Keep mice out of equipment

[oldballs]

I'll bet that once you get them thinned out, you won't have much trouble after that. But you have to work at it year around. I use the triangular plastic enclosed bait stations and switch bait formulas annually. My shed and garage is active year around as opposed to your place which is deserted a good bit of the time. I think that makes a differance. Placing stations around the floor of the shed and placing one on all my various mechanical equipment (with engines) has worked for me. Then I also set mouse traps in the garage using peanut butter or cheese, which lets me know if there are any mice actually invading the place. Then there is also one large station for rats in the shed. They sure can screw up some equipment. Now, the coon and opposum crap, that's another whole thing. I guess that's where the moth balls would come in handy.

 

[sweettractors]

I vote for the Cat after thinning the mice some. Cats will find plenty to eat in the outdoors, if no one is there to feed them. Ken Sweet

 

[DDT]

Bucket trap works well for me, got two this week so far.

 

[chopped]

YouTube - ***** BIN LADEN IS DEAD - THE BEST Homemade Mouse Trap

YouTube - Bucket Mouse Trap - In Action

 

[Johnp33]

I made a bunch of bucket traps, I found that I had to drill the ends in the middle in the lathe and made steel side plates on the bucket. I caught a family of Pack-rats, never thought of using antifreeze. I use them in the summer with soap in the water.
Re-cycling the antifreeze with mice should improve the product!

 

[JDL538]

I have tons of mouse in barn, I open the hood and never get them, it works.

 

[D7E]

Touch wood never had any damage , I just leave a window open for cats to get in there.

 

[dcyrilc]

On my tractor, the batteries are located directly under the instrument cluster. Had a mouse nest on top of the batteries and around all the instrument wiring last winter. I removed the covers and mouse nest and haven't had problems since.

I may have cheated some also though. About two weeks later I found a rat in the building which must have come in when the door was open. I fired up the tractor and left it running for about an hour with all the doors closed. Then I took a deep breath and ran in, shut off the tractor, and immeadiately exited the building. I left it sealed up for 24 hours before opening all the doors to air it out. Haven't seen any evidence of a mouse or rat since.

 

[Canada_CT230]

I have a garage in a box for my tractor and lawn tractor. This winter I found a Squirrel making a nest on the top of my Bobcat CT230 engine block. Just a week ago I wanted to fire up the lawn tractor. Dead. Opened the hood and a Squirrel ran out. A nest packed behind the battery. Pulled the nest out and the lil' bastard chewed my ignition switch wiring. That switch also controls the mow in reverse feature...so there are more wires. I went on a shooting rampage with the .22. Six in total. Several hours to solder wires and clean up the lawn tractor. Then two days ago...I saw some styrofoam coming out of the motor pack of my hottub. I put some mouse poison bait down to get the lil bugger. I then yesterday had to take the motor pack apart to remove the dead mouse. I know put a metal screen over the bottom of that. I do need a good method to keep the critters out of the shed and tractors next winter.

 

[Snaker]

I've found that the varmits tend to chew on wires very close to where they are building a nest so the key is to direct attention to the cozy spots. I will toss a mothball into the cozy spots and set one on the occasional frame rail or bracket.

I fluff up a piece of steel wool and stuff into exhaust pipes and airbox openings.

I also have a problem with those mud wasps filling up small openings with mud. I spray WD-40 in the ends of vent tubes and breather tubes that aren't already oily, seems to work.