I don't know what's happening but there are mice everywhere outside. They also get into the garage like flies whenever the door is up. My house is totally fine, since it is pretty clean and sealed off. Every time I move the push lawn mower (which is stored outside under a tarp), several mice go fleeing from the scene. The primer button has been chewed on, as with the insulation on exposed wires and even the pull cord where it meets the engine.
Last week, I went outside to look at my dad's tadpoles, which he feeds and houses inside a green bucket full of water. I noticed a red bucket over by the house and thought at first that he had more. What I found was a bucket full of water with a dead mouse lying in the bottom. I went to my dad and said, "Uh what's with the dead mouse in a bucket?" He went out to look and said that was supposed to be clean water for the tadpoles, but a mouse apparently managed to fall in and drown itself.
Just a couple minutes ago, I went out through the garage to take out the garbage and I find a dead mouse on my boot with its broken neck in a mouse trap. The trap was up on a ledge and I guess the snapping mechanism sent the animal and trap flying off the edge.
By far the worst incident was a couple days ago where a mouse managed to get into my van (in the garage). My parents were absolutely pissed. My dad armed some traps inside the van and which worked. Afterwards, my dad and I went out to clean the entire van. I found piles of crumbs and raisin skins in various places around the van and on the seats. It was rather irritating but also difficult to find out exactly how the mouse got inside. My dad's theory is that it climbed up one of the front tires and got up into the engine, where it then managed to find one of the gaps in the center console (which can be removed to access the back of the engine) to access the interior. My theory is that it was inside a tack box (my mom and sisters own and ride horses) originally stored in the garage and someone put it inside the van without checking for mice.
At this point, we just have traps littered around the garage which my dad periodically empties. Discuss problems with any pests (insects, mice, etc).
