Trapping attic mice amidst blown-in insulation

How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has blown-in insulation that looks like this?:

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from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.

Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes (and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now. I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter, then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to check traps?

Thanks,

- Goodmusic

Reply to
Good Music
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This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard. P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them up there and they will find it.

And for all PETA People reading this!! If you have a problem with killing the critters live with them and send me your address so I can ship mine to you.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

Use the big glue trap they sell for rats. Put a blob of peanut butter in it. Make sure you anchor the glue trap down. I like to staple them in the middle of a 18" square of plywood, masonite or heavy cardboard. You might figure out it is a roof rat or 10. They are kind of grey/brown with a long tail and they climb trees, houses or whatever like squirrels.If you can get your finger in a hole they can come in but they quickly eat it out to about an inch or bigger if they are coming and going

Reply to
Greg

Poison will kill them but you might be sifting the insulation for the body. They usually seek water and die there but not all of them. It only takes one dead rat to make you swear off poison in the house. You will live with it for a couple months.

Reply to
Greg

Please send me the mice so I can save them from cruelty and death. Here is my mailing address.

George W. Bush

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington DC.

President Shrub

Reply to
shrub

Take it from a farmer (me). Fill a 5 gal plastic bucket 2/3 full of water. Toss a coupld handfuls of horse feed or plain oats in the water, and let this grain float on top of the water. You'll soon have a whole bunch of drowned mice in that pail. Of course if it's cold enough to freeze the water, you have to add antifreeze. Be sure it's ethylene glycol (the poisonous type). That just kills them faster. However. do not allow your pets near that antifreeze. Be sure to find the place where they enter and fix the hole, or more will come.

Of course you could give the neighbors cat a vacation in your attic. Just be sure the cat has water and a litterbox, and first remove any mouse or rat poison. The idea is to kill the mice, not the cat.

Mark

Reply to
maradcliff

If you do not want to kill the critters you can buy miniture traps that catch them alive (kinda like plastic have-a-heart) at Wal-Mart. Bait with PB. Chk everyday in the AM. You can then let them loose MILE or more from house.

LB

Reply to
LB

In you attic it could be Flying Squirrels, usualy the size of chipmunks. They are common in USA but you rarely see them as they are nocturnal, If you hear them at night and hear chewing on wood it could be them. They can enter any little hole in your eaves, overhang, facia,. I have them. I threw up moth balls they do not like them, yesterday I found a hole , because mothballs were on the ground. Those critters are REMOVING them one by one, problem is they only go out at night so if I seal a hole in daytime I seal them in and they will just chew open another hole. So im just throwing in more Mothballs today, Ive been fighting them for years, remember it is their house, they want in.

Reply to
m Ransley

Colbyt:

Thank you. 1003 dead and rotting mice have been sent to your attention so that you may put them with the rest of your collection and personally mail them off in your name. I don't care to do it myself because impersonating the president and perpetrating harassment against a Federal official is a Federal Felony. But I know you will hancle it for me. They were mailed USPS priority this am and should reach you within three days.

Pop

Reply to
Pop

"Greg" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m28.aol.com... | Poison will kill them but you might be sifting the insulation for the body. | They usually seek water and die there but not all of them. It only takes one | dead rat to make you swear off poison in the house. You will live with it for a | couple months.

Actually, unless you foolishly put out nearby water for them, as one poster suggested, they will leave the attic to find water. By the time they find water, the poison will act pretty quickly and they won't be able to climb back in, but ... if they have access to the basement or cellar, you might find them down there. As a general rule, a dead mouse in a thick pile of insulation won't cause a problem unless you are finicky and will be pulling up the insulation for some other reason. Depending on how easy it is to get back in though, some MIGHT make it back. If one dies laying on the ceiling material, plaster or plasterboard could eventually allow a soak-thru over time, marking the ceiling, but as long as your vapor barrier is in place and properly installed, no problem. We just put a box of poison near wherever we know they are. It disappears quickly if there are more than a couple, so when empty, replace it. At first we used two boxes at a time, but since then one lasts the entire winter and seldom has anything eaten from it. That's because I searched out and sealed up all the accesses with Silicone caulk or aluminum. Well, except one; gonna need a clairvoyant to find that one I guess! Every fall a small amount of the poison gets eaten. We live in the wilds; about any kind of mouse, squirrel, chipmunk and other vermin you can think of will get into a house here if you aren't closed up. It's God's country. PETA? Not worth the effort to comment further on such fanatics. They'd rather see an animal die naturally from its injuries, sickness, or old age, in the cold freezing temperatures of winter. No use for them.

