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Anonymous
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# Posted: 29 May 2008 10:52am
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Hi,
I have a small cabin in the mountains, and I have been plagued by mice. I have used common control methods, but none seem to work. When I put out poison, they eat it, but it does not seem to affect the population. Do you have any suggestions how to control mice?
Thanks,
Anonymous
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 29 May 2008 11:04am - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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Perhaps the mice population in the area is too large to control this way, and those few that get killed by the poison are only small potion or the population.
There are times in nature when conditions are just right for population of certain species to explode. Usually, later the population either cannot longer sustain itself or a natural predator takes care of it, and eventually the population spike goes away to its normal levels.
Hopefully the rodent problem around you cabin will go away, naturally.
I also have mice in the area around my cabin, but I see them quite rarely - I may see one once in several days running around.
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2008 07:01am - Edited by: Vince P
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I have dealt with the same issue for some time and I think I may have finally become mouse-free. My cabin is deep in the woods and of course mice are part of the natural fauna. At first I was against any kind of lethal means until one day at the cabin, I woke up and found a huge amount of mouse feces in the pillow case I had been sleeping on! Not to mention, in my shoes, in the cupboard, in the couch, in the kids bunks, all over the floor, all over the loft, etc....
At first I would use live traps called "mouse cubes" and I would wake up about 5 times a night to release one in the woods. That was fine until I realized the same mice would just make their way back inside the cabin.
The solution was to find out where they were getting in from. In my case there were all sorts of places around the soffit. I used left over metal roofing cut into pieces to cover any suspected areas and it took me a few weeks of trial and error to get in mouse proof. At first I set out 4 regular baited mouse traps (the traditional kind with the spring) and every visit I would find at least 3 or 4 dead mice in them. Once I covered every possible hole, I still was catching mice, this I later realized, was the resident popualtion that was living inside the cabin somewhere. After a while no more mice!
One tip for those planning to use traps. Unless you are at your cabin daily, put the trap on a surface that can be cleaned. I use the tile under my woodstove, but at first I would put them in the loft where the wood floor would become saturated with mouse guts and still stinks to this day... a year later.
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Camper
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2008 01:42pm
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I hate mice!
For about the past 10 years or so I have been mouse free; first in a camper and now in my small cabin. I have a ritual that I follow after every visit. Sweep the floor, mop the floor and then spray a solution of water and peppermint oil in all the corners and on the floor.
Mice do not like peppermint oil (the real stuff.) If you think you know where they live or where they are getting in, put peppermint oil directly on a cotton ball and put it in that area. Use gloves because the oil is an irritant to the skin. As for the spray, I spray as I'm leaving because I have heard that the fumes are irritating.
Give it a try, it has worked for me.
Camper
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lawnjocky
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# Posted: 10 May 2009 08:30pm
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I use traps outside as I have never had a rodent inside, at least no four legged rodents. In the South West we have pack rats. They steal anything up to and including wrenches and other small tools. They like to eat the insultion off the wiring on your car. They even tried to eat my tractor seat. One decided the head on my Willys would make a good home. Before iI discovered his plan he had eaten a bunch of the wiring and hauled a bunch of trash in arond the engine.
I use plain old Victor rat traps. I have three and they will get three overnight. I have also found that a bucket of water will attract them and I got eight over night one time. One time I left the inspection hatch off on my water tank and a bunch fell in. It was a terrible mess to clean up, scrubbing, bleaching, etc.
It is an ongoing war with pack rats since rodents attract rattlers and I would rather not have them around when I step out to take a leak late at night.
No matter how careful you are there will be food scraps, etc that the little buggers like so they will be attracted to the area around a cabin.
I don't like the idea of poison since it gets into the food chain.
Jocko
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Hick
Member
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# Posted: 6 Sep 2009 04:18pm
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If you find any holes in you cabin stuff steel wool in the hole. Use the spray in foam on the backside to hold it in place. I'm working on building my 12x 16 cabin now. I'm building mine on a concrete slab. Around the bottom I'm going to use tin. And seal every hole I can with steel wool.
Hope this helps.
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pkjk96
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# Posted: 27 Sep 2009 05:40pm
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if you put the mouse traps(the traditional kind with the spring) inside a paper bag the clean up is very simple and clean
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Tomahawk
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# Posted: 27 Dec 2009 10:34pm
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I have found that using an empty spackle bucket (5 gal.) works great as a multiple mouse trap. Just put a couple of dabs of peanut butter about 1/2 way down the inside wall, and leave it alongside an interior wall. Check it daily. If you want to kill the mice, or if you will be leaving it un-attended for any length of time, put about 3 inches of anti-freeze in the bottom. Use an aquarium dip net to fish them out and dispose of in a plastic bag. Cheap and effective for large infestations.
