"Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."
This famous (mis)quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson is used to describe the value in improving a basic product.
His advice has also been taken literally. Since William Hooker of Abingdon, Ill. invented the spring-loaded mousetrap in 1894, more than 4,400 patents for new mousetraps have been filed in the U.S.
But has anyone really improved on the spring trap?
A recent protracted and methodical battle with a mouse in my apartment suggests they have not. Below I will detail four unsuccessful and one successful methods for catching mice.
1.
When I notified my landlord of a mouse, he called the exterminator, and the exterminator deployed several plastic Mouse Snap Traps, which are supposed to be a safer, simpler version of the spring-trap. But after two weeks, the mouse had not been caught — and it was definitely still out there.
2.
I decided to take measures into my own hands. I walked down to Duane Reade and picked up a couple of No-Mess Mouse Spin Traps, which looked sophisticated and even sort of fun. The trap works by luring a mouse with preinstalled bait into a chamber, which spins shut, killing the mouse instantly and notifying the trapper of its catch with a easy-to-read dial.
But after a week, the mouse was still out there. Clearly the mouse I was dealing with was smart. I also worried that it was too large to walk into the trap (even though the trap-maker promises that mice can squeeze into small holes).
3.
I was done playing around. I went back to Duane Reade and bought the largest, most expensive trap at the store: the $11 Rat Killer bait station. This device works by luring rodents with poisoned bait, which they eat and then go off and die somewhere. I was nervous, however, about sending a rodent to die and rot in my walls. After reading about the trap on the Internet, I was even more nervous. From Tomcat FAQ:
Q: Are there poisons (baits) available where rodents won’t smell when they die?
A: NO. Regardless of the bait used, a natural decomposition process always takes place with a distinctive odor.
Q: Are there poisons (baits) available that will make rodents go outside looking for water?
A: Eating bait will not change a rodent’s “normal” water requirements. It is a myth that rodents will seek water outdoors after eating a bait and then die outdoors. There is adequate water in your home to meet all rodent needs. If water wasn't available, rodents wouldn't live there.
After reading this, I got rid of the trap. I didn't want to deal with dead rodent smell.