Of Mice and Men

Warmer weather is just around the corner and with it will follow all the tiny things that crawl around our home's. Most things smaller than a quarter are easy to get rid of. Spray once or twice around the base boards and most insects are history. The white footed mouse is a whole nother matter, they are alive and well in the hill country. They have been around for 40 million years and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It seems like this time of year they stay busy producing massive numbers of new generations. The tiny rodent weighs less than an ounce but is so promiscuous a female can have 50 babies in a year. The mouse is daring, inquisitive, and secretive with keen eyesight and extraordinary hearing. His ability to reason makes him a foridable enemy. I'll call this enemy Hussein. Why Hussein? Because I know I will catch him sooner or latter I just do not know where or when. I can eliminate some of his army, but catching him is much more difficult. A mouse will feast on just about anything from beetles to peanut butter. As long as there is a food source they will venture out anytime of the day or night. They will forgo some pretty good food in favor of not getting traped. Snap traps are worthless, sticky traps, a mouse will push them around like a new pup pushes a new toy across the floor. Mice are too smart to get caught by either of those traps, they know how to stretch and get food off any trap without stepping on the trap itself. They have few enemys once inside a home. Cats and small dogs will hunt them but I have about as much use for either of those as I do for the mouse itself. A large dog will barely raise an ear when he see's a mouse run across the floor even if the mouse is heading straight for the dogs food bowl. The dog has no interest, none - zip - zero. I think the dog's says " hey mouse try some pedrgree dog chow, we like it you will too, eat all you want, they will put out some more tomorrow". Meanwhile, maneuvers to capture Hussein must be merciless. Surley a bitsy, wily, opportunistic enemy can be outwited, but evertime I see him stand up on his hunches and sniff the air, I have the same thought, "look at that SOB, he thinks he is better and smarter than me". Time will tell.