The mice come in through the shop next door's storeroom at the back, but they don't realise there's a problem because they have a cat which keeps the mice pretty invisible on their side.
Quite why the mice bother coming through to our premises, and what it is they find so exciting is a mystery as all our Soup Kitchen foodstuffs are in plastic tubs as is pretty much everything else, so the pickings for them are quite slim.
Despite this however, things are getting out of hand for both ourselves and for the launderette next door.
In a previous attempt to get rid of the mice I had filled the mouse holes with expanding foam, but after a few months they had chewed their way through again. I've also tried all manner of mousetraps, some work, some don't, and even the ones that do work only work for a while until the mice seem to figure out what's what.
I've now had enough and have decided to get radical with them!
To this end I've had a local company make me some thin galvanised steel plates measuring 100mm X 100mm X 2mm which I have screwed on to the door and door frame. It's a bit Heath Robinson, but I do know that mice can't chew through steel!
I have also put some along the entire length of the bottom of the door in case any of the mice think they are limbo stars.
The pieces in the corners look a little vulnerable to the mice chewing around the plaster on the walls, so on Monday I'll be fabricating a corner piece to finally put paid to their shenanigans.
We then have one other mouse hole in the kitchen which is a problem and for which steel is not the answer. This hole is in between some water pipes which previously I had filled with expanding foam, but again the mice chewed through it.
Knowing how they like to chew, I'm going to give them something to chew on! I shall be mixing up some plaster filler with a drop of PVA glue for speedy hardening, but I will also be adding a generous quantity of Rattex, so at least if they do chew through it again they will die.
The galvanised steel plates adorning the bottom of the door.
For some reason locals always write my name as Deon
Oh wow, the rodent problems. Some how or another they always seem to find their way in and make a mess of things, especially in our storage room. I've had the most success with the sticky traps and the poison traps. I don't like the thought of or dealing with either, but I also hate sharing my food and craft storage with the mice. Good luck with the steel plates!
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