we are constructing a small 1.8 Ha mouse proof (well to our best ability!) fence and want to clear mice from inside the fence and maintain a detection and incursion response network. We are reluctant to use toxins unless we need to though are willing for the initial knock down phase. Could anyone share their best mouse trap station design. I am thinking a 10-15m square grid with a 2-4 trap station at grid station initially and reduce to hot spots as required. Design of trap station itself- tunnel/trap choice plus comments on spacing very welcome. I dont expect any rats inside so this is a mouse targetting control.so out gecko and inverts can thrive. Daily checking will not be practical.
Maybe reach out directly to folks that have already tried that, like Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
Auckland Council has a pretty good document covering pest control (including mice) - you can download it here.
I have had success with victor easy-set traps in DOC design wooden tunnel for victor rat traps. These have a yellow treadle plate with holes in. I secure a piece of cotton wool to the plate with garden twist-tie and add a few drops of peanut oil. I do this in preference to peanut butter as I was finding ants and beetles were stealing that. They can be bought in boxes of 72 from amazon. Make sure the tunnels are long enough that birds can’t reach the traps.
Instead of wooden trap tunnels, it’s possible to DIY a mouse trap tunnel from rectangular plastic stormwater downpipe (eg marley.co.nz). Use a hacksaw to cut to length, and then saw two slots for a wee grille to exclude non-target species. This will be a fiddly job.
You can use two mouse traps back to back if using entries at each end.
If you staple the wooden base of the trap to a strip of plastic cutting mat, the traps will be very easy to service.
HI there,
was just trying to have a look at that Council document but the link doesn’t appear to work. Could you reattach, or am I doing something wrong.
Has the peanut oil ever gone moldy? Because it doesn’t contain any water, I would expect it to be a good option in humid and wet environments.
I should have asked this question ages ago, but what kind of habitat(s) do the mice have? It’s possible that concentrating traps in some areas might allow you to increase trapping rates.
Yes, peanut butter does go mouldy, probably more so in humid conditions, though ‘shelf live’ or should that be ‘trap life’ varies a lot on local conditions.
If you have a problem with mold, I have a few tips that I’ve come up with and learned from other trappers that could/should help, if you’d like any. I used to kill about 1 mouse for every 5 rats - pathetic!
Good luck with the job. I’d love to think that you could eliminate the mice by trapping alone, but an initial poisoning will probably be required, unfortunately.
On my property, I’ve actually had more success with trapping rats than I ever did using bait. It must be because I use brown rat bodies as lures in my DOC tunnels. Using another rat as a lure is probably the only way to trap bait-shy rats. Unsurprisingly, rats are also a very effective way to trap mustelids.
Due to its size, your site could be an excellent one to conduct mouse control experiments on. If it’s not too far off the beaten track, could a university student or 2 help you out with a study of some sort?
A pest control company might be interested in experimenting there, too, because mice are the only mammalian predators remaining. What about a rodent birth control trial? Imagine getting some free help?
Thanks everyone.
We have installed 40 double set mouse traps wooden tunnels at 20x20m alongside our tracking tunnels. Plan to get going now and once catch rates decline set out cards in tracking tunnels to look for residuals and follow trends in catch and habitat preference. Tracking in May was 80% Will increase density of traps in areas holding mice after initial trapping period.
Going for lots of learning and adaptive management!
Get to know our local environment!
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and update. 41 mice in the 40 double sets. seven day check. Is a bit remote so will go with weekly at this stage.
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Have there been many sprung, empty traps?
If so, there’s a technique that I’ve found to be a very effective way to increase kill rates in mousetraps. I press a raw chickpea on top of a standard lure like PB or Nutella, in traps that have bait cups. Mice can set off the trap trying to get the chickpea out of their way and nibbling on chickpeas often creates enough vibrations to spring the trap.
Because they’re so hard and dry, it takes quite a while for chickpeas to absorb moisture. Chickpeas cover a lot of the lure in the bait cup, keeping it fresher longer, and makes it harder for insects to eat it.
Cheers.
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Very few sprung empty.
Second trap check just four mice caught rom forty
Will fun ftts and camera monitoring and book the dog soon. 
Excellent results!
I hope that the dog has a boring day there, with only a few mice to sniff out (and kill?).