Rodents & Vehicles

[dfkrug]

Here is a photo of some wood rats in my ATV. These are not babies. I had to shoo them out of the luggage box. The only way I have found to keep them from nesting in there is to eliminate most of the horizontal surfaces, such as the skid plates and the A-arm protection plates.

I recently fixed a Suzuki King Quad that was stranded in a vineyard for several months. The rat damage was the worst I have ever seen: large chunks of the wiring harness not just chewed. Missing. Big holes in the air box and some body parts. Carb corroded from urine. There was even a discarded gopher snake skin in there.

 

[oosik]

dfkrug - that picture(post #70) - that's not the end you need to be worried about. BTW - I use chunky peanut butter with salted sunflower seeds smushed into the peanut butter. What does the trick for you down there.

Geeze - I would imagine that 20 has pretty much cleared out your immediate area - for now. The "pack" is right now out in your bushes - drawing straws - who is next to - "COME ON DOWN".

You are probably in a situation like me. I'll never get rid of all of any of the rodents - mice, chipmunks, pocket gophers and now wood rats. I'd just like to reduce their numbers to a low, dull roar.

OK - your picture ( post # 71) - - those are definitely different than my type of wood rat. Mine are 2X the size of those - mine are light tan - white feet and very bushy white tail. Mine are all adults and either dumb as a post or brave beyond reasonable.

Week ago - one on the side of my house - shine my big 'ol Makita flashlight on him - he blinks - I go back in the house - get my 22 pistol - load it - back out - he is still sitting there - down off the porch - walk up to about six feet from him - blow is warm, stinking guts all over the side of my house. He never moved a muscle.

I've so far trapped two and shot three with the pistol.

 

[oldtimer 66]

This is what I use. My JD dealer sells it. It works for me, cab tractor and Gator with cab.

 

[dfkrug]

dfkrug - that picture(post #70) - that's not the end you need to be worried about. BTW - I use chunky peanut butter with salted sunflower seeds smushed into the peanut butter. What does the trick for you down there.

Next I hope to get a video, like the above one with the rat.

I usually just use some peanut butter since it sticks to the bkt trap, and allows it to self-reset. I usually let all my wildlife here alone, but when they are on my deck in my BBQ, that's it. Also yellow jackets....I despise them.

 

[oosik]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

 

[bcp]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

Spray foam in the tube ends.

Bruce

 

[oosik]

Hmmm........darn - common sense. Thanks Bruce.

 

[PhysAssist]

A little off topic but - - I don't mind the big 'ol yellow jacket nests up under the eves of the house. Easy to see and up there 14' to 16' above me. What really tares me up - those dam striped/stinging buggers that make nests in all the open ended pipes, tubes & channels on all our implements. Nothing more irritating than to be grunting, pushing, shoving, cursing to get an implement in the correct position to connect up - and then be attacked by an angry group of yellow jackets that just boiled out of some darn tube on your implement.

I've had that happen more than just a few times.

I've never seen yellow jacket nests up under the eaves- just paper or mud dauber wasp nests- are you sure those are Yellow Jackets?

The tubes and channels sound more like their habitats- they're also called ground bees by a lot of people around here...

I know a lot about them because I have had 2 near-fatal anaphylactic [allergic] reactions to stings by them- despite trying my best to avoid them.

To my credit, the first time I was 18 y/o and riding my motorcycle when on flew into my shirt, and stung me, and I made it all the way to 40 years later before I got nailed again working in my yard.

I didn't have an epi-pen either time, the first time because I had never been allergic to anything stinging me before, and the second time because after paying for 2 or 3 of them only to have them expire, I stopped buying them- I learned my lesson last year laying on my kitchen floor dripping cold sweat and trying to breathe- I'll never be w/o one again, and **** the cost.

Back to thread:

Our [feral front-porch dwelling] cat kills lots of chipmunks and mice as witnessed by the parts she leaves for us to find- but the buggers still keep showing up in our cars each fall.

I just wish I could find the holes they use and plug them up- they're both late 2000's Hondas- a 2007 and a 2011.

Now our 2001 F-350 farm-truck sits unused for weeks at a time, but nothing ever gets in and eats the [stale] pretzels my SWMBO stashed in the glove box a coupla years ago- even though the bottoms of the dang door are rusting out along with the bed and other sheet metal parts.

I guess it's just a tighter envelope than the cars...

We're trying dryer sheets this year.

BTW, we put little pieces of them [like a 1/4 sheet per] in anything we store in our basement- or cedar chests too- they keep the mildew smell, etc away too.

 

[oosik]

Well - you put up those two ID plates. I've got all six of those shown on the left plate and everything on the right plate - except the big 'ol European hornet. The only ones that can really catch my attention are the Bald Faced Hornets. Those buggers can be just plain mean.

BTW - the 12 to 15 Costco dryer sheets stuffed into the Crown Royal purple sack and that I hung from the cross beam member under the hood of my Jeep - smells nice - but does not detract the mice or rats one little bit.

Ever since I opened the hoods on the tractor, Jeep and pickup - two weeks ago - nothing has made a nest nor been in any of the engine compartments. I don't think they would bother the tractor, even with the hood down - its too open. But I don't want to take a chance.

Caught #6 rat in one of the traps last night. Its to the point now - I think I'm probably attracting them and bringing them in from the surrounding areas. I don't mind - the trap line gives me something to do - early every morning. Ran out of salted baked sunflower seeds - I mushed rice crispies into the peanut butter. Seems to work OK also.

 

[oosik]

Well - maybe I got them all - at least for a while. No rats in the traps this morning. No digging, no nests, no turdlets etc, etc. However - the pup and I out for our morning walk down the driveway. My burn barrel is 150 feet south of the driveway. Wind out of the SW this morning - smell of rotting rats in the burn barrel almost brings me to my knees. Whew!!! I would "do a good burn" if it weren't so God awful dry here.