Laurel Bishop wrote:Hello Folks, does anyone know if DE will work on mice? I've gotta real problem with 'em . . . .
Nope, sorry. It may rid them of parasites at most.
When you say you have a real problem with them, could you be more specific? In the winter,
they need water, food, shelter, not necessarily in that order if they can go in and out to get at some water/ snow. So that is your challenge:
Give them none of the above and they will be gone!
1/ are they in your dwelling?: If so, there is a (are) hole(s) somewhere. For that you should go all around your home and see where they could be coming in, then plug these holes. It is cheap and effective,
plus your heating bill may go down.
https://www.fleetfarm.com/store/detail/great-stuff-12-oz-gaps-cracks-insulating-foam-sealant/0000000202253/1500?gclid=CjwKCAiA_Kz-BRAJEiwAhJNY7z0GHrw1LnW0tA-0mzIHsNivySLYNAJ05gEvptkswTUT6nNbb01UBRoCagMQAvD_BwE
2/ Are they eating stuff? The solution there is to
remove anything they could consider food from their reach. No more plastic bags or food left unattended on the counters overnight: If they can't reach any food, they will move out to where they can get some. All food should be in hard containers that you can close tight anyway.
3/ are they in your dependencies, like sheds where they chew the wires of your nice motorcycle /lawnmower/ 4 wheeler? Most sheds are
not rodent proof, unfortunately, and these critters love to gnaw on electric wires, the foam of your Harley seat, your lawnmower seat. [Ask me how I know ;-) ] Here, you may also be able to keep the shed tight with the same product, but sometimes, we leave a shed open while we go putter with something and don't get back until rodents have made their way in. For that, a good mouser of a cat, if you have one, could be installed comfortably in the shed. That failing, try to keep the tight shed closed and use rodent traps. I really like the
glue traps if you can install them in a place where children/ pets can't get at them: A place that is dark but spacious
enough.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Real-Kill-Mouse-Glue-Traps-4-Count-HG-10095-4/100187510
Think like a mouse: If I were a mouse and a cat was nearby, where would I hide? That is where you will find them. I have
chickens so I have a mouse that likes to get in and eat their grain. But I have a waterer on a heated pad. The heated pad is on top of a hive lid, supported by 4 small bricks. So I know they can hide there, and I've seen scat. Fastening a glue trap reaps mice harvests! When I change their water [every 3-4 days] I can lift the whole contraption, remove the rodents that are now dead and give them to my
chickens to eat: I know they died without poison in their bodies because I just don't use poisons.
I hope this helps