Anthony Stokes wrote:
::: If you know someone who has a pet rat, get the droppings off them
::: and scatter these around the bulbs and in the area of planting,
::: rats prey on mice, failing that, get a plastic owl and mount it
::: on a post nearby, both of these should be enough to deter even
::: the hungriest of mice.
::
:: No rats around here as far as I know, but maybe a plastic owl
:: might be found !
::
:: Catching the mice in traps is also proving difficult.
:: Apparently the local foxes are stealing the mouse traps which are
:: vanishing nightly from my crocus area and being removed to place
:: unknown. Whether the foxes take the mousetraps before or after a
:: mouse is caught is unknown.
::
:: Now loosing both bulbs and mousetraps :-(
::
:: Ant.

I can tell you how to make a humane trap, but then you are faced with the
problem of getting rid of the mice.

You need two buckets or plantpots, one must fit inside the other *upside
down* - that is, you put the two buckets together open end first, so that
you have a sealed container with a 'bottom' at both ends - this is the trap.

to set it, you need to cut a hole in the side of the largest one, near to
the base to allow entry for the mouse, [1]the smaller bucket is held in
place by a folded piece of card, folded into a 'V', inside this 'V' you put
your bait,[2] I suggest brown bread, to get at it, the mouse has to move the
V and the upper bucket drops leaving his exit hole closed.[3]

fig 1

| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
hole |
__________ |


fig two


| |
| |
| |
| | I havent drawn the 2nd bucket here but it
|_card__ | rests upon the card and has bait inside it, he
| can't get it unless he moves the card
__________ | which springs the trap


fig three



________
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | | the upper bucket has dropped leaving
| | | | him trapped, his exit hole sealed by
|__M ____| | the upper bucket.


It look a bit complicated but should take no longer than ten minutes to
make, once it's made you can use the same trap over and over again...you
will need new card from time to time, the V should be pointing towards the
centre of the trap with the two arms holding the upper bucket up, this way
he has to move the V to get his dinner.
Another advantage of this, apart from it being free of course is that you
can immediatelt tell if you've caught a mouse as the upper bucket ha fell,
you don't need a close inspection every day.


HTH