So you got a trap, and you are searching for the best bait for trap to use?
Well done! That is the first step you should take. However, to rid your home of these pesky critters, you need to use the best mouse bait.
Mice are smart tiny creatures that can turn your home into their playing ground if you do not take immediate action. They tend to multiply very fast — after every 21 days, they get a litter of six to seven babies; so if you see a mouse scurrying away be sure that there could be more where it came.
You might have felt disgusted or even scared knowing that you share a roof with such rodents. Well, most people think the same way. Mice chew on anything so they can damage your precious belongings and wreak havoc in your home even rendering it uncomfortable to live there. But knowing the tips and tricks of how to outsmart these creatures will give you the upper hand in dealing with them.
For starters, you need to identify the areas of your home where you noticed mice activity. Mice love concealed areas like behind cabinets, or stove and they walk along the perimeter of the walls where they can easily navigate using their whiskers. Moreover, they are gifted with excellent vision, hearing with a high sense of smell and touch. Therefore, you can use their capabilities against them when selecting the best mouse bait.
For example, due to their outstanding sense of smell, you can go for a bait solution with a pleasant aroma that will bring them to the mouse trap to have a taste. Also, you should know that mice gain entrance to your home quite quickly, they only need a quarter-opening for them to pass through and before you realize, it becomes a home invasion.
With this said, you must use the right mouse bait even if you own the most high-tech mouse trap in the market. It could be a regular mouse trap, the live or electric models that you use but to reap maximum benefits, the choice of bait is an essential factor.
Table of Contents
Our Top Pick: JT Eaton Bait Block
Bait block is an anticoagulant that contains Diphacinone as the main ingredient. Place the bait where mice frequent, and over the course of a week, the bait starts to kill the mice.
Features
- 144 pieces of bait
- Kills mice within a week
- Tamper-proof pail
5 Most Effective Mouse Bait Reviews 2019
1. JT Eaton Bait Block
JT Eaton’s bait block has an apple flavor that mice love and comes with nine pounds of bait. The bait is an anticoagulant that is designed to attract mice. The active ingredient is Diphacinone 0.005%.
The active ingredient is shown to kill small rodents effectively, and there are 144 small blocks of bait provided.
Each block has one ounce of rodenticide, and the pail is tamper-proof so that children cannot easily enter the pail.
The manufacturer has been creating mouse bait for over 80 years, and the formula used works perfectly when you have an infestation in your garage or basement. Mice will eat the bait and die quickly after.
You will need to remove of the dead mice responsibly using gloves.
If you have smaller pets, such as a cat or dog, you will want to keep them out of reach of the poison. When the bait is taken, make sure to replace the bait until it remains uneaten.
You don’t need to use this bait with a trap, so it’s a great way to place bait in hard to reach places, such as vents or small holes where mice will enter. It will take a few days for the mice to die, and it can be two days or up to seven depending on the size of the mouse.
- Over 100 pieces of bait
- Lethal for all small rodents
- Easy to place without the need of a trap
- Contains diphacinone
- Mice need to continue eating the bait to die
The only issue with this bait is that it’s an anticoagulant, and it will take a few days of consuming the bait to die. You will need to continually replace the bait, feeding the mice or rats for a few days until their eventual death.
It’s not an instant method of mouse removal, but it does work well.
2. MOTOMCO Tomcat Bait
MOTOMCO offers a 22-count bait pail that is highly rated and able to kill mice and rats in 4 – 6 days on average. The main active ingredient is Diphacinone at a 0.005% concentration.
Since the main active ingredient is the same as the last product we reviewed, it works just as well.
But you will notice that all pieces of this bait are three ounces versus one-ounce pieces. If you have rats or a lot of mice, the higher volume bait will require less bait changes which is nice if you plan on placing the bait over the weekend.
You will need to discard of any bait that is contaminated or spoiled. Once mice die, you’ll want to dispose of the mice safely. The bait is hazardous to both pets and humans, so you’ll want to keep it out of your animal’s reach. Never come in direct contact with the bait. If you do have direct contact, wash your hands thoroughly.
- Contains a proven poison
- Kills mice and rats in as little as six days
- Offers three ounce bait requiring less replacement
- Contains only 22 pieces of bait
The only drawback is that each pail contains only 22 pieces of bait. Depending on the size of the infestation, you may need more bait to get rid of your mice. Since the bait is three times larger than the previous bait reviewed, it will require less replacement which is a benefit.
Overall, MOTOMCO is a fast and effective way to kill mice and rats.
