We are looking after a friend's house and it has a mouse infestation.
At the moment we are trying poison - empty house so no problem with kids or pets.
However, after the short term fix (if it works) a longer term solution is called for.
The mice seem to be entering through the kitchen cupboard under the sink, probably through access holes cut for the plumbing.
We have no idea if the nest is under the run of cupboards, under the floor (anywhere in the house), or outside. Initial research indicates that if you can get a pencil through a hole then a mouse can get through - this means that air bricks could be allowing access.
Sealing up obvious access holes under the sink with foam may be a short term solution (I presume they can eat their way through foam given time).
Other solutions appear to include ultrasonic mouse scarers. I tend to view these with suspicion, but they may well work. Has anyone any experience of these?
Oh, and one web site recommends humane traps, then taking them at least 2 miles away. ISTR reading that releasing pests such as rats and mice into the countryside is illegal. Initial Googling suggests that in 2008 it was illegal to release black rats or grey squirrels and that any other rodent had to be treated in a "humane" way which is open to interpretation. For example releasing a house mouse in a field well away from all houses may not be considered "humane".
At the moment we are reluctant to set lethal traps because of the unpleasant task of clearing them of dead or injured mice. I still distinctly remember back in the '70s having to kill a mouse which was caught in a traditional trap. Not fun.
So - any tried and tested mouse eradication strategies most welcome.
Cheers
Dave R