I was infested with field mice last year. They came in droves and I couldn't kill them fast enough. We are not cat lovers, but we did get 2 cats over the summer to kill off the mice population. Now I don't have a problem with mice this winter.
But last winter, we could only find success with the glue traps. I had them stuck everywhere. I had like 8 of them skattered all over my house on a daily basis, and I was averaging 4-5 mice per day in the glue traps. Put them along the base boards, behind the washer and dryer, behind the night stands, in the pantry, in the cupboards, in the closets, behind the furniture.... etc. Beware... when you get one in the glue trap, they will squeel and fuss loudly. Sometimes another mouse would try to come to the rescue and I'd end up catching 2 on one glue trap. Once though, another mouse was actually eating the stomach out of the mouse stuck in the glue trap.
I did have some of those homemade traps also, but not much success with them. To dislodge them, I would usually just drop a spoon or fork onto them from a safe distance. They do tend to jump up and shoot the spoon back out.
Good luck on your mice hunt.