3. First Strike Soft Bait
First Strike’s bait is a little different than the previous versions of bait. Utilizing a soft bait, this bait contains Difethialone. Designed to work in bait stations, these baits come in 10-ounce pouches to keep them fresher for longer.
Effective control, this bait contains a strong aroma that attracts mice and rats.
Studies show that even when there is other food in the vicinity, rodents will flock to this bait. It’s a great option for attics and garages, and this high-capacity pail offers more than enough bait to kill large infestations.
Depopulation of rodents will take 5 to 11 days.
A good and bad effect of this bait is that it will not work immediately. You will not find the dead mice in your garage on the floor because it takes time to take effect. While this means less cleanup if the mouse leaves the home, it may also mean that the mice end up dead in your walls.
The result? Your home will smell, and you will have to remove the rotting carcass from inside the walls.
You can kill other rodents with this bait, too. Squirrels or even rabbits will die if they consume enough of the bait. The bait stays good for a year, so you’ll have more than enough bait for every season.
- Utilizes Difethialone as the main active ingredient
- Comes in a 16-pound pail
- Stays good for a year
- Takes 5 to 11 days to kill mice
First Strike works very well, and the bait will be able to stop your rodent infestation. The only concern is that the bait takes up to 11 days to kill rodents. Otherwise, this is a great option when placing bait inside of a bait station.
4. Venditor Mouse Bait Station
Venditor is an actual mouse bait station, and it comes with two bonus ant poison stations to keep your entire home pest-free. The station comes in a six pack, and it is tamper resistant, so children and pets cannot get into the bait station.
Offering a low profile, the bait can be placed under furniture and in tight corners.
Since there is a tight sealing lid, the bait can also be kept dry outdoors to kill any field mice that you may have.in your yard.
I do recommend that if you’re placing this trap outside, mice will drag the trap quite a long distance. You’ll want to weigh the trap down using a rock or other method to secure it in place.
When placing the right bait in the station, it’s a sure-fire way to kill of mice.
- Comes in a six pack
- Tamper proof design
- Bait can fit in smaller spaces
- Difficult to get the bait out of the station
The resistant design is very effective, and it’s so effective that it’s difficult to get the bait station to open. You also don’t have a transparent design on top of the station, so you won’t be able to see if any mice are inside.
But due to the compact design, six bait stations and two bonus stations, the Venditor mouse bait station is one of the best on the market. The instructions are lacking, but once you figure out how the stations work, they’re a great design that works effectively for small rodents.
5. D-Con Corner Bait Station
D-Con offers a bait station and 20 bait refills to take control of your mice infestation. The bait does not include anticoagulants or neurotoxins, and it’s tamper-resistant so that dogs and children cannot get inside.
You can place the bait indoors or outdoors, and its low profile design means it can be placed under furniture or in hard to reach the place.
This bait station works best when placed in pantries, attics, laundry rooms, basements or garages. Mice start to die in just a matter of three days, and you never need to come in contact with the mice.
The mice enter the station, exit it and don’t die inside of the station.
You can refill the station as needed, and the bait included provides well-liked ingredients that mice are attracted to each and every time. Use the bait all-around your home, and you can place traps in just three easy steps.
- Contains 20 bait refills
- Compact design allows placement in hard-to-reach places
- Starts killing mice in three days
- Difficult to unwrap the bait
- Some batches of the bait are old and need to be returned
The biggest issue with D-Con’s bait station is that it’s very difficult to unwrap the bait. A new design has led to the bait being tightly wrapped, so when you do go to unwrap the bait, it will often fall on the ground or come in contact with your skin.
This exposes the user to the bait, so you will need to wear gloves or take other precautionary measures when handling the bait. There are some concerns from buyers that claim that the product was very old when delivered. While instances of this issue are rare, it’s a concern that you’ll want to know about.
The bait’s potency will decline in time, so an old product, which is indicated by the bait turning a gray color, will not work as well as newer bait. If you do find that the bait is old, contact the manufacturer and initiate a return.
Fast and efficient, once the bait has been unwrapped and the station has been placed, mouse will be attracted to it and die.
6 Most Effective Mouse Baits in Your Home
Now that you have an idea of how mice operate you should check out these bait solutions that will trap the mice in no time. Most of these bait options are items you can find in your home’s kitchen making them easily accessible.
1. Peanut butter or Hazelnut
Ditch the idea that the most favorite meal of mice is cheese – like they show us in films. Although cheese is an effective mouse bait, peanut butter has a more significant impact. Mice love nuts, so there is no better bait than using peanut butter or hazelnut. A pea-sized dollop of peanut butter goes a long way in eradicating mice.
