Location : Good trap placement is an essential step for the effective use of mouse traps. Inspect first to determine the activity of the mice. Place traps in areas of high activity. Typical active areas are along walls, behind appliances, behind objects, plus darkened corners. Placing mouse traps out evenly at a set distance may provide thorough coverage, but it is not guaranteed to reach the mice. Place traps in areas where mice are running or nesting. To maximize the chances of mice passing over the traps, place along their runways or paths. Place mouse traps at a right angle from the wall, with the trigger end almost touching the wall. If they are set parallel to the wall, set them in pairs with the triggers situated to intercept mice from either direction. Use more traps for heavier populations.
Use Enough Traps : A common trapping error when placing out mice traps is to use too few traps. Even for just one or two mice, using six traps are not too many. Place mice traps at intervals of two-ten feet apart. A typical residential example uses two traps behind the stove, two traps behind the refrigerator, plus two traps under the kitchen sink. Most of the time, mice are caught the first night. In a storage room in a restaurant, two dozen traps may be required.
Two Mouse Traps (Snap Traps or Glue Traps) Placed Together : In locations of high mice activity, use two snap or glue mouse traps together, with about 1″ space between them. This method would catch mice that try to jump over the traps, a particularly common occurrence.
Aggressive Trapping: Take advantage of the first trap night when trapping mice. More mice are caught on the first night than the following nights. Make sure to set out plenty of traps to take advantage of the timing.
Baits or Lures : Only a small amount (pea size) of bait or lure is needed. It is a good idea to offer a mouse a lure high in protein, like peanut butter. But the lure’s success depends significantly on how much other food is available plus what they are accustomed to eating. Besides peanut butter, fried bacon, salami, oatmeal, plus chocolate are usually favored by mice. If there are numerous mice, using various baits in different mice traps would offer a wide range of choices. A good strategy would be to provide food lures that are not available in the area. As an example, in a flour mill, use meat as an enticement.
The Provoke Mouse Attractant or Pro-Pest Professional Lure has a combined food matrix without peanut butter, designed particularly for mice.
If the mice are currently building their nest, they may be attracted to nest-building materials like cotton, string, etc. The female mice will have more excellent nest-building instincts before the onset of winter. If using a lure in locations where food is abundant, a food-based lure may not be attractive enough to lure the rodent on the trap. Using soft material such as thread, cotton, or other soft material tied on the trigger may lure the mice.
Secure the traps: Hercules putty offers an easy way to secure traps without using nails.
Finish the job: Continue to monitor the areas for mice activity plus continue to place traps out until the activity has ceased.