Pre-empting the Scream

What walks out of our walk-out ranch is no problem. It's what walks in that causes all the anxiety.

I decided to do my admittedly irregular inspection of the basement storage area of the house. Check the furnace filter, check for any signs of water leaks and survey the general tidyness of the place.

Then I found it. Some tiny chunks of fiberglass insulation on the floor and some tiny holes in the plastic sheeting covering the insulation. Upon closer inspection I saw droppings in a couple of corners of the concrete floor. I also knew that if my wife had been there, we'd probably be moving this week.

So I flew up the stairs, grabbed the central vacuum hose and cleaned the room like it had never been cleaned before. Yet for all my work, I didn't solve the problem. I just destroyed the evidence.

There are a number of commercial products that can help control rodents, but choosing the right one isn't easy.

I've often wondered when poison is placed in the house, what happens to the mouse that eats it. Does it head back outside, or does it crawl inside a hollow wall or attic? And is poison really appropriate?

Then there are traps that may occasionally snare a mouse, but they don't do a thing to keep them from getting into the house.

And, for me at least, a cat is not the answer. I don't care what cat fanciers say, I've never been in a home occupied by a cat that didn't smell awful.

So any ideas you have are most welcome.