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Kithera
Member
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# Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:58pm
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I say get a good cat!
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flatwater
Member
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# Posted: 29 Dec 2009 11:15pm
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I also have pack rats. The darn things have some who learned how to lick the peanut butter off the traps without tripping them. I found a 4/10 works if you can spot the little sob's
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2010 07:46pm
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I am plaged by those mousey b#$@turds.... I have of course used the spring traps inside (I like the bag comment above though) but I installed an owl box on my property and hope that it will draw an owl... now I know they can be noisy but I will take the chance.
I actually hope to build one or two more!
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drmargy
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2010 10:23pm
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Each fall we get an invasion of pack rats at our cabin. They come to harvest the last of my garden produce and "pack" it away. They usually move into our shed to build their food storage nests. I know we probably should trap and kill them, we live in a remote location where live trapping and relocation is a possibility. We use the Havahart live trap with peanut butter and it works really well. You can see more here.
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JRanch
Member
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2010 08:28am
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I am a Barber so I get to talk to quite a few people on a daily basis, I have a customer who owns a pest control business and I asked him how to deter "pack rats". He said to dpread sulfur under and around the cabin, pack rats dislike it. ???
keith
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2010 02:08pm
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Hi, I have similar problems with pack rats. We tried all the traps and baits. they didn't work so now we just shoot them.
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MikeOnBike
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2010 07:58pm
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My brother offered up an idea similar to JRanch's. When he is living in a cabin or wall tent the spread lime around the cabin/tent on the ground. The mice/rats have to walk across it and it sticks to their feet. When they wash themselves they ingest the lime.
Be careful though the lime can be caustic and should only be spread where humans and pets will not encounter it.
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cabinator
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2010 10:30am
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Rodent control.......
I have experience with mice in northern new england.
Probably more of a seasonal issue around here.
I use the victor new style traps. They resemble a large plastic clothes pin that just clamps down on the mouse. Kind of a tan color with a big red V on the top. Squeeze the back to open and drop the critter in the trash. Very simple and clean. The bait is key. I use a almond glued to the bait lever. Almonds have a skin that will not peel, rinse off the salt and let them dry. Use a good automotive type gasket/glue. I use a black silicone 2. It is sticky and stays pliable after drying. Glue on the nuts and let them dry for a day. Set the traps at points of entry and get ready. One outbreak I experienced, we killed 11 one night and 40 in a week. The nuts work so well you will have dead mice with their teeth stuck in the nut.
Strategy is key up here.
Check camps late winter before the thaw. Remove frozen dead carcasses before they start to decompose. This will also give you some idea of possible future populations. Get traps out early and catch those early breeders. If you can't and show up during a explosion in the rodent count. Be vigilant, a couple of good nights will greatly deplete the numbers. Move your traps outside once the kill rate drops off and keep you eyes out for those couple of mice big enough to make moccassins, grampy and grammy. Once you get the big breeders you should be down to a few random adventures every week or so. Traps outside can migrate away sometimes. I have drilled a small hole in some of mine and used a wire to keep them under the edge of the cabin.
Have fun
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2010 11:56am
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Wow
Lot's of mice out there.
We seem to just have chipmunks and squirrels.
The squirrels are as big as cats, and the wife is planning on thining the herd next summer with her pellet gun. She's a southern gal, so I'll be watching her dine on them one day. Of course the pelts w/be used to make hats and slippers.....
The chippys are rife, but hasn't been a problem. The cabin is pretty tight.
WE flipped an old 100 yr old house before the crash, and had a r-e-a-l mouse problem. The Victor traps worked much better than the newer designs. 28 kills in 3 days. Just hate trying to set them, as they have quite the hair trigger.
Had some adolesent squirrels in the attic there.
Live trap w/peanut butter got one, and his brother.
Looked like they took a bath in the old fashioned peanut butter, as their fur had that punked look.
Took the first one to a park 3 blocks away. He beat us back to the house, waiting on the porch when we arrived.
Then took them a couple miles away to a city park. The wife had to get over it all, as she was thinking, "Dinner!"
I think the trick is keeping at it.
In that vein, the Disney movie 'Never Cry Wolf' is good family entertainment.
