Like the title says, how do you guys that have pole barns, etc. keep the rodents and other pests out of them?

 

I have 4 fixed cats that live in my garage year round. No rodent trouble, but uncovered cars get cat tracks.

 

I don't think there's a hole small enough that mice or other critters can't get through. When we lived next to an open field we had mice in the garage all the time. Could always find the nest though because baby mice sound like birds chirping. Not sure but probably the only thing you can hope for is to control them with traps, or deter them with pepper spray or moth *****. Got a cat or 2?

 

Cats do the trick. I have 3 of them.. Cat tracks are a problem though.

 

Use antifreeze if not in a heated garage.





Here's another example with a bottle:

 

They drink the antifreeze and it kills them? I don't want a bunch of dead animals in my pole barn though.

The bucket seems like recycling them. Trap them live, let them go, they find their way back to the bucket.

 

To take care of chipmunks I float a small cup of seeds in about 6" of water in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket with a ramp up to it. It's cruel and effective. I have an inground pool with a rock wall around it. We call it the chipmunk condo complex. The little bastards chew everything. I got 11 last year (plus a few more that committed suicide in the pool)

 

Well they drown in it anyway.

Yeah, that will happen. That's why you have to kill them.


I suppose you could fill your barn and cars full of owls and snakes every spring.

 

Oh, you put it in the bucket

 

This works for spiders pretty well. Maybe it will work for rodents. lol, I tend to over react with spiders.

 

I used a glue trap recently after I observed a mouse leaving the garage. Sealed the hole too. I can't wait to see the nests in the #$%#$% convertible.

Falling into the bucket of water is effective.

The first time I heard of this was a funny story. Ag Practices at the university, kind of a remote facility to which I had keys for teaching and whatnot. Sketchy surroundings even if you are familiar with the place. Welding teach facility- tables, welders, etc. Rats getting in, nesting in the bolts bins and pissing all over the bolts, causing rust. Tried spring traps... not all that effective.

Then one day I had to weld some stuff, grabbed it with pliers and went to thrust it into the bucket half filled with water, on the floor... GAAAH!! little eyes peering up at me from under the water! Sheist...

Oh hey what's this, THREE of the little bastids drowned!

All you need it the right level of water- too shallow to get out, too deep to stand on the bottom and stay alive.

Needless to say, all the buckets stayed half full from that time on. Carcasses went out in the adjacent corn field.

 

I use the dcon baits that killed them OK but I did find the bodies all around the yard

there are also electronic traps but they must be emptied daily

IDT there is any way to keep them out just some sense of controlling them

 

I've stored cars and RVs in barns where I know rodents roam free. I shake moth ***** on the ground under and around the vehicles (not IN the vehicle) and throw dryer sheets inside the vehicle, under the seats, in the glovebox, under the hood. I've never had to evict mice or any other critters. And, if you select the dryer sheets wisely, they can leave the car smelling nice when you're done storing it. D-Con can make your car smell like dead critters.

 

Another effective method...

 

I was told peppermint oil keeps the little bastages away. I have a trap line set up. I caught a half dozen last fall. None since then

http://www.tomcatbrand.com/mouse_snap_trap.html



http://www.ehow.com/facts_6171382_pe...-rid-rats.html

 

I used to live in a rural area with my parents and we had a problem where every once in a while the critters would make their way to the kitchen. My dad bought this device that was supposed to let out this sound, kind of like a dog whistle, nothing we could hear.

We just kept the thing plugged into the kitchen wall and we never had mice in there again.

Also, there are those storage bags for cars that might keep the rodents out. Not sure about that though. Anybody use these?

http://www.autoanything.com/car-covers/20A50302A1.aspx

 

Outside the garage I had two rims with the centers cut out, and stacked on them were complete wheels, the kind with circular holes around the center, and the center hole of course. I took off the top wheel to use as a "stool" and lo and behold, I found several dead rodentials under each of the two pairs of wheels. I guess they couldn't climb out.

 

Remove any food source, they love dogfood.
Not a cat guy, but they sure do the trick.
I always keep a few spring traps loaded & happy with the results.
Bait causes smelly carcasses in places you don't want, regardless of what they say about them leaving to find water.
Glue traps ended up on the dog.
The bucket trick looks promising.

 

http://www.pestnoproblem.com/product/100-0005

Here's something similar to what we used in the kitchen. As soon as we plugged that thing in the mouse problem was gone. The price is pretty good, especially considering the money you would be spending on traps and bait over the years.

 

I have two cats that kill anything smaller than themselves.

I had my older cat bring me 3 mice in one day a couple months ago. Thats pretty effective considering he sleeps for about 20 hours a day LOL

 

If you use rat poison it makes them thirsty then they have to go out side to get a drink.When they drink it activates the poison.then they die out side.
railguy

 

Mice don't like the smell of mint I buy mint oil put it on cotton ***** and place them in the car over the winter and its worked pretty good for me. Try it!