Therefore, raspberry and blackberry bushes — as well as apple and pear trees — can serve as magnets for the animals. When unconsumed fruits and berries are left to rot on their bushes or trees or left in uncovered trash cans, these rodents are drawn by the smell and sweetness.
House mice like to eat sweet foods. They love fruits (grapes, strawberries, melon, apple, figs, peaches, cranberries, etc.) and crunchy vegetables (carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, radishes, etc.).
After cereal, mice go for high-fat, high-protein, high-sugar foods: Think lard, butter, bacon, grease, chocolate, dried fruit, and the like. The fix: When possible, store these foods in the fridge or freezer; otherwise, use airtight containers (we're looking at you, chocolate). Gotta have candy on the counter?
Mice are attracted to the smell of leftover food, cheese, peanut butter, fruits, grains and seeds. It is essentially anything that has high quotient of carbohydrate. Mice are attracted to oily greasy smells and will latch on to insulations and wiring as they are appealing snacks for them.
Mice can enter your home through open windows and doors in the summer, but you might be able to ward them off with fruit. That's right: a new study from McGill University has found that male mice are scared of bananas. The paper focuses on the chemical signals pregnant or nursing mice send off to defend their young.
1. Fruits and Vegetables
The sights and smells of produce are not only appealing to humans, but to rodents as well. Overripe and rotting fruits and vegetables are especially attractive to them. Consume fresh produce quickly and discard any produce that is beyond use quickly in a sealed container.
Nut butter's is a very effective bait because the strong nutty smell is enough to attract rodents. Other baits like chocolate, seeds and nuts, marshmallows and gumdrops, deli meat, pet food, fruit jam, and soft cheese are also effective in luring mice out of their rat nest.
As it turns out, there are several smells that these pests cannot stand, which means you can use them to your advantage. But what exactly do mice and rats hate to smell? Mice can be kept away by using the smells of peppermint oil, cinnamon, vinegar, citronella, ammonia, bleach, and mothballs.
Remove food supplies.
Try to keep your kitchen shelves, cabinets and countertops clean, and store unsealed food in airtight food storage containers to limit their access. Same goes for pet food: Try not to leave food out in a cat or dog bowl all day long since it will attract rodents.
You don't only have to use cheese to lure mice species out of their hiding places, although it is the old favourite. You can also use other foods like fresh fruit and veg, nuts, berries, or even bread. Mice aren't picky. You may also want to use glue mouse traps around your home as well.
"Mice often eat from raspberry and blackberry bushes, as well as apple and pear trees in the wild, so this food source is one they tend to look for within your home. These rodents are drawn to the smell and sweetness of fruits, so make sure there are no rotting fruit or fruit remains left around your kitchen."
Fruits and Vegetables: Mice enjoy the sweet and juicy taste of fruits, particularly strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, and pears. For an easier option, you can also place some fruit jam on the trap or stick some pieces of dried fruit.
Out of all foods the rodents consume, their top two loves are generally for fruits and berries. The wild rats and mice consume these foods at every opportunity, even before they are ripe. As a result, strawberries trees as well as blackberry and raspberry shrubberies can work as magnetic form for the animals.
Sweet or fatty foods are favorites of these rodents, so peanut butter, soft cheese, or wet cat food often work well. In general, a small amount of a sticky bait is most likely to make a mouse trigger the trap.
Spotting one elusive mouse typically means there are at least five or six hiding out in your walls, basement, or attic. This is particularly true if you see a mouse at night or in a low-traffic area of your home. For more proof of a full infestation, look for these indicators: Scratching noises in the evening.
Three quick tips: Make sure traps are against and parallel to walls and in darker locations where mice will run into them; make sure the bait is something they actually like – they don't really like cheese, despite what cartoons tell you, and rather prefer things like bacon, jelly beans, and peanut butter (we told you ...
Peppermint Oil
As a result, mice and others will avoid the smell. If you want something other than a pre-made peppermint-scented repellent, you can use scented cotton balls or create a water and peppermint oil spray.
Fruit. Plenty of us leave a bowl of fruit out on the kitchen counter but this could actually be enticing mice into your home or office.
Some examples of suitable fruit and vegetables include: broccoli, broccolini, bok choy, capsicum, corn, zucchini, cucumber, herbs, beans, snow peas, peas, carrots, beetroot and celery and apples (remove seeds first), pears, banana, melons, stone fruits and carrots.
Experts cite citrus trees as a major draw for certain rodents who love to feed on the fruit they grow, but other common bushes and trees could also be enticing, such as avocados, peaches, figs, and nut-bearing trees, including almonds and walnuts.
Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper and cloves.
Mice are said to hate the smell of these. Lightly soak some cotton balls in oils from one or more of these foods and leave the cotton balls in places where you've had problems with mice.
House mice are eaten by a wide variety of small predators throughout the world, including cats, foxes, weasels, ferrets, mongooses, large lizards, snakes, hawks, falcons, and owls.
3. Fruits and Berries are Foods That Attract Mice
If you have any type of fruit growing outside, rodents will consume them any time they get the chance.