Trapping attic mice amidst blown-in insulation

[Good Music]

How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
blown-in insulation that looks like this?:

Loading Image...
Loading Image...

from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.

Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?

Thanks,
- Goodmusic

[Colbyt]

Post by Good Music
How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?
Thanks,
- Goodmusic

This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of
water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard.
P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them
up there and they will find it.

And for all PETA People reading this!! If you have a problem with killing
the critters live with them and send me your address so I can ship mine to
you.

Colbyt

[s***@taxpaid_palace_washington-dc.usa.com]

On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 22:12:56 -0500, "Colbyt"

Post by Good Music

Post by Good Music
How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is

plywood

Post by Good Music
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly

be

Post by Good Music
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see

any

Post by Good Music
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any

holes

Post by Good Music
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow

the

Post by Good Music
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right

now.

Post by Good Music
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter

PVC

Post by Good Music
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it,

then

Post by Good Music
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?
Thanks,
- Goodmusic

This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of
water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard.
P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them
up there and they will find it.
And for all PETA People reading this!! If you have a problem with killing
the critters live with them and send me your address so I can ship mine to
you.
Colbyt

Please send me the mice so I can save them from cruelty and death.
Here is my mailing address.

George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington DC.

President Shrub

[Pop]

<***@taxpaid_palace_washington-dc.usa.com> wrote in message news:***@4ax.com...
| On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 22:12:56 -0500, "Colbyt"
| <***@stopspam.lexkyweb.com> wrote:
|
| >
| >"Good Music" <***@nc.rr.com> wrote in message
...
|
| Please send me the mice so I can save them from cruelty and
death.
| Here is my mailing address.
|
| George W. Bush
| 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
| Washington DC.
|
| President Shrub
|

Colbyt:

Thank you. 1003 dead and rotting mice have been sent to your
attention so that you may put them with the rest of your
collection and personally mail them off in your name. I don't
care to do it myself because impersonating the president and
perpetrating harassment against a Federal official is a Federal
Felony. But I know you will hancle it for me. They were mailed
USPS priority this am and should reach you within three days.

Pop

[Lar]

On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 22:12:56 -0500, "Colbyt"
<***@stopspam.lexkyweb.com> wrote:

:) This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of
:) water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard.
:) P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them
:) up there and they will find it.


Not sure what the water would be used for...mice are one of the few
mammals that don't need to drink water to survive. D-con is an
anticoagulant bait, the "makes them go out to find water " is just an
old exterminators tale.



Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!


Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

[n***@intertainia.com]

Post by s***@taxpaid_palace_washington-dc.usa.com
On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 22:12:56 -0500, "Colbyt"
:) This is a great time of the year to place a box of d-con and a small pan of
:) water on that narrow flooring area. Refill both until no sounds are heard.
:) P-nut butter is an excellent bait if you want to empty traps. Just sit them
:) up there and they will find it.
Not sure what the water would be used for...mice are one of the few
mammals that don't need to drink water to survive. D-con is an
anticoagulant bait, the "makes them go out to find water " is just an
old exterminators tale.
Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!
Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

Do you really want dead mice in your walls? Get a live trap and
remove the totally from your house.

hth,

tom @ www.URLBee.com

[Greg]

Use the big glue trap they sell for rats. Put a blob of peanut butter in it.
Make sure you anchor the glue trap down. I like to staple them in the middle of
a 18" square of plywood, masonite or heavy cardboard.
You might figure out it is a roof rat or 10.
They are kind of grey/brown with a long tail and they climb trees, houses or
whatever like squirrels.If you can get your finger in a hole they can come in
but they quickly eat it out to about an inch or bigger if they are coming and
going

[Greg]

Poison will kill them but you might be sifting the insulation for the body.
They usually seek water and die there but not all of them. It only takes one
dead rat to make you swear off poison in the house. You will live with it for a
couple months.

[Pop]

"Greg" <***@aol.com> wrote in message news:***@mb-m28.aol.com...
| Poison will kill them but you might be sifting the insulation
for the body.
| They usually seek water and die there but not all of them. It
only takes one
| dead rat to make you swear off poison in the house. You will
live with it for a
| couple months.

