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Technical Winter,s around the corner here in Mn Keeping the mice out of the engine compartment ?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by blazedogs, Sep 12, 2020.

  1. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,216

    ekimneirbo

    Worked in an office at the end of a large production building many years ago. Boss had his lunch in a desk drawer and when he opened the drawer mice had already gotten in it. He put a trap in the drawer overnight. Next day he opened the drawer and the trap had killed a mouse. THEN all the mouse's buddies ate HIM. Only thing left was the head, tail, some chunks of fur and a bloody mess. Boss took the drawer out of the desk and threw it away.
    I have a lot of Vidmar cabinets and they are not mouse proof. Little buggers get in and rip up whatever and make nests. I bought some little poison cubes off Amazon and put them under the cabinets and in the drawers and it seems to do pretty good keeping them from completing any nests. I think what would be good is to place them around the perimeter of a building so as they are looking for a way to get in, they will come across the poison and die before they come in. Can't just put it at the corners, need to put several along each wall....hopefully out of the rain. I made one of those bucket traps once. They work, but I hate the idea of unnescessary suffering. I want something that works quickly. Don't know how painful the poison is or how long it takes, but a bucket trap just isn't for me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2020
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  2. stuart in mn
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,406

    stuart in mn
    Member

    As was said earlier, it's an urban myth and mice will make nests out of dryer sheets (and they'll eat Irish Spring soap). It's possible the smell may deter them for a short while, but it wears off quickly.
     
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  3. essential peppermint oil
    the expensive 100% pure kind
    also keeps spiders away. i would not spray it direct on the car just all around in a circle where you park the car and heavy around the tires where they climb up
    refresh it mid winter.
    50 to 75 small drops with the rest filled with tap water in about a 1 litre spray bottle i get the empty clear type
    from the garden section of home depot.
    i spray it at my garage entrance doorways ect several times a year and any other possible small open cracks to be a first line defence. it isn’t 100% but it does deter and minimize the critters and creepies.
    my wife says 25 drops in the water mix but i loose count after 50 !
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2020
  4. KJSR
    Joined: Mar 7, 2008
    Posts: 2,494

    KJSR
    Member
    from Utah
    1. Utah HAMBers

    That works in a place that doesn't freeze......
     
  5. Shawn Wildman
    Joined: Jul 8, 2018
    Posts: 82

    Shawn Wildman

    I have to agree with the cat solution. We've had two outside cats since I've had classic cars that sit all winter and I've never had a problem with mice.

    You do have to be careful of the cats too. I had a friend that had a classic convertible Jag stored in his garage. A feral cat got in it and peed on the carpet. The carpet had to be replaced.

    So, now I keep my cars closed up and covered. The covers keep the cats off the paint and the cats keep the mice out of the cars.
     
  6. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,479

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    DO NOT USE POISON!
     
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  7. How about pain killer drugs? I got them addicted and it solved the nest building problem. The only drawback is that they hang around the door way bumming change all the time.;)
     
  8. Okie Pete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2008
    Posts: 4,968

    Okie Pete
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I use the mouse out in a bag I get from the local equipment dealer in the combine cab . Toss bags of mouse poison in the machine and all around the barn it sits in . My cousin works for a large Farm where they mix boiled linseed oil and diesel fuel together in a handpump sprayer . Then spray around the tires and up on the tires about 2 feet up on their combines and trucks . He said it keeps the mice out . I'm going to try it this year . The mice are thick this year . I've had little luck with dryer sheets .
     
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  9. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,216

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    Wherever the cast jumps on the cast its claws go through the cover & scratch the shit out of the paint !
     
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  10. ekimneirbo
    Joined: Apr 29, 2017
    Posts: 4,216

    ekimneirbo

    Cats bring their own set of problems with them. They carry a bacteria on their claws and a simple scratch can develop into some very serious health issues.......and you never know that the origin of your health problem was a cat scratching you. My son spent a week in a hospital years ago. 10 different kinds of doctors were checking him and they thought he might have cancer. Very tough week........One day one of the doctors asked"Has he ever been scratched by a cat?"
    No more cats at my house..........

    https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/cat-scratch-fever#1

    exerpt:
    The lymph nodes that swell are often near the infected area. For instance, if a cat bit your arm, the glands in your armpit could swell or fill with pus.

