We have a seasonal cottage in the northern ontario. We've had no problem with mice until the next door neighbor tore down his older camp. Since then we've had mice every winter. Mice droppings in all the drawers. I've been told either moth balls or peppermint make-up pads will keep them away. Which one is better or is there something else that would keep them away? Any help would be appreciated.
Tks a lot in advance

Well, the "smart-a&!" response would be get some cats.

But since the neighbor tore down his camp, yours is the new home for them. When you leave the cottage for the season, make sure it's cleaner than clean, and not one crum can be found anywhere.

The only other options are mouse-traps and rat poison, and making sure that the cottage is completely sealed; and I mean COMPLETELY. Even tiny holes that you may think mice can't get through, believe me, they can. ALL must be sealed. Mice don't have bones. They are all cartilage (sp?).

XenoSapien

I live in the country surrounded by fields of grain and grasses and when I first moved here it was over-run by mice, and a few rats. I brought with me a cat that was an incredible mouser, but I continued to have problems. I purchased an electronic thing from Home Depot that deters mice and put it in the basement. It had two output devices, so I aimed them in opposite directions. The radio waves that are emitted bounce around the room and generally make the mice unhappy. I also have two more cats (that tends to happen in a rural area) and although all three cats can walk out of the door at any given time and have a mouse on the porch within minutes, I have not seen any signs of a mouse inside since 2 days after plugging the device in. I would highly recommend them.

I also agree with the post from XenoSapien - you MUST plug every little crack and crevice to prevent them from getting in. Mice can get into the tiniest of spaces. Poisons and/or traps can help, but in my opinion carry considerable risk to area cats and other wildlife. Wolves and foxes feed on mice in high volumes, so other than the depletion of one of their main food sources, they may ingest the warfarin in the mice as well. I would seriously try the electronic devices, sealing all potential means of the mice getting in, and MAKE SURE you remove as many as possible before winter or they will breed like crazy! Traps, in my opinion, are not very effective, however, I would set as many as you can since you won't be there.

Remove all packaged foods or put them in glass containers, too!

Good luck!

Didi

Well, poison packets work well, we keep them out all the time, throw one behind the refrigerator, the stove, the entertainment center in the livingroom, in the linen closet in the bathroom, behind the washing machine, and behind the water heater. Seems to have done the job. If I see one with a flashlight that has been opened and eaten on, I throw in another.