Deadly Traps
These traps are designed to kill the mouse the moment it is snapped by the trap. There are many lethal traps available in pest control shops; all you have to do is specify to the attendant what kind of trap best suits your needs. The three most common lethal traps sold in pest control shops are Snap Traps, Zapper Traps and Glue Boards.
Snap Traps
There is a reason why snap traps (no matter how simple its construction is) remained in use for so long -- snap traps work. When used with proper bait, snap traps never fail to catch mice when placed in a strategic location such as along walls or corners of the house. Disguising the snap trap (i.e. covering it is sawdust or corn flakes) is also very effective when the mice that are to be dealt with are inquisitive enough to realize the possible harm of falling for the bait.
However, because of its construction, snap traps tend to have very messy results. If the mouse is unlucky enough, its body can be swatted so hard that you'd have to clean up, but an ordinary snap trap (though you can buy more lethal ones for about a dollar each) does not always kill the mouse on the spot so you would have to kill the mouse yourself.
Zapper Traps
The concept used in the construction of zapper traps is way more complex than that used in snap traps. Zapper traps are designed to lure mice into a small cavity leading to the interior of the trap where they are electrocuted to death. Many homeowners who have the money to spend on mice control prefer this kind of trap because it provides very clean results. It is often easy to look over the cost of Zapper traps plus the amount of batteries that they drain when you get to see how effective they are in house mouse annihilation.
Glue Boards
Glue boards used for mice control is very similar to glue boards used for catching flies and mosquitoes; they are usually made from thick chip boards with one side covered with a very sticky substance. However, although a single glue board is enough to catch a lot of mice and it is sold very cheaply, many people still detest using glue boards because of two reasons: (a) glue boards kill mice by starvation (they are trapped for days) and (b) pets and children may get caught in the trap too causing unwanted damages.
You can also make your own lethal mouse trap if you like making stuff. By following the instructions below, you will be able to make your very own Water Bucket Mouse Trap.
Materials you need:
1. Water bucket, preferably with a capacity of about five gallons
2. Ramps
3. Toilet Paper Tubes, at least three pieces
4. Wire Clothes Hanger
5. Food bait and peanut butter
How to make it:
1. Tape the toilet paper tubes together making a long tube.
2. Untwist the clothes hanger and slid the wire through the paper tube.
3. Remove the handle from the water bucket and secure the ends of the wire into the holes left by the handles on both sides of the water bucket.
4. Mix your chosen food bait with peanut butter and spread the mix on the surface of the paper tube.
5. Fill the water bucket by up to half its maximum capacity and put in a place where mouse activity is most apparent.
6. Place the ramps on both ends of the paper tube.
Basically, what you have just made is a sort of "bridge" across a bucket filled with water. You may substitute the paper tube bait with a cob of corn secured in the ends. Mice will climb up the ramp and eat the bait on the "bridge". Because the "bridge" is not stable, the mouse that falls for the bait will definitely fall into the water as well.
Friendly Traps
Now maybe for some odd reasons, you never really intend to harm mice and all that you want to do is to keep them away from your house. If you plan to be friendly towards mice, then you should use one of the few friendly traps that are currently is use nowadays. You can choose from the simple catch trap to the more complex ultrasonic trapping device, or you can make your own friendly trap too by using a large metal bowl having an inside surface greased with butter or oil.
Simply put your food bait in the middle of the bowl and surely, when a mouse sees it, it will jump into the food and will be unable to escape from the bowl because of the slippery surface. You can then take the bowl outside of your house (preferably somewhere a little far) and free the mouse there. But if you don't want to go through the trouble of making traps by yourself, you may buy any of these traps/devices from a pest control shop:
Catch Traps
These types of traps work more like Zapper Traps but instead of electrocution, the mice are simply lured and trapped into a plastic or metal box. The mechanism is quite simple: the mice follow the bait food and eventually end up inside the catch trap, the trigger that shuts the door behind the mouse then activates the moment the mouse touches the bait food the covers it. However, because mice are very inquisitive in nature, they easily learn how to get around catch traps and are able to circumvent its mechanism rendering it useless.
Ultrasonic Trapping Devices
The US trade commission has already made clear that the use of ultrasonic sound in keeping pests away is somewhat futile and ineffective, but you can still find such devices being sold in pest control stores, mostly online-based. Manufacturers of such devices claim that pests cannot bear ultrasonic sound and would prefer to keep away from any device that produces such a sound. You may try using one but the effectiveness of the device is still not assured.
Choosing Your Bait
Keep in mind that the effectiveness of the mouse trap that you set-up is just dependent on the quality of the trap and the location when you place it; the kind of bait that you use also makes a very big difference. In choosing baits, think like one of the mice -- think of the kinds of food that they would love to nibble. For example, you might want to use food that is rich in fats, sugar and protein since mice like these kinds of food. Frosted cereals, peanut butter and bacon are among the classic all time favorite of all house mice.
All the best,
Sergiu Zburatoru
