Readers Sound Off: Building A Better MouseTrap

Problem Solvers at Heart, Design News' Readers Have Plenty of Ideas for Building A Better MouseTrap

By Design News Staff -- Design News, March 19, 2006

"Kick the Bucket" Takes on New Meaning

I enjoyed your view on mousetraps (DN MYVIEW 01.09.06). I wish I had an idea for you, but I only have an amusing story. We had a mouse that was eluding all of our traps.

My husband has a habit of throwing the laundry basket down the basement stairs so it is there for the next load of wash. On the next trip to the basement, we found that the laundry basket had hit and killed our mouse. We still tell the story and everyone gets a good laugh out of our "new and improved mousetrap.'' Have a great day and good luck catching your mouse.

Patricia J. Petrola, Elverson, PA

Some Humane Alternatives

It was with sadness that I read your column "Wanted: A Better Mousetrap" in the Jan. 9 issue of Design News. It made me heartsick to think of the many lethal devices you have employed in an attempt to rid your home of mice. These cruel poisons, snaps and glue traps can cause mice and rats to suffer in agony for hours or even days.

As someone who has caught more than his fair share of live mice right here in my office, I can tell you that humane traps do exist, are effective, and, best of all, do not resort to killing the animal. I know that because of their small size and use in medical research mice are thought of as "disposable" in our society, but these animals experience fear and pain just like the rest of us. I encourage you to explore one of the many humane alternatives for catching mice and am passing along a few links for you: http://www.smithsax.btinternet.co.uk, http://www.mousedepot.com, http://www.naturallivingstore.com/smartmousetrap.html.

Yes, it's a little more effort, but these poor little guys don't live very long anyway — let's give them a break.

Mark Hawthorne, Rohnert Park, CA

Slippery Slope

I have read about your problem about catching the mice. Here is an old trick I used at my summer house and happens to be quite successful: Place a galvanized bucket (deep enough so the mouse will not be able to jump out — about 16 inches or so) in the area where mice are more active. Put something like two inches of water in the bucket. About three inches from the top put some peanut butter or creamy cheese that will stick to the galvanized bucket. Then put a small piece of wood to create a path that the mouse will take to go up the bucket to try to feed. When they try to feed, they slide down on the galvanized steel of the bucket. Since they are not able to climb on galvanized steel, they finally drown. The next morning you just have to throw the water and the mouse away without even having to touch it! I regularly catch more than one in the same night, sometimes up to three.

Jean Lachaume, Varennes, Quebec

Bacon Works — No Kidding!

I had a big chuckle after reading your article. Here's a solution that works for me (same piece of bait is good for about three mice): plain spring-loaded mousetrap baited with a small piece of raw bacon. Forget the peanut butter. If you're squeamish about disposing of dead mice, either toss the trap with the mouse attached or buy some nitrile gloves (the stuff auto mechanics use) when removing the ex-mouse. Thanks, again, for the laughs.

Bohdan Bodnar, Arlington Heights, IL

Farm Boys Know Best

In 1937, I was a young man on a small farm in rural Utah. We had mice both in our farm buildings and in the house (especially the kitchen). I was assigned the job of catching them (among a host of other chores). I was supplied with the basic equipment — the traditional wooden-base, spring-loaded, wire-snapper-type traps. I soon found that I missed a lot of mice — the traps would be unsprung (or even sprung) but empty, with the bait missing. I surmised that the clever rodents were able to get the bait off the trip lever without tripping the trap. I noticed that the most favorite food seemed to be grains.

"How could I use grain as bait?" I asked myself. Aha! bread is made of grain. I used stale bread but it too was stolen by the wily little devils. "How can I keep them from stealing the bread?" I asked myself. I noticed that damp bread was easily compressed into a pasty mass that then hardened. I took small pieces of bread and moistened them thoroughly in my mouth to make them pasty and molded the damp mess around the metal trip lever where they dried into a hardened mass that still smelled and tasted like BREAD! That solution was a good answer and I won much praise for my production of dead rodents and my conservation of our food and the food for the livestock. I didn't know it then, but I had used simple, but effective, engineering techniques for problem-solving. Later, I found out how much fun engineering could be and got a degree in mechanical engineering. I got a job in California and have had a ball ever since (75 years so far).

