Mice can be quite annoying and are a potential health risk because they tend to carry diseases. These pests can destroy your garden plants. The damage usually goes unnoticed until it becomes extensive. They also reproduce quickly and this makes it necessary to protect your plants before they establish themselves in your garden. Here are some simple tips you can apply to control mice.
Set Up Traps
One of the best ways to protect your plants from mice is to set up traps. Wooden traps are a good option if you prefer a humane way to eliminate the mice. Get snap traps because they are more effective and humane. Use peanut butter, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, or chocolate candy as bait. Set up about 10 or 12 mouse traps. The traps work well for small populations. Place them a maximum of six feet from each other in the problem areas and check them every day.
Encircle Garden Plants with Cloth
If you have a small planting area, you can encircle the plants with some hardware cloth. This will prevent the mice from accessing the plants. The hardware cloth should be up to 36 inches in width and between 12 and 24 inches long. Bury it at least 6 inches beneath the soil level to make it difficult for the mice to dig and reach the plants. You can also encircle individual plants to prevent mice from gnawing on them.
Use Repellents
There are several natural repellents you can use to protect garden plants from mice including lavender and mint leaves. You can sprinkle dried or fresh leaves around the plants to repel the mice. Another option is to soak some cotton balls in ammonia, mint oil, or camphor and place them around the plants.
Grow Plants that Repel Mice
You can also grow plants that tend to repel mice because of their strong scents such as mints, lavender, camphor, garlic, grape hyacinths, and daffodils. These plants should encircle the other garden plants that attract mice such as vegetables.
Eliminate Mouse Hideouts
Make it difficult for mice to hide in your garden by eliminating potential hideouts. Keep your grass as short as possible and limit the amount of mulch you use on your plants. Remove any firewood, stones, and bricks mice can use to hide under. If you have trees and shrubs on your property, trim them and keep them off the ground. Make sure there is no garbage or plant debris in your garden. You should also make it difficult for mice to access nearby structures by sealing all cracks and holes.
Conclusion
Most people do not realize the value of protecting garden plants from mice until they eat and kill their plants. The damage caused by mice can be subtle but it usually becomes devastating in the long term. These simple tips will allow you to keep the mice away and ensure your garden plants are protected. Try as many options as possible until you find one that solves your mice problem. You may have to combine several tips to deal with the mice.
