Mice Deterent

[Clydes 31 P/U]

I know this has been talked about to the Nth degree and everyone has their own thoughts on it but on the Heavy equipment forum I belong to this product was brought up. I don't have any experience with it but some of the people there like it, although they said it was a little pricey. I just thought I would throw it out to you fellas as it's getting to be that time of year. The stuff is called "Cab Fresh" I checked and around in my area it's available at Menards and Ace. Clyde

[roccaas]

[pooch]

The best mice/rat deterrent I have is a rat zapper.

A device like a mozzie zapper.

If the mice/rats walk in, they never walk out.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Ever see a Rat Terrier operate? LETHAL!! Clean kill by crunching the neck 'til dead, and walking away! They kill most any rodent including mice, rats, gophers, woodchucks, ground hogs, moles, etc. They have an inborn skill to do this without ANY training. A friend's Ratter has been known to kill snakes even.--Bill & Buster T. Brown. (renowned ratter!)

[2manycars]

Fresh cab was discussed last year, and one reply was that the poster found that the mice loved it, but it was not a deterrent.

[Tom Wesenberg]

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Victor mouse traps with peanut butter. I caught about 8 or 9 in the past 3 days. I hadn't been setting the traps all summer and didn't realize the neighbors cats haven't been doing their job.

[Terry, NJ]

Try moth balls

[BudP]

Tomcat Mouse Killer sold by Home Depot. Comes with a childproof and dog/cat proof bait station. Mice love it. Then they disappear and don't die under the seat, in the rumble area, etc.

[Ross/Kzoo]

Clydes 31 P/U, I don't think that this subject is dead yet. Pardon the pun. Each year new deterents come on the market and it's good to keep up on the latest and greatest. Anyone that has had rodent damage would agree.

[wrndln]

Someone told me that most animals hate aluminum. I have no idea why. The person took the wider type aluminum foil and made large cups and set them under each wheel of his many cars in storage. It looks kind of weird, but he said it is effective. He just jacks up each wheel and set the cupped aluminum under each wheel since the wheels are where the mice gain entry to the car. I haven't tried it as I don't have a car completed with upholstery, but I plan to when I finish one. I have found that mothballs work well. What I do is take a pie plate with the plastic top (store boughten pies) and punch 10 or 12 holes in the plastic top. I then put 10 or 12 mothballs in the pie plate and snap on the top. The mice can still smell the mothballs through the holes and stay away. I place them by the doors where they try to come into the garage. I have found the mothballs last months and months instead of evaporating fairly quickly when left out in the open (still works well, but the mothballs need to be replaced much more often). I haven't seen evidence of mice since it started doing it about a year and half ago.
Rusty Nelson

[dean from bozeman]

I use mothballs in my original Fordor. Are mothballs safe? I looked it up.

MothBalls - Are they Safe?

Have you ever smelled moth balls? While that is the first part of a good joke ("yes", "Well, how'd you get their little feet apart?") it is also a subject of concern today, as we learn that many of the compounds around the home that we used to think we harmless, turn out not to be.

Question: I have heard that there is a substance in mothballs that causes cancer. Is it safe to use mothballs in my home to keep away moths and other pests?


Answer: There are two compounds which are commonly used as moth control agents/animal repellents in mothballs: 1,4-dichlorobenzene and naphthalene. Of these two, 1,4-dichlorobenzene (para-DCB) is considered by some to be a carcinogen. Para-DCB is also as a space deodorant in products such as room deodorizers, urinal and toilet bowl blocks, and diaper pail deodorants. It is a colorless solid at room temperature, but it is volatile and slowly transforms into a vapor. As a vapor, it acts a deodorant and insecticide.

Thus, most of the exposure to this chemical in household applications comes from breathing it into the lungs. However, some also may enter the body through the skin while handling the products containing para-DCB or through ingestion if a product is accidently swallowed, especially by young children.

There is no evidence that brief low level or moderate-level exposures to household products containing para-DCB will cause human health effects. At levels many times higher than the usual household exposures, the onset of headaches, dizziness, and significant eye irritation can occur. Chronic exposures to very high levels, usually associated with certain occupational exposures, can result in liver and kidney damage. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has concluded that para-DCB may be reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen. The state of California has gone further and declared this compound to be a human carcinogen. There is no direct evidence from human studies to indicate that this compound is a human carcinogen. However, these determinations were made based on the results of animals showing that the log-term exposure resulted in cancer in treated laboratory animals. Also, other animal studies indicate the possibility of birth defects at very high level exposures. These animal studies point to the potential for such toxic effects in humans but in no way provide definite proof of their occurrence, especially at low, intermittent exposure levels.

If the idea of even a very small potential health risk concerns a person, there are alternatives to 1,4 dichlorobenzene available for household applications. mothballs containing naphthalene can be safely used for moth/pest control. Cedar blocks can also be utilized to repel insects and moths. Many aromatic and nontoxic air-freshening products which may be substituted for para-DCB are available in the marketplace.

I will look for naphthalene mothballs but will continue using mothballs as a mouse deterent. I believe that the levels are low enough. Also, a window open drive should remove much if not most of the aromatic.

[Old182]

My wife found that peppermint is supposed to be an excellent mouse deterent and several folks in our area use scented drier sheets with good success. Peppermint extract is very expensive though, and I've heard some drier sheets don't work. I've used moth balls before but found mouse turds right next to them during the winter - the little critters are survivors! Good points about the toxicity of moth balls, but let's not forget that the ethanol contained in Jack Daniels, Old Grand Dad, beer, wine and all the other good (alcoholic) stuff we drink is also carcinogenic - I guess it just smells better than moth balls .

[Jim Brierley]

At one time I used d-con pellets, didn't work. The critters loved them, and would steal and hide them, in my boots, in cubbyholes, etc. I now put a few of the pellets in the small tuna cans to attract them, next to the can I put a trap baited with a pellet. This works, and most of the time the pellet is still in the trap and can be used again. I have one of these by each roll-up door and a couple inside the shop in other areas.

[Leathernek]

A buddy of mine told me to use scented dryer sheets......the rodents don't like the smell........cheap and effective

[heneste]

Some of my friends had used mothballs in the past but didn't like the odour it created in the interior.
Another one of my friends mentioned that he also didn't like the mothball odour so he uses Bounce dryer sheets (one in the front and one in the rear) and he's never had any issues with mice.

[john in illinois]

I had pretty good luck with moth balls in the overhead air conditioner in my combine. Not so much in my arctic cat. I think they have to be in an enclosed place.

[JTW]

ONE BITE and Just One Bite 2, will keep your buildings clear. I have been using it for about 8 years. It comes in a package of bars which are easy to put around, pets wouldn't touch it and should cost about $6 a lb. I use 2 pkgs. a year in 6 buildings

[John Duden]

i cought 64 mice 3 years ago! In the winter, The mice moved into the shop after winter set in, i used a 5 gallon pail filled a quarter full with water, and used a electric wire dowl with peanute butter on it, put a rod through it and a 2-4 going on it, so when they went to eat the peanut butter they would fall to the death
john

[Tom Wesenberg]

John, this is Minnesota, you have to use drain oil or antifreeze, as the water would be frozen solid and the mice would just use it for ice skating!

[John Duden]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

John, this is Minnesota, you have to use drain oil or antifreeze, as the water would be frozen solid and the mice would just use it for ice skating!

Tom-
I'm in the 21 centry- I have a heated shop!!
John