Actually, unless you foolishly put out nearby water for them, as
one poster suggested, they will leave the attic to find water.
By the time they find water, the poison will act pretty quickly
and they won't be able to climb back in, but ... if they have
access to the basement or cellar, you might find them down there.
As a general rule, a dead mouse in a thick pile of insulation
won't cause a problem unless you are finicky and will be pulling
up the insulation for some other reason. Depending on how easy
it is to get back in though, some MIGHT make it back. If one
dies laying on the ceiling material, plaster or plasterboard
could eventually allow a soak-thru over time, marking the
ceiling, but as long as your vapor barrier is in place and
properly installed, no problem.
We just put a box of poison near wherever we know they are.
It disappears quickly if there are more than a couple, so when
empty, replace it. At first we used two boxes at a time, but
since then one lasts the entire winter and seldom has anything
eaten from it. That's because I searched out and sealed up all
the accesses with Silicone caulk or aluminum. Well, except one;
gonna need a clairvoyant to find that one I guess! Every fall a
small amount of the poison gets eaten.
We live in the wilds; about any kind of mouse, squirrel,
chipmunk and other vermin you can think of will get into a house
here if you aren't closed up. It's God's country. PETA? Not
worth the effort to comment further on such fanatics. They'd
rather see an animal die naturally from its injuries, sickness,
or old age, in the cold freezing temperatures of winter. No use
for them.

Pop

[m***@UNLISTED.com]

Take it from a farmer (me).
Fill a 5 gal plastic bucket 2/3 full of water. Toss a coupld handfuls
of horse feed or plain oats in the water, and let this grain float on
top of the water.
You'll soon have a whole bunch of drowned mice in that pail. Of
course if it's cold enough to freeze the water, you have to add
antifreeze. Be sure it's ethylene glycol (the poisonous type). That
just kills them faster. However. do not allow your pets near that
antifreeze. Be sure to find the place where they enter and fix the
hole, or more will come.

Of course you could give the neighbors cat a vacation in your attic.
Just be sure the cat has water and a litterbox, and first remove any
mouse or rat poison. The idea is to kill the mice, not the cat.

Mark

Post by Good Music
How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?
Thanks,
- Goodmusic

[Pop]

I've heard that before but I have a neighbor tried it and all he
got was some soggy oats. He put one at the silo door and another
at the hey mow steps. Only thing it ever caught was an
unsuspecting farmhand going up into the mow. It was cold & he
got rather wet when it tipped over. And mad.

Pop


<***@UNLISTED.com> wrote in message news:***@4ax.com...
| Take it from a farmer (me).
| Fill a 5 gal plastic bucket 2/3 full of water. Toss a coupld
handfuls
| of horse feed or plain oats in the water, and let this grain
float on
| top of the water.
| You'll soon have a whole bunch of drowned mice in that pail.
Of
| course if it's cold enough to freeze the water, you have to add
| antifreeze. Be sure it's ethylene glycol (the poisonous type).
That
| just kills them faster. However. do not allow your pets near
that
| antifreeze. Be sure to find the place where they enter and fix
the
| hole, or more will come.
|
| Of course you could give the neighbors cat a vacation in your
attic.
| Just be sure the cat has water and a litterbox, and first
remove any
| mouse or rat poison. The idea is to kill the mice, not the
cat.
|
| Mark
|
|
|
| On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 02:25:39 GMT, "Good Music"
<***@nc.rr.com>
| wrote:
|
| >How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic
mice, when you
| >hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but
your attic has
| >blown-in insulation that looks like this?:
| >
| >http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
| >http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
| >
| >from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where
there is plywood
| >flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with
a broom and
| >pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they
could possibly be
| >mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I
could see any
| >vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that
area since no
| >flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
| >
| >Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck
out all the
| >blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for &
seal up any holes
| >(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening),
then blow the
| >insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover
that right now.
| >I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say
4-inch diameter PVC
| >piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with
peanut butter,
| >then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a
string to it, then
| >for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the
tunnel out into
| >the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string
periodically to
| >check traps?
| >
| >Thanks,
| >- Goodmusic
| >
|

[Jim Elbrecht]

Post by Pop
I've heard that before but I have a neighbor tried it and all he
got was some soggy oats. He put one at the silo door and another
at the hey mow steps. Only thing it ever caught was an
unsuspecting farmhand going up into the mow. It was cold & he
got rather wet when it tipped over. And mad.

