If you have discovered you have a couple of mice rummaging through your kitchen cabinets, you may wonder what you can do yourself to get rid of the pests. If so, use the three-step guide below for making a mouse trap with homemade poisoned bait.

Step 1:  Find A Trap Receptacle

The first step involves making a small receptacle in which to store your bait. You can use anything shallow to make it, such as a metal jar lid or a small box top. The purpose of the container is to hold the bait and keep it from touching anything in your cupboards or on your counter. You will need one receptacle for each trap you wish to make.

Step 2:  Set up Your Bait

Once you have something to put it in, it is time to make the poisonous bait. For the bait, use peanut butter. The strong smell draws the mice to it, and its sticky consistency keeps it from moving off the receptacle.

For the poison, you will be mixing in borax. The laundry additive is highly desiccant, meaning it will pull moisture out. When the mouse eats the borax, it sucks the moisture out from the inside of their body. No matter how much they drink, they will eventually die of dehydration.

To make your bait, mix together a tablespoon of peanut butter with a teaspoon of borax for each trap. Place the mixture in the center of the receptacle, then go on to the third step.

Step 3:  Place the Trap

Once you have baited the trap, it is time to place it in your kitchen. Because borax can be poisonous to pets as well as the rodents, do not place it on the floor. Also, it could make small children sick, so keep it away from areas your little ones may decide to explore.

Put it in the back of your cabinets with doors. If you have open containers of food on a shelf, remove them so the poison does not contaminate it.

The above mousetrap can help you get rid of a few of the rodents. However, if you find that you have a large population of the furry pests living in your home, you may want to contact a pest control company that specializes in mouse control. The professionals can inspect your home to find out the extent of the problem and offer suggestions on how to get rid of them.