Jack Williams, Fallbrook, CA

Old "Scout's" Trick

I learned this tip from the camp ranger up at a Girl Scout camp in the mountains outside San Diego. It won't rid you of the existing ones, but it will help prevent more from coming in. Use real coarse steel wool (like a scrubby pad) to stuff around all the pipes and electrical wires coming into your house. Tear off pieces and loosely stuff it around all the pipes and wires you can find. Use a popsicle stick or emery board to stuff it into the cracks. Patching compound or that foamy stuff they can eat thru, but not the steel wool.

Mice can fit through a pencil-wide gap. Don't forget the pipes from the furnace to the house, water heater pipes, under the sink pipes and drains, laundry room, ice maker water pipe, gas lines to the stove, etc. There are more places than you realize. Good luck. Hope this helps.

Doug Ernst, San Diego, CA

Our Mousetrap is the best!

Your article of Jan. 9, 2006 from the Design News, "Wanted: A Better Mousetrap," was placed on my desk today. We can't submit our nomination for the Design News Golden Mousetrap Readers Choice as the deadline has past, but I would like to invite you to view our website: www.knees.com. Knees Mfg. Co. Inc. has been manufacturing mousetraps since 1924. We have several designs that we think you would be interested in. We would like to take that challenge to rid your brownstone home of the dreaded mouse problem. We would also be happy to help your neighbors. Please view our website. We recommend the Snap-E or Tip-Trap for home owners.

Kathy Knees Wauson, Albia, IA

You Gotta Outsmart Them

I'll give you a golden piece of advice in ridding yourself of the little creatures. What you have to realize is they are smarter than we might think, but not as smart as they think they are. When I experienced a problem in our household I noticed that traps would go unsprung, but the mice were still there. What I discovered is they would actually jump over traps that were placed in their runways. I would move their traps about one trap length, and my catch rate would escalate. It's just like hunting other animals in the wild . . . ya have to out smart them. That's the better mousetrap.

Michael Otti, Detroit, MI

Gobs of Peanut Butter

Just read your Jan. 9, 2006 "Wanted: A Better Mousetrap" piece. As far as I am concerned, you can't improve on the old-fashioned wood and spring-steel snap traps, as long as it's mice you're dealing with. We live in an 18th century post and beam house with plenty of holes and lots of mice. They start looking for warm, dry places every fall. When we hear them running in the walls or see evidence they've left, we buy several of the $0.99 traps. The best bait is peanut butter. Don't just place a dollop on the trigger surface, as I've seen them clean this off without springing the trap. Make sure you load it inside the little rolled cylinder that forms the rear of the trigger. That makes them work harder to clean it all up and is usually enough to finish them. Place the trap where the mice can get at it. Any place you see mouse droppings or just about any quiet spot along the line where the wall intersects the floor is preferable.

Dan Evans, East Providence, RI

Try an Ultrasonic Repeller

Having had a similar problem, but with rats in a three-story building, I can sympathize with your problem. A full arsenal was tried and tested to no avail (glue traps, poison, rat spring traps, etc.). Eventually I hit on the idea of putting an ultrasonic repeller under the floorboards right where I could hear the rats. I am glad to say I haven't heard them since. I guess the sound gets effectively transmitted in the cavity beneath the floor boards to such a level that they can't bear it anymore. This really amazed me as we had what I considered a serious rat problem.

Owen Laverty B.Sc, Dublin, Ireland

Mmmmm, Bacon Fat

The world doesn't need a better mousetrap, it needs better bait. Mice enjoy chocolate, peanut butter and cheese. They gather 'round traps baited with those snacks and have a party. In the morning, the traps are bare — of mice and bait. I swear by a bit of raw bacon fat tied onto an old-fashioned spring-loaded trap with monofilament fishing line. Place the trap close to a wall and you get'em every time.

Jon Titus, Herriman, UT

Mousetrap and disposer in one

After reading about your mouse problem, I felt I had to inform you of the "best" existing mousetrap available . . . and there's no patent on it!

Three years ago we started seeing the usual telltale indications of unwanted visitors (aside from my in-laws visiting). Traditional spring mousetraps did an adequate job, but were not consistent and, on more than one occasion, had to be tracked down as the mouse was "caught," but not completely disabled. Fourteen feet from the original start point was the record for the "rodent trap drag."

A friend told us she knew where she could get a hold of a combination mousetrap and disposer.

One month later the rodent problem was eliminated with the introduction of Nigel, our very own male cat. The tried and trusted and most-effective mouse trap around!

There is a problem. Nigel was an outdoor cat and we live in the country. Survival of the fittest still applies and our "perfect" mousetrap is no more.

We have a new one on order. Delivery is in spring. After he has been weaned from his mom!