    In very rare cases, CSD causes serious problems that affect your bones, joints, eyes, brain, heart, or other organs. These are most likely to happen in children younger than 5 years old or people who have a weakened immune system.
     
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  11. Deuces
    Joined: Nov 3, 2009
    Posts: 23,753

    Deuces

    Is that anything like cat scratch fever?????....:rolleyes::D:rolleyes:
     
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  12. 6sally6
    Joined: Feb 16, 2014
    Posts: 2,459

    6sally6
    Member

    I like the bucket trap idea. Finding a 5 gallon bucket full of dead mice HAS to bring a smile to your face!!! (maybe fill the bucket 1/2 full of sulfuric acid would be even better!...wouldn't need to check it so often. Just dump the soup every few weeks)
    6sally6
     
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  13. Cat Scratch Fever,,,,,,yeah,,,,,,Ted Nugent had an anthem about that back in the 70 s .
    The Motor City Mad Man,,,,,,

    Tommy
     
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  14. 0NE BAD 51 MERC
    Joined: Nov 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,782

    0NE BAD 51 MERC
    Member

    The Late ,great Big Red. for 14 years he would patrol inside and out side the shop and would stack up mice, chipmunks and those pain in the ass red squrelles like cord wood. He past away this spring ,but his little brother Maverick has picked up were he left off. only down side was some weeks I swept up more red hair than I did bondo dust! lol Larry


    SUNP0092 (1).JPG
     
  15. touring20
    Joined: Nov 27, 2007
    Posts: 239

    touring20
    Member

    A friend of mine left his garage door open enough to allow his pet cat In , and his neighbors cats steeling food , and one night a skunk ! Cats shredded his upholstery in his 27 t roadster
    Five gallon bucket traps work well but you have to keep the mice happy with fresh peanut butter!
     
  16. Kiwi 4d
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,564

    Kiwi 4d
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    8B60B1B9-C10A-4A22-9B54-38FE6E7FA674.jpeg 4800B0CC-2B79-454C-906F-49E6F10ECEA8.jpeg B2D958EC-33B5-49E6-B498-0248F2B2F19B.jpeg 2EB1BECE-4549-48A1-A8FE-8CE70DB21E41.jpeg Yep ok this is an OT car ,1970 Chrysler. My dad bought it new , a pimply face teen got his license in it. It’s stored in my folks house that we rent out and we have use of the garage. The tenants we not following rules regarding rubbish disposal and had many bags of potential “rat food” stored by the garage. I nearly cried when I saw rat shit all over the car and piss and shit all over the engine bay . My wife and I spent half a day cleaning it and de rusting the engine bay and repainting the engine bay, washed and waxed the car too. I think we dodged a bullet as it came out ok . We have a house inspection next week and the tenants are going to get the message for sure.
    We have laid bait everywhere in bait stations ther , here I do it rigorously here around all the hot rod sheds. The rats are dining happy on the poison. Even found a dead rat on the valley cove in my sons Y block project, yuck. The warm season is approaching so hopefully less dang RATS.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2020
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  17. 57Custom300
    Joined: Aug 21, 2009
    Posts: 1,424

    57Custom300
    Member
    from Arizona

    Like it's been mentioned, they eat the Irish Spring and make nests out of dryer sheets. Only thing that kept them at bay when I lived in Mi. was the neighbors cat. Used to watch him laying by the garage door waiting for em. I think he was over my house more than his own. When I moved here to Az. the mouse problem ended in the garage. Do have a small squirrels here that have ate wiring on my daily driver parked outside but they stay out of the garage.
     
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  18. turdmagnet
    Joined: May 19, 2008
    Posts: 384

    turdmagnet
    Member

    Have to agree with the bucket with antifreeze in it. We use our hot tub all winter long and had a problem with the buggers getting inside it and chewing the insulation. Tried everything from traps to dryer sheets with no luck. Did the antifreeze in the bucket under the deck beside the tub and never had a problem since. The area is enclosed with tightly spaced lattice so nothing bigger than a mouse can get it there (we do have a neighbours cat that I wouldn't mind getting into it though). And the added benefit of the antifreeze is it enbahms the little buggers so they don't stink the place up. Beginning of the season I can get half a dozen the first couple of weeks when I put it out. Have one in the shop but rarely see anything in it.

