When we moved in here, there were no mice or bugs of any kind, which was strange because it’s a very old house and the previous inhabitants were… not so clean. We saw plenty of evidence of previous infestations — closets full of mouse turds, dead German cockroaches all over the place, gnawed wood — but no live specimens. This lasted for months until a nearby lot was being cleared of the debris of a house that had burned down. Apparently the mice that lived in that mess took off for greener pastures — our yard and house. They terrorized us for two weeks, crapping on the kitchen counters and in the silverware drawers, darting between our legs, and then abruptly disappeared. There was an occasional mouse here and there for the next few months, and now they’re starting to nest downstairs, to the chagrin of one of my housemates.

We tried humane traps. The mice laugh. We tried snap traps. The mice roll their eyes. I finally allowed the above housemate to bring home glue traps, which he laid out like a force field across the path where the mice enter. They just don’t cross the line. We hypothesized that the mice know the smell of the glue. Whatever the reason, nobody in this entire house has ever caught a mouse in any kind of trap. And our dog, bred to hunt mice in German castles, is useless. I have been hearing similar stories from other people in the hood, and it seems that Bushwick mice have street smarts: they know what will kill them and they avoid it.

For now, I’m stuffing holes with steel wool and being maniacal about keeping the trash sealed up. I’m even scattering cotton balls with peppermint oil on them along their living room-kitchen run path. I haven’t seen any in a couple of weeks, so it could be working. When we dip into freezing temperatures, I think the battle will only become more difficult.

Anyone else have rodent horror or success stories to share?

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