If you were outside in the cold, you’d want to find a nice warm place to shelter in. Mice are no different. Compost heaps can offer warmth, protection and quite possibly some food too.
Sounds perfect (for a mouse!)
Unfortunately, humans are not always so keen on mice in the compost heap. But is it a problem? And if it is, what can you do about it? Let’s find out…
How big a problem are mice in compost?
Chances are, if you have a large garden, you’ll have mice (and rats!)
Gardens are full of bulbs, seeds and other nutritious and delicious snacks that mice love. You might dent their population, or even eliminate them for a while, but you’re unlikely to get rid of them permanently.
What’s more, mice can attract, and provide a source of food for, other predators. These include owls and other birds of prey, which can act as a natural check on their population.
Personally, I can put up with mice in my compost bin. There are two things that motivate me to crack down on them.
The first is when I plant my broad bean seeds in the autumn, as the little blighters love burrowing into the soil and digging up the seeds. The second is when they start nibbling at my peas and stripping open my mange tout.
Diseases from mice
More seriously, mice can spread diseases.
There’s a long list of diseases that they can spread, and these include Hantavirus, Salmonella and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis. They also carry ticks which can in turn carry diseases such as Lyme Disease. (Source: Elrich: Are mice dangerous?.)
Bear in mind that many of the sites that warn about diseases from mice and other rodents are pest control sites. These obviously have an incentive to hype the danger.
For example, Hantavirus, which is commonly mentioned on pest sites, is rare amongst humans. (Source: BBC – Hunting the elusive hantavirus.)
At the end of the day, you might be able to control mice numbers, but mice will still be able to enter your garden.
So if you’re worried about disease, the best solution is probably to ensure you wash your hands properly after turning your compost heap.
That said, here are 11 ways you can control mice if you do want to.
How to stop mice in the compost heap…
1. Mouse-proofing
You’ll often see recommendations to proof your compost bin with wire.
This might work for rats but mice are extremely good at getting into small spaces. With their super flexible skeletons, a mouse can squeeze through a 6mm gap – that’s about the size of a pencil. You can, however, get a special mouse-proof mesh.
If you don’t want to go down the mesh road, an alternative would be to source an enclosed compost bin made out of gnaw-proof materials, such as a compost tumbler.
2. Hose them out
I haven’t tried this method before, but Garden Organic suggests soaking your compost heap with water.
“To get rid of them, soak the heap several times over a period of a few days. An easy way to do this is to flood it using a hosepipe. Once the material is totally wet, the mice should move to drier accommodation.” (Source: Garden Organic: Mice in the compost heap.)
One problem I could see with this is your compost heap would get too wet, forcing oxygen out of the heap or bin. This would disturb the composting process and potentially delay the time until you get finished compost.
The perfect consistency of your compost should be that of a sponge – after you have wrung the sponge out. Of course, if it’s in the middle of summer and you’re in a heatwave, things might be different.
3. Planting mint
The idea of planting mint to deter mice is attractive. Do the job once and you have an ongoing mouse-prevention system in place.
However, I’ve always been skeptical about whether mint would actually work. Perhaps I’m biased – other companion planting experiments I’ve tried haven’t always worked.
But in the course of researching this article, I discovered the experiment below. This did use concentrated peppermint oil, with a stronger smell than a plant, but the results are encouraging. Perhaps mint would work!
(Do remember that mint spreads like wildfire, though, and is best constrained to large pots.)
4. Turning the compost
One way to discourage mice is to turn your compost on a regular basis. This might not stop them from visiting for a snack. However, it is likely to stop them from making nests and breeding in them.
Turning your compost regularly is more work, of course, but it also has the advantage of aerating the compost pile and producing compost more quickly. It can also help with…
5. Hot composting
If your compost bin/heap is big enough, and you have roughly the right measure of greens and browns, you should be able to get it hot. Hot compost can be too hot to touch, let alone for a mouse to take up home.
Even a little heat will rapidly reduce the attractiveness of any food you are adding.
6. Use a Bokashi bin for cooked food
Cooked foods, cheese, dairy products and meats can emit strong, attractive smells for rodents. But it’s far more fun to turn these products into compost than throw it out into the trash.
One option for dealing with this is to use a Bokashi bin.
Bokashi bins deter mice in two ways. They have a tight seal, and rodents are said to dislike the pickling smell they make.
It could be possible for a rodent to gnaw its way into a Bokashi bin, but I have yet to experience this with my own Bokashi bins.
7. Bury food waste deep
If you put food waste in your compost heap, it’s well worth burying it deep in the compost pile.
This might not guarantee mice won’t find it, but it will mean the food is less accessible and will give off less smell.
I sometimes dump cooked food in my Dalek Bin. There’s usually a fair bit in the bottom, and the sealed top means mice can’t get access from above, even if they do climb the hedge. Fingers crossed, I’ve yet to see any evidence of mice around the bin.
8. Controlling with dogs
Red Gardens has vlogged extensively about dealing with rats, and some of his tips may be applicable to mice.
He originally used a dog to catch escaping rats as he turned the compost. Terriers, in particular, are well known for their ratting skills. They will eagerly dispose of mice, although this might not be for the faint-hearted!
