How to Build Mouse Traps Using Simple Machines
There might be nothing scarier for a woman than a mouse in the house. These rodents can cause a lot of mess in your house, damaging wiring, food, walls and contaminating areas. The presence of mice in your house can be very dangerous to your health if they have access to your kitchen. Luring mice into a trap can be very tricky at times but exterminating them from your house is also essential to do. You can make mouse traps at home by using simple objects and catch those messy rodents. Wedges, inclined planes, screws, lever, wheels, axles and pulleys are considered to be simple machines and you can use these things to device an effective mousetrap.
Instructions
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1
You have to select a perfect bait to catch the mice first. Most people think cheese is the best bait but peanut butter is far more effective than cheese, as it lasts longer than any other baits. You can use chunks of peanut butter in your mouse trap and the rodent will be lured into it by the aroma. Gumdrops, sunflower, cherry pits, butter and bread are other commons baits used in mouse traps.
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2
The simplest of the mouse traps is to use a flat stone, a stick and bait. You simply need to prop up the flat side of the stone and place a stick at its edge to hold it in that position. Make sure the stick is place very close to the edge of the stone, so that a slight tug can pull it out and the stone comes crashing down.
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3
Tie one end of a string to the top of the stick and the other end to the bait, leaving very little slack. The mouse will come for the bait and the moment it pulls it, the stone will fall upon the rodent to crush it!
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4
If you desire to build a non-lethal mouse trap, you need a 1 ½ feet wide and 3 feet long wire mesh with small holes.
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5
Cut 6 inches of mesh from the bottom and bend the remaining to make a box with 6-inch sides. Tie the overlapping flaps with small pieces of metal wire.
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6
Place the 6-inch piece you cut earlier on one side of the box and affix it firmly with metal wires to make a permanent wall.
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7
Cut a 6-by-8-inch rectangle from the remaining mesh to form a trap door for the other end of the box.
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8
Push the trap door inside the box from the other end and tie only the top end of it to the box, leaving the bottom end free.
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9
Attach springs to the bottom end of the hinge trap door you have made and test it to make sure it will lift up easily when the mouse will try to enter it.
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10
Place the bait inside the box. The mouse will push its way inside to reach the bait but won’t be able to force his way out due to the springs attached to the hinge.
