GENERATIONS: Doug Lewandowski: Mice, mice, mice everywhere – Bemidji Pioneer

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Then there’s the mice; no hesitation here, they are looking for a warm place to stay, unwelcome and not on anyone’s Christmas party list, just rarely seen.

Wandering off in the middle of the night to snack on that last chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk, there are sounds — scritch, scritch, scratch, with an occasional crinkle that brings the munching symphony to a close. You’re lucky if you beat them to the treat.

Other times, chilling out in the basement rec room, wrapped up in an afghan watching the Kardashians (who I don’t imagine have ANY mice issues) one little rodent beats it across the room tucked in close to the splashboard on a mission to who knows where. Screams follow (not from the mice I’ll have you) and calls for traps.

Any residence can have this concern. Older homes with gaps in foundations and other points of entry, seem most susceptible to invasion. It’s just part of living there.

There are all kinds of ways of getting rid of the little rodents, from sonic, to live traps, poison and that sticky paper stuff. The tried and true method still remains the spring loaded ambush that leads to a quick and humane conclusion.

But the little fellas are resourceful, and reaching a resolution is not accomplished in a straight line. Traps need baiting, sometimes cheese, sometimes bacon, other times lunch meat (think hard salami) or aromatic peanut butter. Lately, nothing works — bait gone, no critter.

After trial and error and a great amount of thought for the task at hand, impregnating the bait platform with a tender morsel, making it hard to extract, seems to do the trick. The population is collapsing. There are, for the moment, fewer cadavers and little black specks scattered around.

There are a couple things to keep in mind however, even with these recent successes. KEEP THE TRAPS AWAY FROM WHERE THE GRANDCHILDREN ROAM! Nothing like an evening’s enjoyment interrupted by a snap and yowl from a curious 4-year-old. And in relating stories of turning back the yearly invasion, NEVER, NEVER refer to success as whacking Minnie and Mickey. There is a lesson here also for deer hunters out there who speak of eliminating Bambi. These kind of observations are best unspoken, especially around little ears. Just enjoy the deer sticks and keep your mouth shut.

Animal Rights folks may object to the levity of this exposition. I get it. But also keep in mind the saying of the Buddha, that “Life consumes life.” No…don’t eat the mice!!

More of Doug’s writings can be seen at http://www.douglewandowski.com.

Thank you
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