"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
"Malcolm Ogilvie" wrote ...

Adam Funk wrote:

We've had a mouse living in our worm bin for a few weeks (I've seen it
dancing around on top of the heap when I tip stuff in).

The bin is the open-bottomed "dalek" type. I have one of those oblong
metal box mousetraps with two one-way gates one side & two spring
traps inside, arranged so that a "flag" is visible through the top
when a trap's been sprung. I originally put this down under a nearby
wall of the shed (the shed walls have ventilation gaps of 40 to 50
mm), assuming that the mouse would run that way; after a while, I
moved it under the wall closest to the worm bin.

I now wonder if the mouse is living more or less permanently inside
the bin --- is that possible?

I'm reluctant to put any kind of poison in the worm bin since I use
the output in the garden & (when I'm lucky) grow something edible.

I'm seriously considering setting the trap-box on the top of the
contents of the worm bin. Is that a smart or stupid idea?



What harm is the mouse doing?


I would say it's actions are beneficial to the composting process as it
turns over the matter.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK
Agree. IMO it's not necessary to kill mice that are living outside, where
else should they live? Rats are a different kettle of fish though. Poison is
a no-no. I once had a rat problem around my chickens huts and I used poison.
Worked on the rats, but I think it did for my tawny owls :-(

How could I have been so stupid? Anyway, I was, years ago. A cat came,
lost, and although I didn't really want him, I took him in. He's brilliant
with catching small rats and if he misses them and they get big, I get the
terriers in. Poison is a cruel death anyway, it takes days and I think they
suffer. With my method ( terrier) they either escape unharmed or they die
in an instant.