Chris Harrison, South Bend, IN

Cheerios and peanut butter

I live in an older home in a rural area and have had similar problems in catching small rodents. I found that if I use a standard spring-loaded trap you could get for $0.99 at the hardware store, it works well if you make sure the mouse triggers the trap. The key, I found, was to use peanut butter, which they love, and a Cheerio (you know, the cereal) or something similar. You paste a good glob of peanut butter on the trap trigger then stick the Cheerio on it. The peanut butter attracts the rodent to the trap and it wants to take the Cheerio home with him. The morsel, being stuck to the trigger, cannot be removed without springing the trap. This really works. I had about a 90 percent success rate, believe it or not. The trouble is that the mouse is not always caught in a way that it dies right away and you may have to resort to a suitable means of execution after you catch them. This method should, however, catch them. Good luck!

Michael D. Barbere, Pelham, NH

Sticky, stale jelly beans

Just read your editorial in Jan. 9, 2006 issue. A better mousetrap needs better bait. Anything the mouse can lick off without tugging will simply feed them. What works at my house is sticky (stale) jelly beans. The fruit smell draws them in, and the sweet taste makes them want it bad enough to try to pull it loose (or, it sticks to their teeth and then they pull — I haven't video taped the event to know exactly what happens). Just smash a tiny piece of jelly bean onto the bait holder and set the trap where the dog can't lick it!

Last fall I got five mice in two days with three old-fashioned spring traps. These mice had been visiting those same traps and licking off the peanut butter for three days prior without a single dead mouse! Now, not a squeak anywhere in the house!

Brent Boyd, Design News reader

Following the stench

After reading your amusing story about your mouse problems at home, I could not help but think of the problems my dad went through at work.

He was working for a company in San Francisco when he was relocated to San Ramon, to a new building. After he and the other couple of thousand people moved in, they realized very quickly they had a field mouse problem. The root of the problem was that they put the building on the field where the mice were living. So, the mice found these nice new homes that we call cubicals. There, the mice found plenty of food in the drawers and they started to multiply.

The facilities department decided they had to do something about this growing problem, and in their infinite wisdom, decided that glue traps were the way to go. They placed around 5,000 glue traps all over the large building and sent a memo out telling people what had been done to combat the problem. The issue my dad had was that they didn't tell anyone where the glue traps were located and many people found them by following the stench. My dad decided something different had to be done and tried to talk to the facilities department about it, but they were set on using the glue traps. So, my dad got one of the old standard style mousetraps and went to work.

He would use peanut butter or sandwich meat, whatever was on hand that day, and set the trap. Every time he caught a mouse, he would stick it in a bag, go to the copy machine and make a copy of it. From what I remember, he had over 30 kills on his own. Every one of these catches was forwarded on to the facilities department in the form of interoffice mail (just the copies, not the originals).

Scott Vonhof, Design News reader

Mass of decaying flesh

Unless you have really large mice, you shouldn't get much smell if they die in the walls. The smell is proportional to the mass of decaying flesh.

I would use the poison to get rid of the infestation. It would probably help if your neighbor was also feeding them poison, but not necessary if you can kill them faster than they breed. Rodent poison is an anti-coagulant, which makes the rodents get very thirsty, so they will typically go outside to find something to drink and die there.

It might help if you knew where the mice were entering the structure. If you go with poison you don't want to repair the holes until you're pretty sure they are all dead or gone.

If you really want to gross yourself out, take a black light into your kitchen. Mouse urine will fluoresce under black light.

Ellen Murphy, Design News reader

On your hands and knees

When my wife and I first moved into our home in the summer of 1991, we were unaware of a mouse problem until the cold weather arrived and our great cat, Digit, began hunting them.

The first cold weather after Digit died, the mice were back. We killed them with regular little spring-with-wood-bottom type of traps. The best bait, in our experience, is peanut butter. Our only other technique is to place the traps along a wall. Typically, mice travel a path along a wall or appliance bottom.

Also, close inspection of your home (I mean close, on your hands and knees, with a flashlight) is a great way to see where they are, or could be, coming in.

Also, in our experience using mouse-killing poison, like "D-con" works. We've never had an issue with a mouse corpse stinking up the place. I don't know if this is because they went outside to die, or were carefully embalmed before interment.

We used to have a mouse problem here at work. Our building is a former ceramic lamp factory. I'll bet there are a hundred or more places where mice could enter. Once we adopted better sanitation, cleaned up scraps from lunch, everyday things got better. Our nameless "shop cat" was effective, too.

Stephen Van de Castle, Design News reader