How to keep field mice away from the house? The field mouse is a small animal that looks a lot like a mouse but causes a lot of problems in the vegetable garden and on the lawn.
Having had problems with field mice in the past, I am happy to share with you my tips and tricks for fighting against field mice. Good hunt!
Before moving on to tips and tricks to keep field mice away, I find it important to know how to recognize a field mouse but also to know how to differentiate it from a mouse.
The field mouse: this small animal measures when adult about 10.5 cm and its tail is shorter, it measures about 7 cm. But the real difference with the mouse is its color. His coat is rather beige brown and even tending towards red and under his belly his hair is white.
The mouse: this small rodent measures about 8 cm (smaller than the field mouse) and its tail is roughly the same length as its body (unlike the field mouse which is shorter). The color of its coat is rather gray brown. But the big difference is in his big eyes and big ears, the complete opposite of the field mouse.
2. Keep field mice away from the vegetable patch and garden
What is also important to remember is that the field mouse loves the young shoots of plants and vegetables. This is why it is important to protect your vegetable garden from field mice, but also from other critters.
In fact the field mouse feeds on buds, wild berries, root vegetables such as carrots and other stuff like seeds and earthworms. Everything you find in a vegetable garden.
Here are some tips for protecting your vegetable garden against field mice:
- Harvest vegetables quickly: Don’t wait too long to harvest the vegetables. As soon as they are ripe and ready, the vegetables are picked up before the field mice and other animals come to eat them.
- Protect the bulbs: When you plant your vegetable bulbs in the ground, take the time to protect them with a basket or a yogurt pot in which you drill holes for future roots.
- Returning the soil to the garden: As field mice like to make holes and tunnels, take the time to turn the soil in the vegetable garden frequently. This is a good way to ward off and control field mice in the vegetable garden.
3. Elder manure to fight field mice
Elderberry is a really effective plant for the fight against field mice. In fact, you have to make elderberry manure and that’s what I suggest below.
Here’s how to make your own elderberry manure:
- In a large container, pour 10 liters of cold water and then add 1 kg of elderberry leaves to the water.
- Leave to act and macerate the leaves for +- 10 days (until there are no more bubbles on the surface of the water).
- Filter the mixture and pour everything into plastic containers and store in the dark (as much as possible).
- Scatter the elderberry manure near the tunnels and galleries dug by field mice in the garden.
In addition to repelling field mice, elderberry manure also helps fight harmful insects and even keeps moles and voles away naturally. An excellent trick to protect the vegetable garden.
4. Mothballs near the tunnels
Another trick that can effectively repel field mice but also moles are mothballs.
Near the entrances to the underground galleries!
For this trick to be really effective, the mothballs must be scattered directly in the galleries and very close to the entrances to the tunnels.
If you don’t have mothballs at home, you can also use lightly crushed garlic cloves to repel field mice.
5. Repellent plants against field mice
It may not be the best solution to successfully get rid of field mice quickly, but it can help and above all it’s natural and free!
So what are the best repellent plants:
- elderberry
- The imperial crown
- garlic
- Mint
- Castor
- spurge spurge
6. Buy a trap to kill field mice
If you are really tired of seeing field mice ravaging your vegetable harvest in the vegetable garden, the trap may be the right solution for you!
Here is an effective and fast trap to catch and kill moles that roam in the galleries and tunnels in the vegetable garden and the lawn.
2 vole traps
- Easy to use and install
- Reusable and durable trap
- Safe for pets
7. Ultrasonic field mouse repellent
If you prefer to test a repellent to keep field mice away, then the ultrasonic repellent may be a solution.
Compare to make the best repellent choice!
It is important to compare, get advice and read the opinions of buyers in order to choose the right model of repellent. Indeed, some ultrasonic devices are totally ineffective against field mice.
Why not a vibrating mole and field mouse repellent?
Used in much the same way as the ultrasonic repeller, the vibration repeller sends a vibration into the ground to scare away field mice and moles.
If you had to choose a repellent or a « pro » trap, I recommend that you purchase the vole trap that I recommend in Tip #6. It is much more effective than the ultrasonic repellent.