Good Music wrote:

How do you trap, or even SEE to identify, suspected attic mice, when you
hear occasional running and clawing from your ceiling, but your attic has
blown-in insulation that looks like this?:

http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010002.JPG
http://home.nc.rr.com/goodmusic/P1010003.JPG

from just the narrow area in the center of the attic where there is plywood
flooring, I tried reaching over into the insulation area with a broom and
pushing some back; occasionally saw what looked like they could possibly be
mouse-sized hollowed tunnels in the fluffy stuff, but no way I could see any
vermin if they were there. Can't easily walk out into that area since no
flooring there, can't even see where the 2x4's are.

Is there any solution other than bringing in a crew to suck out all the
blown-in insulation, then exterminate any mice, look for & seal up any holes
(and cover ventilation holes along the edges with screening), then blow the
insulation back in? Don't know that our budget would cover that right now.
I heard mice like tunnels. Maybe if I by lengths of say 4-inch diameter PVC
piping, then nail a mousetrap inside each one baited with peanut butter,
then drill a hole through one end of each tunnel to tie a string to it, then
for each tunnel, hold one end of the string as I throw the tunnel out into
the insulation... then pull the tunnels in by the string periodically to
check traps?

Thanks,
- Goodmusic

If you do not want to kill the critters you can buy miniture traps that
catch them alive (kinda like plastic have-a-heart) at Wal-Mart. Bait
with PB. Chk everyday in the AM. You can then let them loose MILE or
more from house.

LB