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Keep Mice from Vegetable Garden |
Information from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Mice can damage vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. They often dig just-planted seeds or feed on ripening crops. To control, be smarter than the mouse. Give your garden a strong start, so seeds grow quickly and vigorously. Protect newly seeded garden plots with one-quarter-inch wire mesh cages over seeded areas. Or, use small plastic mesh containers, such as those in which you buy strawberries at the grocery store. Basic mouse snap traps are effective; bait with a small amount of peanut butter and rolled oats. Use several traps; check frequently. Remember that mice can roam a 4-acre area and have up to 4 litters of 8 mice a year. Use anticoagulant mouse baits as a last choice to avoid possible secondary transfer of bait to other animals, such as cats and dogs. Follow label directions and precautions explicitly. Commercially produced ultrasonic devices advertised to control rodents and other pests have not proven satisfactory.
Photo: Judy Sedbrook