Pop

Reply to
Pop

I've heard that before but I have a neighbor tried it and all he got was some soggy oats. He put one at the silo door and another at the hey mow steps. Only thing it ever caught was an unsuspecting farmhand going up into the mow. It was cold & he got rather wet when it tipped over. And mad.

Pop

| wrote: | | >How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you | >hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has | >blown-in insulation that looks like this?: | >

| >

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| >
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| >

| >from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood | >flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and | >pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be | >mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any | >vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no | >flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are. | >

| >Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the | >blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes | >(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the | >insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now. | >I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say

4-inch diameter PVC | >piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter, | >then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then | >for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into | >the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to | >check traps? | >

| >Thanks, | >- Goodmusic | >

|
Reply to
Pop

I forgot about moth balls. We throw moth balls all around a shed we hvae to keep the vermin out. It seems to work; no nests and no damage, not even their crap smells. You're right, the moth balls do slowly disappear though, sort of one at a time. We only used poison there one time; they died inside the shed, usually right on the floor. Open rafters, etc.

Pop

Reply to
Pop

I use a 5 gal bucket with a cover. cut a hole about 2" round . . . wipe peanutbutter on the bottom side of the cover. . . add 3-4 inches of water. Dump 4-5 mice per week from my garage.

I do provide an easy way for the mice to climb atop the bucket. I also wipe a bit of peanut butter on the ramp & replace it when I empty the bucket.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

:) How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you :) hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has :) blown-in insulation that looks like this?:

:) now that our budget would cover that right now. :) I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC :) piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter, :) then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then :) for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into :) the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to :) check traps? :) The pics definately don't show a serious problem so since the mice will be going outside to find food you may try your trap in a pipe trick and place them every 15-20 feet along the foundation of the house. You might try to the smallest size of pvc that will allow the trap to be set and tripped. If you do need to move around in the attic through the insulation just move slowly to make sure you find a rafter to stand on.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Dancing dog is back!

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Reply to
Lar

:) This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of :) water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard. :) P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them :) up there and they will find it.

Not sure what the water would be used for...mice are one of the few mammals that don't need to drink water to survive. D-con is an anticoagulant bait, the "makes them go out to find water " is just an old exterminators tale.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Dancing dog is back!

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Reply to
Lar

:) I threw up moth balls they do not like them, yesterday I found a hole , :) because mothballs were on the ground. Those critters are REMOVING them :) one by one, problem is they only go out at night so if I seal a hole in :) daytime I seal them in and they will just chew open another hole. So im :) just throwing in more Mothballs today, Ive been fighting them for years, :) remember it is their house, they want in.

You might try placing the moth balls in an old stocking then secure it from a rafter near the area you are wanting. This will also make it easy removal if the moth ball smell/vapors start to be a problem inside the house.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

Dancing dog is back!

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Reply to
Lar

Had the same issue this past weekend. Noises in wall actually woke up my daughter. The next day I wet two spring traps in the attic above/around the wall area where they were hear. I also set some decon boxes at various places around the attic.

Well the next morning One trap had worked so I disposed of the occupant, rebait and reset. By that evening the other trap worked. Again, reset. It's been two days now and no more noise and the traps are still empty.

I chose to use a spring trap to limit any suffering that they might experience with other methods.

Good luck

Reply to
Bob_M

Do you really want dead mice in your walls? Get a live trap and remove the totally from your house.

hth,

tom @

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