I keep finding mice that find there way into my house. A house cat is not a solution, due to allergy. . Yes, I have a barn, and would love a barn cat that truly could survive.. and I would put the barn cat in the tack room with litter, food, etal at night(the tack room is mouse proof) So all suggestions are welcome.

Peppermint oil on cotton balls. I bought cotton coil, and put peppermint oil on it, put it various places. Seems to work

Find and plug any holes, gaps or spaces allowing mice into your house. I use steel wool to fill the portals of entry. Pace snap traps with peanut butter bait near any entry points and especially where you find mouse droppings. Get the Victor plastic snap traps, not the old-fashioned wire ones. The plastic traps are so much easier to set. Keep mouse habitat, like stacked wood, away from your house. Search and destroy any nests that are set up in vulnerable areas like your garage. Of course, do not have any obvious food available like bird seed. For difficult areas to reach, I place some chemical traps. I think the best are those with the diuretic poison. The mouse will get thirsty and go outside for water where it will die. I do not think it is a pleasant death but tough luck.

Thank God we have never had mice in our house. I think it is pretty well sealed. We did have a major infestation of our garage. I spent time a couple of nights with my pellet gun and a head lamp in the garage hunting them with some success. Snap traps took a heavy toll on them. We virtually gutted the garage finding about ten nests behind wood, in old bins, and behind steps. We placed wire shelving, filled spaces behind steps with bricks, sealed gaps with steel wool or wood, and try to keep anything mice eat out of the garage. I keep 2-3 snap traps at entry spots. Occasionally a mouse is caught but for two years we have not had an infestation.

Just one week ago I found rat droppings where a rat had been harvesting insulation from our garage for a nest. Soon I saw the rat. Within two hours of setting the larger rat snap traps, that rat was history. We have seen no other sign since. I now keep rat and mouse snap traps in place to keep them out.

Good Luck. Let us know how it goes.

this time of year is the most active time.

You can also get a pest company to come out and locate the nest (most likely trying to get in for winter time) and they will also plug up any holes. You can also mouse proof yourself if you able to spend a few hours locating and filling the holes so that they cannot chew through again.

We found that most of ours are coming in from garage. digging a hole in the drywall and coming into the downstairs guest room. They could then climb up the inside of the wall and make their way over the furnace room where the ceiling is open to let all the pipes go up to the first floor. I plugged up the holes with these mesh and the spray foamed They were getting in around gap of copper pipes on either end of baseboard mini-rad heating. I did every pipe that poked through the dryway (all baseboard heaters and all pipe and drain locations at sinks.
yes it takes time but it has really worked!

https://www.amazon.com/Xcluder-Rodent-C ... B006GQQVDW

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TV6L97/re ... il_0?psc=1

Use the old cheap wood traps. They cost about 75 cents each. Buy a bunch of them and set them along walls and near pipes. Spread peanut butter on the under side of the tang of the trap. It's harder for them to steal the bait without tripping the trap if you smear it on the under side of the tang. Never use those horrible glue traps - they are exceptionally cruel. Snap traps are efficient as the mice are usually killed instantly.

I use glue traps in addition to peppermint on cotton balls (The smell of peppermint makes me sick to my stomach). The glue traps work great; just don't get any of your fingers caught on it, lol.

Peppermint on cotton balls also keep varmints out of your vehicle's engine; providing you can stand the smell of peppermint driving every day to work.

you should stop using the glue traps. it is very cruel way to kill an animal. please don't use them. please

Fresh Cab is all that has worked for us. In the car, in the house. I swear they ATE the
cotton balls with peppermint oil.
Glue traps really are awful.

Chinook.. what is Fresh Cab?

Our son-in-law told us about it. It is an herbal mix, aromatic, not unpleasant, in small muslim bags. You can get it at Ace in PJ or on-line. They seems to last a long time, with a good shake every now and then, but do need to be replaced when you can no longer detect the odor. Have found that to be less often than the instructions say, which is a good thing!

thank you, Chinook.

You bet!