Few things are as traumatic for a house, a store, or a warehouse as a sudden invasion of rats or mice. Once they settle in, it is extraordinarily difficult to get them out, and that process demands an enormous amount of resources. Humanity has responded to the advance of rodents with brute force, strategy, and a lot of creativity, something reflected in several trap designs. The YouTube channel Mousetrap Monday explores the effectiveness of traps more than 400 years old, and its results are truly impressive.
As someone who has accumulated very unpleasant experiences with rats and mice over the years (living near a shopping center and several food processing plants doesn't help), I perfectly understand those who decide to hunt these animals down to the last one. They devour cables, puncture buried pipes, fill the area with droppings, reproduce at an alarming speed, repeat the cycle, and each new generation seems more astute than the last. The first line of defense against any invasion is a combination of poison and traps; however, if there are other animals nearby, poison use is ruled out. Anyone can go to the store and buy a large number of traps, but in the past they had to be built, and the channel Mousetrap Monday is dedicated to exploring the oldest designs.
(Editor's note: The videos show the death of several mice and rats, so if anyone finds this material offensive or inappropriate, I recommend stopping here or not playing the content.)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/wvWD-E-gbkkTraps from a book reprinted in 1590
Mousetrap Monday's traps are based on a book published by the English writer Leonard Mascall, whose original publication date is unknown, but it was reprinted in 1590 (a year after the writer's death). In general, the designs are lethal to mice, and if the intention is to catch rats, all that is needed is to modify the scale a little, but those who prefer non-lethal solutions will find two or three very interesting alternatives on the channel. Some variants even allow catching multiple mice at once, something ideal in case of very large infestations.
The channel's creator, Shawn Woods, owns a barn completely infested with wild mice, where he not only evaluates old traps but also explores the effectiveness of more modern versions. If you are in the middle of a battle with mice and/or rats and want to try something different, these videos and Mascall's book should be of great help.
