The filthy things. For a time, we struggled to find effective measures for eliminating them.
Active at night, scurrying, making scratching noises in the ceiling directly above our sleeping quarters. They always seem to nest there. Unafraid of our thunderous fists pounding against the plasterboard beneath their feet.
We were loathe to use poisons, especially if they die somewhere in the walls. The carcasses rot and the odour is putrid and lingering. However, climbing into the roofspace was a nuisance. The insulation mats crumble and fill the roofspace with airborne fibre fragments. We don’t like inhaling it, nor exposing our bare skin because it itches. So every trip into the roofspace requires a full body protective suit, respirator and goggles. We make trips up there to set traps, check traps, dispose of carcasses. Very labour intensive. The inconvenience overhead adding to our utter hatred for mice.
Our preferred weapon of choice is Nooski. Non poisonous. No blood. The mice die beside the trap. Choked by a small rubber ring. Their heads and organs remain intact, not ruptured and bleeding from the force of traditional spring-loaded traps.
Eventually, we got sick of climbing into the roofspace and resorted to poison packets. We scattered them about the roofspace. Poisons are said to heighten thirst, forcing mice to go outside for a drink. Hopefully they kick the bucket while outside. Thus, whether or not they die and rot in our home comes down to a matter of luck. We never liked this approach, but eventually buckled under the weight of the monumental effort setting traps.
We noted that mice visited us during both summer and winter. Infestation having no seasonal link. One summer we had a dead mouse in the ceiling and it reeked, forcing us to find and dispose of the carcass. It was a tiny carcass, about the size of a peanut. yet the odour found it’s way into the bedroom below. The roofspace was open to the external environment, we assumed this would allow the odour to vent outside. It wasn’t the case.
A Link Between Mice and Weeds
Out of the blue one day, it occurred to us that we hadn’t experienced any mice for a while. We thought about it and figured perhaps it was because there were no weeds near our home – our weeding methods had improved. Perhaps the closer the weeds grow to our home, the likelier it provides the necessary conduit for these filthy things into our home. Curious, we googled to see if there is a link between mice and weeds. As it turns out, there is.
Weeds provide mice cover, food and a communication (they leave their scent on stalks). Mice subsist on seeds from weeds. Bloody weeds. Constant eyesore, endless nuisance, bearer of vermin.
It doesn’t help that there is vacant, undeveloped land in our vicinity, choc full of weeds. Teeming with wildlife. Hidden, undesirable wildlife.
We’re lazy, indoorsy types so there were times when the weeds grew thick and tall around the premises.
Ultimately, weeding is a necessary chore. If we remain fastidious in our weeding, we keep our premises tidy and reap the benefit of remaining vermin free. Effort-wise, weeding is a far less demanding preventative chore than the reactive one that is rodent elimination. We also spare ourselves the aggravation of being kept up at night.