To make the bait more efficient, you can place a tiny nut on top of the butter so that the mouse has a hard time trying to gnaw at it which eventually triggers the trap to snap. Otherwise, without it, the mouse can easily lick of the butter without setting off the trap because they are crafty that way.
2. Cheese
Cheese is the best mouse bait when it comes to its aroma. Mice can pick their smell from a distance, and it is also one of their delicacies.
3. Proteins (Bits of hot dog or bacon)
Mice get enticed by proteins. It can be cooked or raw, and it still does the job. So place the bait in the trap and face to the walls where they crawl, and you will be amazed how much you will catch them.
4. Sugary Stuff
Did you know that just like you, mice also have a sweet tooth? Yes, they do they love the sugary stuff, and this is a weakness you can exploit. Go for the soft candies like the gummy bears and place just a tiny bit in the trap. Chocolate is also among the best mouse baits; it is enticing and delicious for mice.
5. Yarn, Dental Floss or Cotton Balls
These baits are ingenious as they provide the most needed material mice search for when building their nests during winter. When the temperatures drop, mice seek refuge indoors so these baits will be highly attractive to them.
To maximize results, wrap the dental floss or yarn around the trigger so that the mouse can pull it and ultimately set off the trigger.
6. Cat or dog food
Some pet owners have learned the hard way on the importance of putting pet food in secure locations because mice eat pet food. Dry cat meals are a delicacy for mice. Therefore, you can try them yourself and tie the food with a thread on the trigger so that when the mouse pulls, it snaps.
How to Bait a Mouse: 6 Tips
When preparing the bait, you need to take certain precautions to ensure that you do no lessen your chances of success.
What To Do If Your Mouse Bait is Ineffective
If your encounter with a specific mouse trap bait has proven unsuccessful, here is what you should do.
- Trial and error. Try out other kinds of bait and test which one is more efficient.
- Consider buying a new mouse trap. Maybe it is your mouse trap that is not functioning well. You can find other more effective ones in the market. It does not hurt to experiment with them.
- Try the electric mouse traps which have more significant sensing capabilities. Traditional traps may not catch tiny mice which are almost weightless. The high sensing feature of electronic versions can detect them. So you will not have cases of mice outsmarting your mouse trap.
- Place your mouse trap where you have observed a lot of mice activity. You may be doing all things right, but your mouse trap location is ruining your chances of trapping mice.
- Refer to the above tricks of luring more mice and ensure you follow them religiously.
Essential Points to Take Away
When you opt for the mouse trap way of eliminating mice, you should start by limiting the location of the trap in one area only. Secondly, inform your family and friends of the strategic sites where you have placed the traps so they are aware of it in case they are rearranging the place and they bump on them.
It matters where you place the trap. Always target the high traffic areas and no other place. Place the traps along the paths leading in and out of their nests. It is highly likely that you will place them on cupboards, baseboards, and so forth.
To know the high traffic areas of mice, identify areas where you see any tiny black droppings. These will be your first sign of their activity. Their droppings may also leave a trail that can lead you to their nests. Furthermore, mice create holes on drywalls by gnawing on them; therefore, they can make holes that are 1.5 cm in diameter. So if you come across those small holes then you know there is where they hide.
Another striking evidence of their hiding sites can be identified if you check spots in your home that never receive traffic both human and animal. It could be behind the sofa where you may notice pellets of bird seed or pet food. It is an indicator of their safe zones.
Also, mice build their nests in undisturbed places where there is warmth mostly behind home appliances like fridges, water heaters, and ovens. With this information in mind, you are on your way to uncovering their hideouts even though you may not see them during the day because they emerge at dusk to do their mischievous activities like raiding your kitchen, pantry and other rooms.
Lastly, to ensure that you beat mice, keep using the mouse trap until you no longer catch any mice. You do this by checking and setting the bait and trap over and over. You can never be sure if the mouse trap caught them all, but if you use the trap for a specific duration of time with successful catches, you can be sure it has reduced invasion in your home.
Conclusion
Finding the best bait for a mouse trap may often be a challenging task. With the vast variety of bait options and the ingenuity of the mice, it can be daunting to find the bait that works for you finally. But with the tips above you are more likely get through this phase of searching much quicker and start killing these unwanted rodents.
Also, if it is just a small infestation you have a higher success rate if you strategize and implement quickly without hesitating because the mice multiply fast and they will not give you time to linger around. However, if your home or office has been invaded to an extent at which the best mouse bait is trivial, then it is time to call in professional exterminators who will treat the infested areas and clean them out.
But you can prevent a full-blown invasion by using these best mouse baits the minute you identify a mouse, and also adjust these baits to fit your situation.