Several of you have asked for an update so I thought I better let y'all know.
TWO DOWN, hopefully none to go!!!
So let me back up.
A few days back, we went out in the middle of the week after work to see if the traps were sprung. Going out there (it's about 45 miles one way) after getting home from a long day of work makes for a long night, be we were hopeful. Sadly, they weren't sprung. Ugh. All I managed to do was scare myself silly in the dark when I heard a strange noise, but more on that in another posting.
The next step was to order some sort of ultrasonic noise type machine that several of you mentioned in the comments. I did some research and found these online. Supposed to be very good and they came pretty highly reviewed. So I ordered two and they arrived on Friday.
It was a wet, rainy weekend, Saturday very heavy, so we stayed in town. Sunday we loaded up and headed out, in the rain again, but it was more sporadic. Drove through some ominous, heavy clouds but for the most part it was just light rain. We got there and walked in and the first three traps, nothing.
But the next two, DING DING, two mice caught! (though "mouse caught" on the side of these traps is really just a euphemism for
CAUTION DEAD MOUSE INSIDE). I carefully removed the traps and disposed of said contents. Just took a picture of one. I chose to dispose of the traps too. Wasn't in the mood for 'cleaning' them.
Found places for the two ultrasonic repellers. Put one in the mudroom pointing toward the kitchen and dining room and the other up front in the foyer pointing into the living room and bedrooms. Let me tell you, on the high setting, these things are loud enough to drive out HUMANS as well as anything else.
We checked all the cushions and drawers and cabinets and no droppings, no nests, nothing. It looks, fingers crossed/knock on wood, like the mouse proofing measures we recently undertook have worked. We sealed up everything, I sprayed some exterior repellent around all the doors and the perimeter of the house, we put down some packets of aromatic things they don't like, and we set the traps. Now we have the noisemakers going on high while we're not there.
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| Field of "Broomweed Flowers" (thanks for the ID Dianne!) |
When we left, there were blue skies starting to break through the gloom and I saw this view across the street. I had to stop the car and jump out to take a picture. 2nd Man thought I was crazy, but I love sharing the land around us with all of you. None of these flowers were there a week ago!
Maybe this will be a good sign that the mice have moved on too. They can live in this field and be happy amongst the flowers.
If you see two, there are fifty. I thought we were finished with them and saw one run across the back of the drainboard this morning! UGH!
ReplyDeleteAARRRGH! Don't tell me that!! Ha. I'd die if I saw 50 mice, ha. I'd fell like they won, lol.
DeleteMary Ann is right about 50. If you've had rain, they would rather be inside. You may not see signs of them but they find other places to nest/hide. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteOooh, good point about the rain. Well, I hope I've sealed everything up but then again, can you really seal up an old house? ANY house for that matter? Sigh. I'll just keep up the fight and we'll see who wins, man or mouse, haha.
DeleteOur farm house is 115 years old. We have tried all the traps, all the poisons all the scents, even an armed goard but nothin worked until we let one of our big barn cats...Jackson...inside. Mice were gone !
ReplyDeleteI bet Jackson was a happy cat too! (and a slightly "bigger" barn cat now? LOL!). I can't wait to have our own Jackson one day.
DeleteI would have bought a shotgun by now and would have destroyed most of the skirting board like tom out of Tom and Jerry!
ReplyDeleteThat is too funny, I can totally picture that (me, not you, though probably you too now that I think about it, ha). When I saw the first one in the drawer, I felt like I could go that route. ;-)
DeleteGet feral cats. they work. Or better yet, get a nice kitty and let it stay inside for a week. You can leave plenty food, water, etc. Voila! No mice!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the broomweed pic. I love all those weed flowers. they make the land beautiful!!!!!! thanks, dianne
You know, I forgot to mention, we were speaking with 2nd Family at the other end of the property and they have several outside cats, they are going to bring one up there and put some food on the porch to keep him hanging around. Their daughter said that she saw one of the cats up there exploring, so we said "feed away, though don't make it too full", ha.
DeleteDidn't know the name of that flower, hadn't looked it up yet in my book. Thank you! I've corrected the post and credited you! :-)
Thanks for the update.. I'm going to have to find one of those repellers. They look a lot more serious than the type you can usually get in England.
ReplyDeleteAmazon! We figured they were best because they are SO loud and the house is remote/rural so we can turn them up on high and leave and don't have to worry about a next door neighbor complaining about the sound. I figured that we could leave them on high when no one is there and then when we go out, turn them on low and/or off when we're there.
DeleteGlad to hear the mouse problem is coming under control!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the last picture of the field... Beautiful!
Fingers crossed!!! Thanks! Yes that field is beautiful. I was surprised how quickly it just appeared. Nature is so awesome. :-)
DeleteOk this is the way I see it(from a mouse point of view)you may of won the war but not the battle hahahaha so I would watch out for them being dressed up in little robinhood suits and shooting arrows at you.LOL
ReplyDeleteOH, now you'll give me nightmares, haha. I can see what you're saying, let's hope the little buggers don't get that smart! Unless they are sitting around now gathering weapons, ha.
DeleteHope you do have the mouse problem under control. We have a problem every winter with the first rain...then I go to work...lots of spring traps, sticky traps, the sonic things and last but not least...poison. It's an on going problem and just part of farm living....and with the view you have (that picture is amazing)it's worth battling a few mice!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm slowly resigning myself to the fact that this might be a recurring issue, though I'd rather it just be one or two once a year, ha. Sounds good to me. Thanks for the comment about the pic, that is a great way to look at it (pun intended), give a little gain a lot huh? ;-)
DeleteThanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.
ReplyDeleteThank you and welcome to the blog!
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