[sdbob]

I hear mice in the attic of my rural brick ranch. The roof is a hip with large slatted wooden vents on each end at the ridge,with stapled fine screen wire. I've checked all the utility holes.Rechaulked them. I'm thinking around that vent screening. The house has 24" overhangs. Somehow the mice must be climbing the big outside chimney getting on the roof.Then gaining access around this screening. I've placed snap traps unstrapped then fixed them later. No luck. Anyone try different measures like some kind of smelling oil? I've checked net. Something you guys find works. My cats do get one occasionally. Thanks

[Stuart]

I think the only sure fire solution is keeping them from getting into the house in the first place, but that's hard to do especially if you have an old house. They can squeeze their way in through a 1/4" crack so it can be difficult to keep them out. Check again for any possible entry point, try getting a helper with a flashlight to shine on areas from the outside while looking for the light inside.

I think most suggested repellent measures are ineffective. Bounce dryer sheets, Irish Spring soap, mothballs, etc. may help in the very short term but as soon as the scent dies down the mice will chew on the soap and mothballs, and make nests with the dryer sheets. Some people suggest peppermint oil, but again it's probably something you have to reapply regularly to have any chance. There are sonic boxes that are supposed to put out a high frequency noise that only mice can hear but they have mixed reports too.

[67drake]

I never had much luck with the various scented things. I was diligent with the old snap traps till I got them all. It’s easier to set a few traps in the fall and get the first one or two that come in. When they have already overrun a building and are breeding it’s a lot harder. So I put out traps before I even see any.
DeCon works, but who wants dead mice laying in their walls and attic? It can stink.
As Stuart said, go to town with the caulk gun too.

[sdbob]

It's all brick. The roof vents are the only place I can reasonally think they are getting in. No to dryer vent,no to exhaust fans, no to cracks in masonry, it's all first class when my father built it. As I said I recaulked the utility entrances. Doors and windows sound and are tight,tight weather stripping. Food is only in the kitchen for me and the animals. I was hoping the 'oils' would be the answer.

[Stuart]

Look around the foundation and basement too. I found a small crack in my basement wall, filled it, and the mice pretty much decreased to zero.

[FirebirdHank]

I keep 4 spring traps set in the basement at all times and check them often. I have caught a mouse in a trap that had one year old peanut butter for bait. From my experience the electronic ones are a waste of money.

[nas t eh]

I use Peanut Butter in spring traps as well, but some mice manage to lick it off without getting caught, so I started covering the peanut butter with a piece of tape.
I also like the sticky traps. Keeping them out is the best but when they get in, they have about 7 babies at a time so if you catch a small one you need to get 5-6 more plus the Mom.

[mgarblik]

We had a pretty bad infestation in the house I am in now. First night in this house they got into the pantry and destroyed everything in cardboard boxes and some plastic cartons. I knew right away we needed professional help. The exterminators came out and first performed what they called an exclusion process. This was a brick ranch on a 75% basement/25% crawl space. It took 2 guys about 8 hours to cram steel wool with tiny razor wire in the wool into every tiny nook and cranny in the entire house, basement, attic, entry and exit of every pipe and wire. Then they set around 40 sticky traps everywhere. After about a week we had about 20 mice in sticky traps and the problem was over. That was 8 years ago. I still have the sticky traps in about 30 locations. 15 or so in the attic, 7-8 in the basement and the rest on the main living floor. No mice in the house. I have 3 smallish detached garages on the property. I have another 40 or so traps in the 3 buildings. I catch 6-8 mice a year in them. Hundreds of bugs and 2 small snakes. One small snake with a mouse in his mouth both in the trap. 2 for 1 special. I change them out 1-2 times a year. Max Catch is the brand I use. A little paper box you put together. They are less than .50 cents each on Amazon by the 100. Good luck.

[sdbob]

I even made a trap with small juice can on a axle over a bucket of water with plenty of walking space for mice on top. I even left it unbaited for a week.Baited it nothing maybe I need to have patience. I'll try the sticky traps thanks.

[Sirrotica]

Bob, this works:

https://homehacks.co/farmer-shares-r...rid-rats-mice/

https://pestcontrolzone.com/how-fast...oda-kill-mice/


Living in an old farm house we get mice usually as soon as the outside temp drops. It would take 6 months to close every crack, or hole in my house. Last year after we had mediocre luck with traps, and poison, plus we have 4 house cats, I started doing some research. I came up with the baking soda, and cornbread mix. In about a week the evidence showed a marked drop off in traffic, and by the end of 2 weeks there was no more evidence of droppings, or noises.

I buy peanuts in large cubed plastic containers, when empty them, I drill a 1 inch hole in each side about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the jar. I put the corn meal, and baking soda mixture inside of the plastic jar and screw the lid on it. then sit out where I know there is mouse traffic. Having a hole in either side makes it accessable in either direction.



The first night the powder was about half eaten and you could see there was a lot of traffic in and out of the jar. each day the traffic was less, and less of the mixture was eaten. By the end of the week there was very little traffic evident in, and out of the jars. Hard to believe more people don't know about this safe bait, that can't harm kids or pets.

There are other variations of peanut butter, and sugar, as well as choclate, mixed with baking soda, but I've only used the baking soda, and cornbread mix so far.
,
It doesn't get much easier, or cheaper, to kill these pests.

[sdbob]

Hmm never heard of that, geez I live a sheltered life. I'll try that.Thank you.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Inspect, or have a reliable source inspect the entire perimeter of the fascia boards at the top where the shingle overhang is. In most cases,
I find this to be the number one point of entry. The older houses seem to have more intentional space between the roof sheeting and the fascia boards for venting.
Squirrels, Rats, and especially Mice become very in tune with this and will use your gutters as a highway.
They especially seem to focus on any inside corners.

[dataway]

Bear in mind that with a brick veneer home (which is 90% of brick homes) there is about a 1/2" space between the back of the brick and the wall sheathing. There will be "weep" holes at the base of the brick where it meets the foundation .. this allows condensation that forms inside the brick wall to run down and drain. The weep holes usually have small screens in them, the holes are small, maybe 1/2" high by an inch or so long. If the screens are gone it's a perfect access for all kinds of things.

[sdbob]

Soffit and fascia tight,no rotten wood. I've inspected every inch on scaffolding. There are no weep holes. Block where the brick meet no cracks,believe that. I've double ckd.As I said the vents at ridge are the only area I think mice can get in.

[tooski]

I have heard of the baking soda mix. Apparently the baking soda creates gas in their digestive system. They are unable to expel the gas; thus bloating them and results in them being continually full. So they don't eat and subsequently starve to death.

[West Coast GTO]

After 20+ years of professional home and commercial inspections, the only thing that I have found that absolutely works is to have a professional pest control company come out and rodent proof your house.
You did not mention if you had a slab, basement or crawlspace home but even with the slab, the rats and mice can find ways up and into your walls. If you have a tile roof, there are a huge number of access points; the same with a wood shake roof. Also, are there any trees that may overhang your roof or are withing 6 feet of the roof? Rodents can easily jump that distance.

Good luck.