(When it comes to mice, it’s not just terriers that will dispose of them, though. I remember my mother’s spaniel wolfing down field mice before we could stop her.)
The traditional method for training a dog to become a ratter is also rather brutal. This involved catching a live rat, putting it in a bin and then putting a young terrier.
The rat would then bite the terrier, which would then kill the rat and be left with a lifelong hatred of rats. I’ve never seen this done, so can’t vouch for it myself (and it’s probably illegal too now).
(As a child I remember my own dog was not so effective. I cornered a rat once, and she grabbed the rat, shook it and let it go. I think she might have gotten bitten, as she refused to ever go near one in the future. As for the rat, I had to finish it off myself with a metal feed scoop.)
You can see the whole of RED Gardens guide below:
9. Get a cat
The great thing about a cat is that even when it’s not killing mice, the cat could still deter them.
Proteins contained in a cat’s saliva, called MUPs, cause a reaction in mice that can cause them to freeze with fear. I think it’s feasible that having a cat around the garden could deter mice from setting up base.
But cats also have a lethal killing instinct – one they sometimes want to pass on! When I was a child, our house cat would often bring mice into the house for us to examine.
These went from being completely dead, to half alive to fully alive. We used to wonder if it was trying to teach us to kill mice.
Wondering what cat is best? Over on Kitten Toob you can find a breakdown of the top ten best cats to kill mice.
10. Traps
Traps are easily available and cheap. In my experience, they will put a dent in the mice population, but don’t eliminate them in the garden.
I’ve tried several in recent years. Live mice traps can be effective, although when I used large ones as a kid I used to catch all sorts of things in them. The problem is you then need to dispose of them.
I remember my father drowning rats, which I always thought was horrible.
(Rats can access oxygen from trapped air molecules in their fur, which means they can live quite a while after being put in water.)
I do like the little plastic ones that are easy and safe to set (just push back on the back), and when I did catch my finger in them once it didn’t hurt me. Traditional mouse traps are effective, but can be a pain to set, and it’s easy to catch your fingers.
Snap traps usually kill instantly. However, it is possible to catch a mouse by the leg, which can cause hours of suffering.
In the past, I’ve used electric traps in a greenhouse, which worked well. Although as my stepfather learned, if you put your finger in to see if it is working it can give you quite a jolt!
Some people recommend wearing gloves when you set traps in order to reduce the smell, although the human smell doesn’t seem to put mice off from stealing our food! Perhaps more effective for garden mice?
If you do use traps, I recommend covering them with a bucket or pan. Mice seem to be able to get under these with no problem, but it prevents killing other animals. There’s nothing worse than coming out in the morning to find the Robin that follows you around the garden lying lifeless in your trap…
11. Poison
Poison is highly effective to get rid of mice and rats.
Mice and rats just love the bait that the poison is embedded in, and it’s the fastest way I know to rapidly clear a population of rodents from the garden.
The problem is that it doesn’t just kill mice and rats. In fact, one friend told me how, after he put rat poison down, the barn owls from his area disappeared. His theory is that mice and rats ate the poison, and were in turn eaten by the owls, which were poisoned.
If you use poison, you need to stop other animals from getting access. The best way to do this is with a bait station. This has a mouse (or rat) sized hole which will stop most other animals from getting access.
This limits the number of animals that can access the poison, although it doesn’t stop other creatures from eating the mice later.
Finally…
Some people find the thought of mice in the compost heap off-putting. But we have lived alongside mice for thousands of years, and that’s not likely to stop now.
Take measures to stop them if you wish, but don’t let it stop you from enjoying composting, reducing waste, and experiencing the joy and pleasure of growing your own plants in your own homemade compost.
Photo by Zdeněk Macháček
FAQs
What are the signs of mice infestation in a compost bin?
Signs of a mice infestation in a compost bin may include:
- Burrows or tunnels in the compost pile.
- Gnaw marks on the bin or compost materials.
- Mouse droppings or urine smells.
- Scattered food scraps or nesting materials.
- Unexplained noises coming from the compost bin, especially at night.
How do I safely remove mice from my compost bin without harming them?
To safely remove mice from your compost bin without harming them, consider the following steps:
- Use a live-catch mousetrap that allows you to capture mice without injury.
- Bait the trap with peanut butter or other enticing food items.
- Place the trap near the compost bin or in areas where you have noticed mouse activity.
- Check the trap regularly and, once caught, release the mouse at least a mile away from your home or garden.
- Continue to monitor the area for any remaining mice and repeat the process as needed.
Are there any compost bin designs that are more resistant to mice infestation?
Yes, some compost bin designs are more resistant to mice infestation:
- Tumbler compost bins, which are closed systems that sit off the ground, making it difficult for mice to access.
- Bins made from sturdy materials like metal or heavy-duty plastic with tight-fitting lids.
- Bins with a fine mesh or hardware cloth base to prevent entry from below.
- Elevated compost bins with no direct ground contact.
How often should I turn my compost pile to discourage mice from nesting in it?
To discourage mice from nesting in your compost pile, aim to turn it at least once every 1-2 weeks. Regular turning not only disrupts nesting opportunities but also promotes aeration, which accelerates the decomposition process and maintains a healthy environment within the bin.