Unpleasant thread...varmits

[speedo]

So I know that varmits are a big issue and there are lots of threads. I live in the mtns and varmits were here before I was. I have mice in my DD and in my shop. I have tried traps, poison and cats. Haven't driven my DD in 2 weeks and today there is evidence of lots of mice poop. Tired of these creatures. They are obviously in my heater system and eating my carpet. I know they come into the car via the air vents on the top of the heat exchangers. Bottom line...without gassing myself and or creating a rust-creating situation in my car...what is the best way to QUICKLY eradicate thes beasts. I am past compassion. BTW, lint sheets and mothballs don't work.

[ahh911]

5 Mice traps armed with peanut butter, and wait for the show. It's a pain re-loading, it was nightly for awhile, but it's been awhile. Caught my wife's toe too.

[stownsen914]

I have mice in my area too. Rampant in the garage. I do the same things you do. Two things:
The pro poison is better than the stuff you and I can buy.
Glue traps work well to catch the bastards in contained spaces. I found evidence of them in my RV last winter and caught both of them using glue traps in a matter of two days. The key is to put the glue trap where they are likely to hang out, i.e. where the poop is.

[OldSpool87]

This may be a long shot but when I swapped mufflers on my SC I put Kroil on the muffler flanges every night for about a week thinking it would help with removal. The stuff has a distinct odor. I’d close the garage door behind me each night. One day I noticed a dead mouse on the floor but thought nothing of it. The following day the same. I think the odor in a confined space is unpleasant/lethal to them.

Or you could weigh the cost of a pro coming in to eliminate versus cost of new wire harness and all the other damage they can do.

Good luck with it.

[RSTarga]

Lots of ground pepper everywhere

[john walker's workshop]

A Home Depot bucket 1/2 full of water, a ramp, a rod across the top with a length of pvc pipe over it, peanut butter in the middle. No life jackets.

[famoroso]

Hate those lil' bastards!

Love this guy...

https://youtu.be/pHwvVPT202Y

...he's the mousetrap master!

[brighton911]

John W's method and the flip top ones work wonders. Rodent control is an ongoing deal, a mating pair ideally can produce 1000's of offspring in just a year.

[speedo]

Just ordered.
This is war.
Grabbing peanut butter and birdseed tomorrow.

[group911@aol.co]

Ever try the plug in things that make noise they don't like?
You could close the doors in the shop and leave a car running to gas them?

[jjeffries]

Glad that no one’s recommending poison … that’s bad for everyone and the eco-system.

John

[RobFrost]

If using glue please ensure no other creatures can enter, especially birds, at all times. It's very cruel to them. Better to use something humane, in my view, such as a very sensitive snappy trap or electrocutor.

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

[SCadaddle]

Originally Posted by RobFrost

If using glue please ensure no other creatures can enter, especially birds, at all times. It's very cruel to them. Better to use something humane, in my view, such as a very sensitive snappy trap or electrocutor.

Sent from my SM-G988B using Tapatalk

I agree on not using the glue traps. Had a buddy put them in his shop once, and I heard something thrashing about inside the back door. Checked it out and a Carolina Wren had found the glue trap. The good thing was cooking oil defeated the glue in removing the bird. In the end I had one very happy greasy bird. The one time I did catch a mouse on a glue trap was one time too many for me, even more so when I eyed the Blue Jay that thought it was ready to be a predator at the right place at the right time. Yeah, rodents can be a problem but there are other more humane ways to deal with them from where I roll.

When my 911 was "down" for repairs once upon a time in an area with known rodent issues, we simply wrapped batts of steel wool in plastic grocery store bags and jammed those into the usual entry points. Easy and effective.

[DaytonaCoupe66]

There are hacks on utube using water buckets that look effective. Poison like the stickies is also quite cruel - it sickens predators that find the dying mice too.

A 997 GT3 that I once owned offered soy based wiring insulation as a rodent delicacy. That cost me plenty to fix in the spring.

I have several plug-in ultrasonic mice repellers in the garage and outbuildings. A few traps around the edge of the walls loaded with peanut butter is also good as it'll tell you if a problem is growing. I used to use bounce sheets but for me the ultrasonic solution appears to have worked.

[GaryR]

I'll pipe in on what NOT to do, put poison out. They will eat it and they may die, but you likely won't see where and will have a heck of a time getting that stink out of your car..

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by GaryR

I'll pipe in on what NOT to do, put poison out. They will eat it and they may die, but you likely won't see where and will have a heck of a time getting that stink out of your car..

Or if your cat eats it, or the neighbor’s cat, or any other predator around. Like someone else said, it goes through the whole area and not just your shop.

I use a Homer bucket, with just feed in it. They get in but can’t get out. Then I toss them over the fence and my chickens eat them.

I also do everything I can to find the nest and break it up.

[junkman300SD]

Rats are harder than mice because they are cautious. I have a cabin in the country that hasn't been lived in full time for 20 yrs or so that I'm rehabbing. I set up a game or security camera where I think they are getting in. I'll catch several in a row then the rats wise up. Apparently they notice if cousin Fred get's caught in a snap or even a live trap.

I figure they're just trying to live life the same as I am but can't have them chewing my stuff. It's an ongoing challenge. Winter makes it worse because they move indoors.

FYI, home made peanut butter doesn't work well as bait. You need the salt and sugar in the commercial stuff.

[RSTarga]

pepper:

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

A Home Depot bucket 1/2 full of water, a ramp, a rod across the top with a length of pvc pipe over it, peanut butter in the middle. No life jackets.

^^^
That's how ya do it. Seriously... My dad and my brother both use this method.

[evan9eleven]

Originally Posted by ahh911

Caught my wife's toe too.

Now this we want to hear more about.