Mice will forget about your garden: the best ways to control rodents

Mice are unwelcome guests in gardens and homes. They can do a lot of damage: spoil crops, chew on furniture, and damage food supplies. Instead of using pesticides and chemicals, it's better to try to deal with rodents using more humane methods.

Mice are opportunistic pests, and damage to vegetables is one of the most common problems. Experts say that rodents will stay away from your garden with a cheap, homemade repellent that contains only two ingredients.

Signs of mice

While one or two mice in the garden will likely go unnoticed, their numbers can increase quickly and suddenly. Mice destroy plants, eat newly sown seeds, and eventually enter the house.

There are several signs that your home has been attacked by rodents:

1. tooth marks on clothes, furniture, or books;
2. excrement and a pungent urine odor;
3. spoiled food, such as gnawed cereal bags;
4. characteristic rustling and squeaking that increases at night.

How to repel mice

Method 1: Smells

The gardening professionals at Sefton Meadows have shared their top tips to help deter mice.

Rodents have a sensitive sense of smell and some odors they simply cannot tolerate. You simply need to regularly spread these scents around your property, paying particular attention to problem areas, including food sources and nesting sites.

Smells that repel mice:

• vinegar;
• eucalyptus;
• cedar wood;
• chili pepper;
• cinnamon;
• peppermint;
• cloves;
• cayenne pepper.

In the garden, you can plant fragrant herbs to naturally repel mice. The following plants will be useful:

• lavender;
• marigolds;
• daffodils;
• rosemary;
• sage;
• mint.

Method 2: Ultrasonic devices

Ultrasonic devices emit high-frequency waves that are very irritating to the delicate hearing of mice. Experts say that ultrasonic repellers will also drive away other pests, including foxes, cockroaches, birds, and flies.

These devices should be used around potential food sources and nesting sites, including flower beds, vegetable gardens, hedges, bushes, and trees.

Method 3: Mouse spray

Many people use baits and poisons as a means of repelling mice, but these are not very ethical or safe methods. Fortunately, there are many natural, homemade ways to get rid of the pests.

You can create a mouse spray that can be easily applied in the garden, or simply soak cotton balls in essential oils and place them around the places where mice nest.

To make an effective mouse spray, mix two tablespoons of essential oil (peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and eucalyptus work well) with 250 ml of water. Spray the product in the places where mice scratch most often. Experts promise that the pests will forget their way to your home and garden.

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