    Sent from my SM-T560NU using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  19. alanp561
    Joined: Oct 1, 2017
    Posts: 4,611

    alanp561
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Gives a whole new meaning to " phone sex " and a better understanding about people who use those 900 numbers, doesn't it?;)
     
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  20. alanp561
    Joined: Oct 1, 2017
    Posts: 4,611

    alanp561
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I have never considered myself a cat person which is why all the cats we have had have been named "Target". The current Target is special however. He's an excellent mouser and his favorite place is in his box on top of my 46 Merc. Look closely at the picture and you'll see his head sticking out. I haven't seen a mouse in my garage since he came. 20200807_084704.jpg
     
  21. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,440

    Boneyard51
    Member

    54409E5D-22A7-4F3E-8E19-035611744464.jpeg I spread a poison call “ one bite” all over my place. Outside, in the bushes, in the garage, in the shop, in/ under the motorhome. That way you kill the mice before they get into your stuff. I buy it by the bucket, eight pounds. After having damage due to mice chewing wires, it’s been me 1000 mice 0!






    Bones
     
  22. Yes ,,,,,all cats are not created equal .
    Some will tear up more than they are worth .
    That is why you must shop around,,,,get the right kind of cat .
    And even then,,,you could get a dud,,,,,,but,,,,,they can be replaced.
    A good one is worth their weight in gold .

    Tommy
     
  23. Kiwi 4d
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,564

    Kiwi 4d
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    10382FE3-B157-46DE-885E-6792A9729646.jpeg
    Star Wars Pic...
    We used to have rats/mice in the ceiling space in our home built by my grandparents in 1926 . Poison was only mildly effective, I would throw poison like rain, they would keep you awake at night scratching and chewing. We bought an ultrasonic gizmo that plugs into a hot point just below our meter board and apparently send signals through the house wiring plus it has a good night light. It works great for the last 3 or 4 years. . It wasnt a cheap one . We fitted a cheapie in the hot rod shed and its not so effective. Maybe we need to step up to a spendy one in the hot rod shed.
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2020
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  24. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,717

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    A 5 gallon bucket with a iron tie wire across the top, and a old pop can with hole dead center slid over the wire. Put a flat stick angled up the side of the bucket to let them get to the pop can. Smear PB on the can and they'll do anything to try and get to it. A gallon of water in the bottom to catch and drown them when they fall trying to get to the can. Check it once a week to dump the dead mice out, and replace the water and PB.

     
  25. Los_Control
    Joined: Oct 7, 2016
    Posts: 1,125

    Los_Control
    Member
    from TX

    I think maybe I should open a new service. Ya all just ship your cars to me here in West Texas for Winter storage ... I will start and drive them weekly for you, then help driver load when you want them back.
    Just pm me for prices.
     
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  26. Unique Rustorations
    Joined: Nov 15, 2018
    Posts: 623

    Unique Rustorations
    Member

    I was thinking of the opposite of the storage idea! I’ll bring my cat over once a week and she will clear out the shop and around the outside. Pay the mileage and per dead mice! Lol. She’d love it!

    Seriously thou, you have to find the right cat. This is active versus passive protection (traps/poison, etc) imo. I was tired of the passive. Took me a year of reading and learning about cats and several months of looking for the right one before I found Frankie. I understand the negatives but for me it’s been the best “car” decision I’ve made in years. Randy


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
  27. I have been using the Perperment OIL for about 4 years and it Work's
    Great.
    Put some on Cotton balls in a little Can like a Tuba fish can.
    and leave it do its thing!

    Just my 3.5 cents

    Live Learn & Die a Fool
     
  28. nunattax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,052

    nunattax
    Member
    from IRELAND

    check out mousetrap monday.loads of traps that keep killing the bastards without resetting,approved
     
  29. nunattax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,052

    nunattax
    Member
    from IRELAND

    bad idea man poisoned mice ate by owls etc is bad for the owls etc and other precious wildlife. birds of prey
     
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  30. 59Apachegail
    Joined: Apr 30, 2011
    Posts: 1,504

    59Apachegail
    Member
    from New York

    50341537-A8F2-4B79-8565-5A548101FED6.jpeg
    This is a feral cat that walked in the basement one day and never left. I have never been closer than 5 feet with a bowl full of food. She is viscous and merciless, nothing is safe. If you look at her pupils you can tell she is ready and I feed her. 33D30BFC-92C9-4021-8675-176453AC1DEC.jpeg
    I used these before that, they smell like peanut butter and they are huge.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2020
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