If your garden is infested with mice, besides using traditional methods like mousetraps or poison baits, are there other ways to make mice leave without hurting them? In response to this question, an expert has shared a natural rodent repellent that you already have on hand.
According to a report by the UK’s “Daily Express,” using mousetraps, poison baits, or chemical pesticides to eradicate mice may also harm other animals or disrupt the ecological balance. Therefore, it is best to prioritize utilizing natural methods to drive away rodents.
Juanita Schulze, a gardening expert from the US seed supplier “David’s Garden Seeds,” mentioned that human hair is one of the best tools to scare mice away from the garden because mice tend to avoid it.
Schulze explained that mice dislike the scent of human hair. If you know someone at a salon or barber shop, you can ask them for some cut hair or collect it from your own hairbrush at home. Sprinkle the hair around your garden to deter mice.
Although this method may seem odd, gardeners often employ it to repel rodents. This is because human hair carries a strong scent that signals the presence of humans nearby, prompting mice to see it as a threat and stay away.
However, if you find this method hard to accept, you can also use garlic to repel mice.
Schulze noted that mice detest the strong odor of garlic. You can chop garlic, boil it in water, remove the garlic, place the garlic water in a spray bottle, and spray it around the plant roots in your garden. You can also scatter chopped garlic around the perimeter of the garden to keep mice at bay.
She stated, “The significant benefit of using garlic spray is that you are not using any other toxic insecticides in the garden. This is an eco-friendly and ecologically beneficial method for pest control and disease prevention.”
Moreover, if you have coffee grounds on hand, you can also use them to drive away mice since the strong bitter taste of coffee grounds serves a similar purpose to garlic.
Schulze added, “Sprinkling coffee grounds around your garden can deter mice because they dislike the taste of coffee.”
Another advantage of coffee grounds is that they act as a natural fertilizer for plants. For acid-loving plants such as roses or hydrangeas, a small amount of coffee grounds can help them grow better.
In a previous report by Daiji World, it was suggested that planting lavender, chrysanthemums, oleander, black pepper, and onions in your garden can also help repel mice while adding charm to your garden.
Each of these plants has unique characteristics that make them effective rodent repellents. For example, black pepper contains piperine, a compound that stimulates the mice’s sensory receptors, causing them to sneeze and cough, ultimately driving them away. Chrysanthemums are rich in pyrethrins, a natural insecticide that affects the nervous system of rodents and other pests.
Additionally, British pest control expert Robert Collins shared several other rodent repellents, including ammonia water, essential oils, and owl feathers.
Owl feathers are effective at deterring mice because mice are incredibly intelligent and can sense threats in their surroundings, including natural predators like owls.