I've got a mouse in my kitchen. Do those ultrasonic pest repellers really work?

Answer 1

In the hope that pest repellers might work, I bought half a dozen of them a few years ago ... then I saw a mouse actually run in front of one of the darn things that was plugged in my basement.

Apparently the mice get used to the ultrasonic noise ... so don't waste your money. The answer is to either lay down poison (which is risky if you have pets or small children) or place a few mouse traps with peanut butter as bait near holes or on the edges of passage-ways or nooks where you suspect the mice travel (look for their tiny little black droppings). Mice tend to move along the edge of things, so face the business end of the trap towards and directly against the wall or other solid surface where the mice run so that the trap can catch them whether they are coming or going in either direction.

Try to control mice in the longer term (mice and rats are attracted to the smell of food cooking, especially in fall when they are looking for a warm winter home) by blocking the avenues in which they come into the house. They can squeeze into very tiny spaces smaller than a dime, such as along the bottom edge of exterior siding, vents, underneath decks. Unfinished areas of garages that are attached to the house are a big culprit. Do a thorough inspection of your house and tightly fill any holes you find with steel wool (mice can chew through practically anything else). In the case of vents, cover them with a tightly-woven galvanized steel wire mesh box (you can buy the wire netting from a hardware store, and cut it with standard wire snips). See a picture of these mesh boxes (which also prevent birds and bats from entering bathroom vents) on this website: http://www.humanewildlifecontrol.com/services_bird.htm

Another way to control mice which is not foolproof, but often helps, is get a cat! Mice can smell a predator and sometimes the mere presence of a cat can dissuade them from entering your house.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The ultrasonic repellers would be the equivalent of someone forcing you to listen to Hillary Duff's last album, or any country music album over and over again at a high volume. Eventually you would leave if you didn't actually run for your life when it started.

The problem is that the mouse is still alive and can still make babies. He may move to another part of the house, the shed, or your neighbors but you still have a mouse problem. The humane traps are the way to go if you just can't deal with the death issue.

The best option, Decon. It causes them to dry out and eventually turn to dust so that if they die within the walls of the home they won't stink and won't cause long term problems.

Answer 3

I live in the sticks of Alabama. Yea thats right, allot of rodents. I have never had any luck with those ultrasonic devices. Poison will kill them but where are they going to die? Then you will smell the decaying rot of the thing until you find and remove it. Your best bet is one of two things. A sticky mouse pad that will catch the little guy when he walks across it. You should hear him fighting to get loose from it. Then just pick it up and throw it away, or the second option is a live trap. A little more expensive, but catches them alive. The guy up there that said cheese for a mouse was a myth is waaay off base as cheese is the first thing that I would use as bait. It always works here.

Answer 4

In a word, NO. Testimonials are not the same as scientific testing. I've yet to read a true study that supports them and from the zoologists and pest specialists I've talked to, they concur. Don't bother. Use the poison pellets or a trap of some type.

Check around your house for ways the mice can enter and scour the inside and out for other possible food sources. Put all your dry food stuffs into plastic bags or containers.

Answer 5

Hi! I don't know about those ultrasonic pest repellers, but when I had mice I used a safe, animal-friendly trap (which didnt kill them) and used chocolate to lure them ou.t That cheese thing is a myth!

Answer 6

. That is one of the worse horror stories I've ever heard. It is a serious situation that no one should have to live in. Mice and roaches carry all types of diseases (ever heard of the Plague?) The landlord is responsible to at least try to correct the problem. In the meantime try Deacon rat bait. They are little trays of pellets that the rats eat and then die.The good thing is that they don't smell because the poison makes them dry up. Just use with caution if you have small children in the house.

Answer 7

I had a lot of mice at one time but got rid of them by trapping them in a swing top kitchen trash can. We put cheese puffs in the can and set it were they could easily get into the can. The trash can was a tall one. After we caught them we would let them go by dumping them over the fence back to the wild. We finally got them all and I guess the experience was to traumatic because they never came back.

Answer 8

Can you borrow a cat for a few days? Or better, get your own?

You might have seen one mouse, but they usually travel in groups - and they can bring a lot of nasty bacteria into your house. Plus they're prolific breeders - they can have a litter every couple of weeks.

So, either get a cat, or get mouse traps. Or call an exterminator and get professional help.

Answer 9

Yes they do, but the pests just go somewhere else.

My mother-in-laws neighbour got one a few weeks back, so now my mother-in-law has been infested by mice.

Answer 10

I don't know if they do or not, but one way to keep pests out of your kitchen is to make sure there's nothing there for them to eat.