Ah yes, the pursuit of the Ultimate Mousetrap!
I have had similar problems in the past, and can offer the following....
a, On the ground around the wheels, set about a dozen of the standard
Victor style mousetraps, baited with peanut butter. Check the traps about
once a week, re-bait as needed.
OR
b. Mothballs, placed in little cups (to avoid any Para dichlorobenzene
reactions with painted surfaces,) arranged in the trunk, engine
compartment, interior, etc. The little buggers don't like the mothball
fragrance; and a day or two in the spring's warm sun will remove the odor
when the driving season is back again.
Or, better yet....
c. " The Peanut Butter Can of Death!!" Tried and true, the best, long
term mousetrap I've used.
Construct as follows:
Take a can of soup, make a small hole exactly in the center of both
top and bottom, small hole, about 1/8". drain out the soup. ( forgot to
mention- use broth with no chunks..). remove the label. get a 1/8" brazing
rod- or any thick wire- and thread it through both holes, so it sticks out
about 10" on each side. Make sure the can will spin freely. get a spackle
bucket, or equiv, and cut two small notches on either side of the top rim,
to capture the brazing rod, suspending the can over the bucket. get some
peanut butter, and mold a strip around the circumference of the can, at the
middle. The strip should adhere nicely to the can. hang the can over the
spackle bucket, and add/remove peanut butter until you have balanced the can
fairly well. put about 4" of water in the bucket, and a bit of
biodegradable antifreeze in as well. ( the car will be in freezing
conditions, right?) Lay a couple of peanut butter scented sticks up against
the rim of the bucket, to assist the visiting mice. Place near the car,
maybe right on the ground in the engine compartment. Cover the car.
The mice will attempt to get the peanut butter, and in the process
will invariably unbalance the can, allowing them an opportunity to discover
the joys of swimming. ( its quick, all you PETA folks...) and it will catch
mice almost indefinitely. Once in a while the peanut butter should be
replaced for maximum efficiency, as the smell seems to diminish with time.
In the springtime, you can just put the lid back on the bucket, and dispose
of ( or bury) the contents.
Happy Hunting.
Bob Westerdale
59 3A TS36967 'Mouse Free'
List,
A friend of mine is finally going to do the honorable thing and pull the
engine from his TR4 and have it rebuilt over the winter. He is planning on
storing the car, less engine and gearbox, outside. He is wondering what the
best way was to deter mice and other rodents from using the car as a winter
retreat. I suggested moth balls or wiring with booby traps. Since he knew
that the list has been very helpful to me in the past, he thought it to be
good to solicit your ideas.
I'll foward any responses to him.
thanks,
Paul Brandsema
High Point NC
61 TR4
____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1
|