How to Set a Mouse Trap (sample newsletter article)

The leaves are changing up here in Central NY. Nights are getting cooler and pests are looking to set up shop in our homes.

Last year around this time, I posted on IPM for Mice. You can read that post here: http://stoppests.typepad.com/ipminmultifamilyhousing/2010/09/mice.html

Preventative measures that block out pests like mice are key to IPM. Remember, if a pencil can fit under a door, so can a mouse. And they’ll squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Door sweeps, if they brush the floor and span the entire length of the door, keep mice from scooting in.

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How to Set a Mousetrap

When the seasons change, pests like to come inside. If you know how they are getting in, call in a work order to XXX-XXXX so we can fix the hole. Remember, PHA makes repairs and pays for pest control, but you have to let us know what you need.

If a mouse is in your house don't use poison, set traps. Make sure the trap

• is set ALONG THE WALL (that’s where mice run); and
• is in a safe location where pets and kids won’t get stuck or pinched.

Kinds of mouse traps include:

• Snap Traps. If set right, snap traps kill the mouse quickly. You can throw away the mouse and re-set the trap. Or throw away the trap with the mouse.
• Glue Boards. Glue boards work too, but a mouse will take some time to die. That can be unpleasant for you and the mouse. Do not reuse glue boards. If something other than a pest gets stuck to it, use vegetable oil to un-stick the glue.
• Ultrasonic devices don’t work.

Here’s how to set a traditional snap trap:

1. Flip the locking bar away from the trap.
   
2. Tie or stick bait to the trigger. Bait with what the mice are eating or nesting with. Cotton makes great bait because mice want it, but it doesn’t feed other pests. Before using peanut butter, consider people with allergies.
3. Fold the U-shaped snapping bar back and hold it in place.
   
4. Bring the locking bar back forward and stick the end of it into the holder on the trigger. You will have to lift the trigger a bit to get it to stay.
    
5. Keeping your fingers away from the trigger-end, gently release the snapping bar.
6. Gently set the trap with the TRIGGER END NEAR THE WALL. If you are setting multiple, make sure they are at least 3’ apart.
7. Check the trap at least daily.
8. When you catch a mouse, use tongs or gloves to pick it up and throw it away.

Comments

[Home Pest Control]

Yeah such a amazing technique you have mentioned to get our mouse from our home..

[Allie]

Despite the possible sarcasm, I published the previous comment.

I wrote this post at the request of a property manager and based on feedback from pest control companies and from what I've seen while working in homes. So often residents try to contribute to pest control by purchasing and setting mouse traps, but they set them wrong.

Often the traps are placed in the middle of a counter, on top of the microwave, or against the wall with the trigger end away from the wall.

I realize this post is somewhat elementary, but (as with so many things about pest control in low income housing) a very small effort to educate can go a long way towards making pest control efforts more effective.

Another common one is showing residents that their stove top lifts up so they can clean under it.