a heart but if I see one more of those little Ben's in my kitchen, I'm trying every trap at the same time. LOL

[GoCubsGo]

12. There's always this:

[goclark]

15. I know, I'm allergic

That would save me a whole lot of money that I don't have.
LOL

[madmom]

17. Actually, Ben was a rat. Good luck with your vermin, hate then too!

[goclark]

19. I've got to get started today getting rid of Ben's little Friends nt

[janx]

18. Mice move in when the weather gets cold. They're not rats, though

they're related. I remember dealing with mice in the very nice house I lived in when I was growing up. They're going to try to come in, and you're going to have to deal with them in one of three ways:

1. You can use poison, in which case you will have dead mice around your house.

2. You can use conventional traps, in which case you will have dead mice around your house.

3. You can use humane traps, in which case you will have to spend more time releasing the mice, but you won't have to deal with dead mice in your house.

I suggest these:

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mouse-Trap-Humane-Mousetrap/dp/B000YFA7HW