Mousetraps

Dee Stubbs-Lee <dee.stubbs-lee<-at->nbm-mnb<.>ca> writes

>...  I would like to
>reinstate the snap traps and am looking for suggestions for bait
>alternatives that will be safer for staff and visitors with
>allergies while at the same time not messy or overly attractive to
>insect pests.  How have other museums dealt with this situation?

Generally mice prefer whatever they are accustomed to eating;
however, you might try bacon or bacon grease.  In terms of a
non-food material, cotton for nesting is often successful but it
selects for the females, leaving males to continue breeding.  I'm
sure you are already placing unbaited/sprung traps to allow the mice
to grow accustomed to them; sometimes even unbaited traps will catch
mice since they are so curious.  Another alternative is the use of
glue traps placed in high travel areas.

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia SC 29202-8664
803-787-6910


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:17
                Distributed: Sunday, September 13, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-29-17-003
                                  ***