Happy hunting
Gary O'
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2010 11:46pm
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Mice, easy way to kill them as fast as they come in without resetting the trap.
See attatched drawing below.
Instructions:
Get tin can, poke 2 holes, one in each end, dead center (critical) then run a coat hanger through it to act as an axle. Put it across the top of a bucket (5 gallon size) and bend the coat hanger onto the bucket handles. Smear the can with peanut butter. Thin coat. Fill bucket 1/3rd the way with water. Set up a ramp to its at a right angle (90 degrees) from the coathanger. Mice smell strong peanut putter, walk up the ramp, jump to the can, can rolls them into the water, they drown. No need to reload, jsut dump once in a while. Set up more than one.
Enjoy!
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2010 11:47pm
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Tell me that wont work and I'll call ya a liar! Get em everytime.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 12 Oct 2010 08:22am
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One word; Ingenious
Forgot all about this one, seen the results.
Somewhat different, but the principle was the same, get 'em in water with slick high walls.
Make 'em walk the plank
Looks like some will need a bigger bucket.................
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saltbranch
Member
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# Posted: 15 Oct 2010 02:29am
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2 best things we have used. pior to electricty was cats, not your pet house cat type. Throw in 6-8 young cats from craigslist with a small food source like a feeder to hold them over between visits. The electronic plug is units seem to work good for us too, since electricity..
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2010 01:42pm
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"Build a better mouse trap'............
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 2 Nov 2010 08:01pm
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Quoting: Tomahawk I have found that using an empty spackle bucket (5 gal.) works great as a multiple mouse trap. Just put a couple of dabs of peanut butter about 1/2 way down the inside wall, and leave it alongside an interior wall. Check it daily. If you want to kill the mice, or if you will be leaving it un-attended for any length of time, put about 3 inches of anti-freeze in the bottom. Use an aquarium dip net to fish them out and dispose of in a plastic bag. Cheap and effective for large infestations.
Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Get tin can, poke 2 holes, one in each end, dead center (critical) then run a coat hanger through it to act as an axle. Put it across the top of a bucket (5 gallon size) and bend the coat hanger onto the bucket handles. Smear the can with peanut butter. Thin coat. Fill bucket 1/3rd the way with water. Set up a ramp to its at a right angle (90 degrees) from the coathanger. Mice smell strong peanut putter, walk up the ramp, jump to the can, can rolls them into the water, they drown. No need to reload, jsut dump once in a while. Set up more than one.
I will second these suggestions. Works brilliantly every time.
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UpNorth
Member
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# Posted: 18 Nov 2010 05:25pm
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I have property in Northern Michigan. Here's what I built just this week and the 1st night I caught one mouse and 2 on the 2nd. I've been told by others who have built these that they work great.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 18 Nov 2010 10:20pm
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Must be cold, I see you have anti freeze in there. Is that cheese, or did you use peanut butter? Nice work. I told ya, it just keep on a kill'n. No reloading etc. :D
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UpNorth
Member
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# Posted: 20 Nov 2010 09:05am
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I put peanut butter on the can. It's not freezing yet up there but I put anti-freeze in there in case I don't make it back up before the freezing cold hits.
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dabones
Member
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# Posted: 21 Nov 2010 06:03pm
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Not to mention that Antifreeze is poisonous, so it's an extra 'gotcha!' to the mouse! :)
after what we've gone through this summer with mice in the trailer, I'll be building me some traps like this next year.. .......... I just have to hide them from my daughter, she gets mad when we catch or kill mice......or any living thing.... she wants to 'transplant' them somewhere else, silly girl..
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htisme
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# Posted: 30 Nov 2010 11:01pm
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I have tried an ultrasonic pest repeller. I don't think it is working. Does anybody know if there is a 'non-ultrasonic" device? i don't care if it makes a constant noise while I am not at the cabin as I can shut it off when I visit.
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MikeOnBike
Member
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# Posted: 30 Nov 2010 11:51pm
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Pick one...
371pxM67Grenade.jp.jpg
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gp100.jpg
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2011 11:43am
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cabinator
Hi - Thank you for your help full advise. After the mouse is trapped do you throw the whole thing away or is it easy to detach the mouse from the glue and reuse it again.
Just one last thing could you please attach a link so that I can see which victor trap you were referring to as their are a few different ones out there. I came across this ( http://www.victorpest.com/store/rodent-control/b130-2#desc ) but was not sure if it was the one you were referring to or a is there a cheaper option.
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