For the last time (those of you with mouseless houses will be glad to read), a few more words on house mice. Is there anything in the weather conditions to make this an unusually prolific year for the creatures? For, never in memory of the people of two different, far-apart houses has there been anything like the current sustained onslaught. At the beginning of winter, it is not unusual for a few mice to be seen and dealt with. This year (could this be another consequence of global warming?) the assault has been sustained and now, in what is almost spring, it goes on - and on. Over several hours, a complete unit of four drawers and two adjoining cupboards were emptied, cleaned and disinfected. Not only were flourbags, sugar-bags, cardboard packages of this and that jettisoned, but, in despair, even tins with lids on, too, because of the smell which was emanating from everything. How they come in is still not clear. There are pipes from the central heating and water system, which were carefully plastered at entry to the kitchen. Likewise pipes for the gas. The front door has a sound flap at ground level, and so has the door into the greenhouse at the back. The floors are basically concrete. But they get in.
House two is a reasonably modern construct with few rooms, but all of them in use the year through. Yet even the main bedroom, in which no food is kept, is the object of their attention. They are heard occasionally at night to fistle among a few rolled maps and three or four picture frames stacked in a passage just outside the room. And how come that in a trap, set without much expectation, at the foot of a grandfather clock in a room which has no food, regularly mice are caught? No one knows why. Nest-making is largely done with tissues from kitchen paper and even J-cloths. One comes across abandoned nests - obviously the makers disturbed in their work. An electronic device, setting up waves which were claimed to shoo them off or to disturb them enough to give up, was once tried. But this particular house has too many corners. And poison is out of the question. Get a cat? Unfortunately, for various reasons, not possible. But in the meantime, what to do? Y