I use a 5 gal bucket with a cover. cut a hole about 2" round . . .
wipe peanutbutter on the bottom side of the cover. . . add 3-4 inches
of water. Dump 4-5 mice per week from my garage.

I do provide an easy way for the mice to climb atop the bucket. I
also wipe a bit of peanut butter on the ramp & replace it when I empty
the bucket.

Jim

[L***@notmine.com]

Post by Good Music
How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?
Thanks,
- Goodmusic

If you do not want to kill the critters you can buy miniture traps that
catch them alive (kinda like plastic have-a-heart) at Wal-Mart. Bait
with PB. Chk everyday in the AM. You can then let them loose MILE or
more from house.

LB

[m Ransley]

In you attic it could be Flying Squirrels, usualy the size of chipmunks.
They are common in USA but you rarely see them as they are nocturnal, If
you hear them at night and hear chewing on wood it could be them. They
can enter any little hole in your eaves, overhang, facia,. I have them.
I threw up moth balls they do not like them, yesterday I found a hole ,
because mothballs were on the ground. Those critters are REMOVING them
one by one, problem is they only go out at night so if I seal a hole in
daytime I seal them in and they will just chew open another hole. So im
just throwing in more Mothballs today, Ive been fighting them for years,
remember it is their house, they want in.

[Pop]

I forgot about moth balls. We throw moth balls all around a shed
we hvae to keep the vermin out. It seems to work; no nests and
no damage, not even their crap smells. You're right, the moth
balls do slowly disappear though, sort of one at a time. We only
used poison there one time; they died inside the shed, usually
right on the floor. Open rafters, etc.

Pop


"m Ransley" <***@webtv.net> wrote in message news:13903-41AF1363-***@storefull-3132.bay.webtv.net...
| In you attic it could be Flying Squirrels, usualy the size of
chipmunks.
| They are common in USA but you rarely see them as they are
nocturnal, If
| you hear them at night and hear chewing on wood it could be
them. They
| can enter any little hole in your eaves, overhang, facia,. I
have them.
| I threw up moth balls they do not like them, yesterday I found
a hole ,
| because mothballs were on the ground. Those critters are
REMOVING them
| one by one, problem is they only go out at night so if I seal a
hole in
| daytime I seal them in and they will just chew open another
hole. So im
| just throwing in more Mothballs today, Ive been fighting them
for years,
| remember it is their house, they want in.
|

[Lar]

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 07:06:43 -0600, ***@webtv.net (m Ransley)
wrote:

:) I threw up moth balls they do not like them, yesterday I found a hole ,
:) because mothballs were on the ground. Those critters are REMOVING them
:) one by one, problem is they only go out at night so if I seal a hole in
:) daytime I seal them in and they will just chew open another hole. So im
:) just throwing in more Mothballs today, Ive been fighting them for years,
:) remember it is their house, they want in.


You might try placing the moth balls in an old stocking then secure it
from a rafter near the area you are wanting. This will also make it
easy removal if the moth ball smell/vapors start to be a problem
inside the house.


Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!


Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

[Lar]

On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 02:25:39 GMT, "Good Music" <***@nc.rr.com>
wrote:

:) How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
:) hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
:) blown-in insulation that looks like this?:


:) now that our budget would cover that right now.
:) I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
:) piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
:) then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
:) for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
:) the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
:) check traps?
:)

The pics definately don't show a serious problem so since the mice
will be going outside to find food you may try your trap in a pipe
trick and place them every 15-20 feet along the foundation of the
house. You might try to the smallest size of pvc that will allow the
trap to be set and tripped. If you do need to move around in the
attic through the insulation just move slowly to make sure you find a
rafter to stand on.



Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!


Dancing dog is back!
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/smartdog.wmv

[Bob_M]

Post by Good Music
How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG
from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.
Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?
Thanks,
- Goodmusic

Had the same issue this past weekend. Noises in wall actually woke up
my daughter. The next day I wet two spring traps in the attic
above/around the wall area where they were hear. I also set some
decon boxes at various places around the attic.

Well the next morning One trap had worked so I disposed of the
occupant, rebait and reset. By that evening the other trap worked.
Again, reset. It's been two days now and no more noise and the traps
are still empty.

I chose to use a spring trap to limit any suffering that they might
experience with other methods.

Good luck