Mouse problems in vehicles

[travelover]

Fermion >> I don't use any liquid at all in my bucket. They work just fine. I 6 or 7 years using the bucket I have only had about a half dozen mice. The natural predators just are very efficient and the bucket trap is a check and balance tool for me.

Try it with out any liquids they work the same way.

In a recent Shawn Woods video, he used a little peanut oil in the bucket, in the winter. It seemed to all that was necessary to keep them from jumping out.

 

[HI Bill]

I worked on an island that was literally overrun by millions of mice after a particularly wet spring. The field mice were everywhere, and the owls came over to feed.

Mice would climb up the truck tires into the trucks, and would go everywhere, including the dashboard. Tried ultrasonic, and they didn't work; we used Tin Cat mouse traps around the edges of buildings. We used buckets with a wire hanging over the center with peanut butter on it...the mice would run along the wire to the peanut butter, then fall into the bucket, which has a little water and Pinesol in it. I definitely don't think elevating a vehicle with jack stands or similar would work; maybe a moat, lol.

 

[RetireAge50]

This land ownership thing is sounding worse by the moment. Maybe sell the land, Kubota, truck, everything and live on the sailboat? Sounds like nature has the upper hand when you are not there to defend it.

 

[JoeWras]

This land ownership thing is sounding worse by the moment. Maybe sell the land, Kubota, truck, everything and live on the sailboat? Sounds like nature has the upper hand when you are not there to defend it.

Well, somebody, maybe OP, mentioned Hanta virus. This is no joke. It is serious.

We went to Yosemite in 2011. This was the first year of abundant rains in Yosemite in many years. We had a great time staying in Curry village in the tent cabins. (Although not the "signature" cabins with heaters.)

Flash forward to 2012. Hantavirus invades Curry Village. Three people died. More were sickened. The mice went crazy during 2011 in the abundant year. They especially liked the cabins with heaters ("signature").

So yeah. Mice are cute. But they can be deadly. I know some stuff isn't very humane (sticky traps with mice struggling, or swimming in buckets until exhaustion), but remember that people can die from mice infestations. Rats are another level and frankly nobody should be compassionate to those buggers.

 

[gauss]

#1) I have dealt with mice damage in vehicles here in the suburbs twice in the past ten years. In both cases, I got out my soldering iron and electrical tape to repair the chewed fuel injector wires. I have also had to repair my central air condenser once when they chewed the 240vac wires. It wasn't too bad of a job in any of these cases.

#2) I was taught by my hunter/trapper coworker about how to trap mice in the office with a heavy cereal bowl, propped up on one side with a Cheeto covered in peanut butter. We took about half a dozen out of the office over a week or two. I am not sure if that would work with a very large population in a pole barn or not

-gauss

 

[Fermion]

This land ownership thing is sounding worse by the moment. Maybe sell the land, Kubota, truck, everything and live on the sailboat? Sounds like nature has the upper hand when you are not there to defend it.

I hear ya. I think about it a lot, even selling the sailboat and just live in a hotel or something. At least when the hotel becomes infested you can easily just move.

 

[meleana]

We had mouse issues in the house and chewing wires in our car. They were coming in from the garage. We did a combo mouse traps in the garage and bars of Irish Spring soap inside and under the car where they seemed to get at the wires.

 

[RobbieB]

I've never understood the logic of leaving the trap unset for rats "to get used to".

Either a bucket trap or a snap trap kills them the first time they use it. What's to "get used to"? Seems they either eat the bait for five nights (unset), then eat the bait on the 6th night (set), and are eliminated. Or they eat the bait on day one of a set trap and get eliminated. Or they are wary and never eat the bait. Leaving it set seems way more effective/efficient. Why feed them for 5 days?

I think it's one of those things that sounds good on the surface, so people don't think it through any further. But when I think it through, I just don't see the point.

I agree on attaching the trap to a board, I do that with mouse traps to, on a long furring strip. It just makes it easier to set them in place, and retrieve them from an out of the way area against the wall.

-ERD50

I agree. I've killed a lot of rats with a 4way baited with bacon from day1.

 

[Canoeboy]

For enclosed spaces like RV’s, cars, boats we have found a product called Fresh Cab - Botanical Rodent Repellent to work pretty good. Found the product to be much more effective than moth balls, dryer sheets, etc. Have used for about 4 winters now in Camper and have had no rodents so far. Of course parking the vehicle in a area with minimal harborage opportunities (Clean cement floor pole barn vs. cluttered hay ridden old barn) helps a lot. Bait stations on the exterior would help if the area is infested. Not sure how well Fresh Cab would work in open environments such as engine area of a vehicle parked outside - may need to put fresh product out monthly or so in that case. Amazon generally has best price on the product.

 

[ransil]

I live in the woods, tried traping and other things, best I found is the bait blocks.
started using bait stations and open pipes but coons ate it almost every night, did not seem to affect them as I never found any laying around.
Built my own bait stations with 1 1/4' PVC about a foot long with caps on each end with 3/4" holes drill a little offset to keep the rain out. place them around the foundation and in the shed, first few months went thru a bucket of bait then it has tapered off 6 months on bait, I never find dead mice laying around but low bait usage indicates its working.
I also seal my pole barn and garage up with door seals and spray foam where needed.
sometimes they get in I leave dried corn kernels near the door inside for a quick visual when entering to indicate activity I use rat zappers inside.

https://www.amazon.com/Victor-RZC001-Zapper-Classic-Trap/dp/B002665ZTC

 

[Gearhead Jim]

Our problem was mice and chipmunks in the garage, not the same issue as OP but here's what has worked for us in this situation:
Keep garage doors shut except when needed.
Multiple glue traps in the corners, changed whenever they start to get dusty/dirty.
Plastic container with perforated lid, full of moth balls, under front axle and rear axle of each vehicle. Change moth balls every 2-3 months.
It's been working for several years, and our garage smells like Grandma's closet.

 

[Buck]

Mouse control

I have had good luck controlling mice in my storage sheds and rooms by using peppermint oil. I sprinkle a couple of eyedroppers full on th floor each month or so. No mouse poop in evidence.

Added bonus -- it will make your van smell nice.

 

[sandbox2832]

My Dad had mice or rats chewing wires in his garage. He put cayenne powder pepper stuff on the car wires and they stopped doing it. It might be work trying.