The bad news is that there are no repellents -- “natural” or otherwise -- scientifically proved to shoo field mice away indefinitely. The good news is that you can combine cultural practices with natural pest management to effectively eliminate the pests without resorting to dangerous chemicals. The key to control is combining sanitation, population reduction and exclusion. You must take charge of your rodent situation before the critters get the chance to homestead and become well-established. Because mice reproduce once every 28 days, you need to move quickly.
Bait wooden mouse snap traps or humane mouse traps with peanut butter. Alternative baits include chocolate candy, gumdrops, dried or fresh fruits and any type of nuts. Cheese is a poor substitute. Traps are the cheapest and most effective tools for getting rid small mouse populations. Don’t skimp -- 10 or 12 traps aren’t too many to catch two or three mice in a small garden. Place the traps no further apart than every six feet throughout the garden since mice don’t tend to forage far from home base.
Pull on latex or rubber gloves to avoid rodent disease potential and check traps daily. Empty the kill trap’s dead rodent into a plastic bag. Tie it closed. Drop it into a sealable plastic storage bag. Discard it in the outdoor trash. Empty humane traps according to the packaging instructions. There is a range of trap types and styles, and manufacturer recommendations vary widely.
Encircle small planting areas with ¼-inch hardware cloth about 36 inches wide. While the enclosure only needs to be 12 to 24 inches tall, you must bury about 6 inches of it below the soil level to prevent rodents from digging under it to access your garden. Create hardware cloth cylinders to protect individual plants. Wrap tree trunks with the material to prevent gnawing.
Hang dryer sheets from larger plants throughout your garden. Liquefy garlic cloves in the blender and soak cotton balls in the material, or saturate the cotton balls with camphor, mint oil or ammonia. Place one in every few feet of garden space. Scatter dried or fresh herbs such as mint, lavender or holly leaves on plants throughout the area. Many gardeners believe these home remedies repel mice. Gardening centers sell commercial “natural mouse repellents” that many homeowners feel keep mice away from their lawns and gardens.
Install plants that many gardeners believe mice avoid. Bulbs include daffodils and grape hyacinths. Add some strong-smelling plants such as camphor, alliums, euphorbias, garlic, lavender and mints.
Mulch garden and landscaping plants sparingly if at all. Mice seek out cozy areas with abundant soft materials for nesting. Some of their favorites include grass clippings, leaf mold and straw.
Encourage your cats or dogs to accompany you as you garden. Allow them to patrol the area occasionally at night. The constant presence of cats and dogs make mice nervous and may be enough to convince them to leave the area.
Feed outdoor pets in the morning and pick up their dishes as soon as they’re through. Don’t leave pet foods sitting outside after dusk. Bring water dishes indoors at night to deprive mice of readily available moisture sources. Move bird feeders and baths as far from the gardening area as possible. Repair any outdoor hose, sprinkler or spigot leaks.
Eliminate mouse hiding places on your property. Mow the lawn often to keep grass as short as possible since mice avoid open areas where they can easily become lunch to predators. Relocate stacks of bricks, stones, and firewood as far from the gardening areas as possible. Cut down overgrown areas and trim shrubs and tree limbs well away from ground level. Haul off piles of plant debris as well as any trash or garbage immediately.
Things You Will Need
- Wooden mouse snap traps or humane mouse traps
- Bait such as peanut butter, chocolate candy, gumdrops, dried or fresh fruits, nuts
- Latex or rubber gloves
- Plastic bag
- Sealable plastic storage bag
- Hard plastic containers
- ¼-inch hardware cloth 36 inches wide
- Dryer sheets
- Garlic cloves
- Cotton balls
- Mint oil
- Dried or fresh mint, lavender or holly leaves
- Commercial natural mouse repellent
- Daffodil and grape hyacinth bulbs
- Camphor, allium, euphorbia, garlic, lavender and mint plants
- Steel wool
- If rodent numbers and the directly related damage become large, you may have to resort to poison baits or calling a licensed exterminator.
- Exclude mice from structures. Look for even very tiny openings that the rodents can use to access the inside. These animals can squeeze through a hole nearly as small as ¼ inch in diameter. Caulk small openings closed. Stuff steel wool into larger holes and coat the wool generously with caulk.
- Add ½ cup of bleach to a gallon of water to disinfect empty traps. Soak the trap for about 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cool running water and allow it to air-dry before resetting. Wash your gloved hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. Then take the gloves off and wash your hands well with soap and warm water.
- Do not handle rodents with your bare hands, whether they’re dead or alive. Wear heavy work gloves to handle live mice.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison cooperative Extension: Meadow Mouse Control
- University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Managing Commensal Rodent Problems in Kentucky
- University of Illinois Extension Champaign County: Controlling Mice in Homes
- Professional Wildlife Removal: Natural Mouse Repellents
- Do Your Own Pest Control: Mouse Damages & Diseases -- Disposal of Dead Rodents and Disinfecting Traps
- Almanac: Mice
- Colorado State University Cooperative Extension: Keep Mice from Vegetable Garden
- University of California: Voles (Meadow Mice)