Need to wage war on mice / rats

[plowhog]

I'm familiar with, and often use typical household mouse traps in my enclosed garages (Victor brand.)

But I need to do some hard core serious mouse reduction. In about a month, I'll be storing a motorhome in my barn. I don't want it to be quickly destroyed by mice. I've never done any mouse reduction in the barn.

It's about 50x90, with lots of openings to nearby adjacent pastures and fields. There are mice in it now, of course. I want to knock the population back before the motor home shows up.

Various critters also wander in from time to time. I have a skunk in the barn at night usually about half the time, but I've never seen it there during the day. So I don't want a mouse trap snapped onto a skunk's paw.

Do the "walk the plank" traps work well? I've heard of them but never used one? And when the motorhome arrives, is there anything that can go around the tires to dissuade mice from invading?

 

[ericm979]

Closing up the building openings will help, if that's possible. Yea a skunk with a trap on it's paw would be a problem. They make traps that are not open like the usual snap traps.

We have had good results with dryer sheets near openings to keep mice out of cars.

 

[the old grind]

Tools and methods discussed recently here:

Newer style Victor mouse traps.

Has any one tried the newer style victor mouse traps? I had a mouse that kept going where he should not go. I tried a regular mouse trap but it would just not set off the trap. Finally I got a idea, cut a small hole about 1 1/2" put cat food inside and set the trap. It would still get inside...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[jmc]

Bear with me here-

Tried to raise seedlings in an old farmhouse basement using grow lights. Mice kept eating the sprouts. So...

Put all the tiny plant containers on a big flat plastic container. (BFPC)
Put BFPC on a bigger piece of steel barn roofing, centered.
Put adhesive backed tinfoil around rim of BFPC.
Put pet-sized fence charger wires between steel roofing and foiled rim.

Never had another problem with mice. They got zapped when standing on the steel roofing base and touching the foiled rim as they tried to climb up.

if your motor home is only moved occasionally, you might be able to rig up the same principle at each tire contact point.

Thought about rigging something for my equipment but they're moved too often. Then forgot about it until I watched the wingnuts scaling the Capitol walls.

 

[plowhog]

In my garage recently, my wife left a half full plastic bucket of water on the concrete floor. The bucket was about 10" tall, maybe 8" diameter. She uses it to wash our dog's paws.

Next time I noticed-- it had 3 dead mice in it. The inside of the bucket is totally smooth; the outside of it has the wire handle draped to the side. I guess they climbed using the handle, then fell in? Something like this could help since if a skunk got in it could easily get out.

 

[dlctcg]

Sealing the barn would definitely be the biggest benefit.... but probably the most difficult...

We use the 5gal pal traps all the time... they work great & can catch multiple mice... down side you need to be around to empty is often enough they don't decompose in the bucket....

I make them out of old 5gal plastic pails, an empty water bottle, a dowel & a scrap piece of wood for a ramp.

Drill hole on bottle top & bottom so the dowel easily goes through & the bottle will spin on it..
Drill a hole on both sides of the top of pail so the dowel just slips through
Make a ramp out of scrap wood that will lead from the floor to the dowel with the bottle on it (I either cut a slot in the board so it sits in the lip of the bucket or sometimes just a rubber band)
Put water in the bucket... then either float seed on the water or just smear a little (very little) peanut butter on the bottle...

Down side of this trap is you may be attracting some mice for awhile... but we have used it method with really good results for years... (where we are I'll never be mouse free but can definitely control the population...

 

[big bubba]

agree with those that say enclose the barn. know it may seem impossible. but as long as there are portals for the rodents, you will only be moderating the population with no end in sight, rather than solving the problem. i have been rodent proofing my house foundation that in some areas rats have breached. for 1-3" openings, i use the spray foam insulation then pack gravel in the foam before it sets.

may not look pretty, but works wonders. steel wool packed in smaller holes works good too. i feel your frustration & wise to get on it early like you're doing
btw personally i do not use poison. my experience is that they will hole up & die in hard to get places. (even your vehicle)
then comes the stench. plus, not to speak of the food chain consequences, etc

as far as dryer sheets & mothballs, yes good idea if you can stand the scent in the vehicles you're protecting. i have found dryer sheets a few months old used as nesting in storage areas. my observation over the past 5 yrs is that rodents have become far more aggressive in their habits. could be climate change, etc, who's to say
& lastly, of course get a few cats to reside in the barn once you seal off...
best regards

 

[plowhog]

agree with those that say enclose the barn. know it may seem impossible.

I can try to reduce the number of entry areas, but an effective seal is futile. Six slider doors on 3 walls, none of which seal tight, present gaping holes to mice.

 

[big bubba]

i understand. best of luck

 

[plowhog]

for 1-3" openings, i use the spray foam insulation then pack gravel in the foam before it sets.

Curious- do the mice try to breach the foam by biting it, or does the gravel dissuade even trying?