Hi Pam,

I have had a mouse problem as well. A small dab of peanut
butter (just enough so the mouse has to work to get a good
lick!) and a small piece of chocolate in a mouse trap has
worked for me. We've used both the 99 cent special and a
more sophisticated snap trap that the mouse has to lift the
cover of the trap with his nose to get at the bait. Both
have killed fairly well for me as long as the traps are new.
The "Tom Kat" trapper (I fondly refer to it as the
guillotine) works well, too, if you can find them! 

Good luck!

Cathy Osterman,
Curator of Collections
CFD Old West Museum
Cheyenne, WY 



----- Original Message -----
From: Pamela Silvestri <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Pest eradication (again!)
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:50:29 EDT

> Hi...and as always I appreciate suggestions/comments from
> the list! And I'm   sharing my latest experience here as
> an example of what not to do. A couple of 
>  months ago I was contending with mice and now, chipmunks.
> "Operation, Chip  'n  Dale must go", is not going well so
> far. 
>  
> Mistake I made was deciding to deal with mice at the same 
> time, and set up  mouse traps too...using peanut butter as
> bait. For the  chipmunks, I set up  slats of wood with a
> spoonful of peanut butter on the tops,  against buckets of
> water so that they'll flip over and drown in the bucket of
>  water while getting  to the peanut butter. This may take
> a couple of days to  happen but instead,  I'm going to
> break down and buy heart safe traps.
>  
> The mousetraps (spring)...the chipmunks licked the peanut
> butter off of two   of them. This didn't set off the traps
> , but I should have just waited until I   bought cheese
> for mouse bait in these traps. I was surprised to find
> that one  of  the traps is missing. Either a chipmunk got
> caught in one and was still  able to  escape...or it just
> carried it off. I can't find it anywhere.
>  
> Now I know for sure that the heart safe traps are the way
> to go. And also  to  use the right bait for the rodents
> I'm contending with. Cheese for mice,   peanut butter for
> chipmunks. For the mice problem a couple of months ago, 
> the  spring traps were a good choice at that time. But I
> haven't noted any  activity  and should have used the safe
> traps this time around.
>  
> Any other suggestions you may have would be greatly
> appreciated! I really   thought I had everything straight
> last time I posted..when based on the   responses I
> received,  I had decided to just use the heart safe traps
> in  the future.  I should have, and now know I will!
>  
> Ultimately, the best would be to prevent the rodents from
> entering the   building -but this is not an option right
> now. 
>  
> Pam
>  
>  
> Pamela Silvestri, Seasonal Interpretive Guide
> Northeast States  Civilian Conservation Corps Museum
> Connecticut State Department of  Environmental Protection
> State Parks Division
> Shenipsit State Forest  Headquarters
> 166 Chestnut Hill Road
> Stafford Springs, Connecticut  06076
> Telephone: (860) 684-3430
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]  or
> [log in to unmask]
> 
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