Winter storage - X rodents

I have a friend in Maine (true first hand story) that had mice make it all the way from the tail pipe to inside one of the cylinders through an open exhaust valve. The mice had stuff and/or a nest in the cylinder. When the engine was started (or tried to start) in the spring, it resulted in a cracked cylinder wall, and ultimately another engine.
Those buggers can cause some damage.

Sal
 
We have five old cars/pickups that we store in a cold pole barn with cement floor. We shave bars of Irish spring soap into a tinfoil pie pan and put in the passenger compartment, steel wool in the tailpipes and spread mothballs around and under the vehicle outside--never had a problem in 10 years and have had people at car shows comment on how nice our cars smell. I keep mouse poison out as well most of the time. Good luck. Rod
 
scicala said:
I have a friend in Maine (true first hand story) that had mice make it all the way from the tail pipe to inside one of the cylinders through an open exhaust valve. The mice had stuff and/or a nest in the cylinder. When the engine was started (or tried to start) in the spring, it resulted in a cracked cylinder wall, and ultimately another engine.
Those buggers can cause some damage.

Sal
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You mean like this?

Not to scare anyone, this was a motor stored in a barn, but it did have the head on it.
 

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I did not have real good luck with mothballs in my ATV. on the other hand I used them in my combine air conditioner and they worked.

John

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jim1932 said:
You mean like this?

Not to scare anyone, this was a motor stored in a barn, but it did have the head on it.
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I only got to see a picture of the cracked cylinder wall on the car in Maine, but I imagine it was loaded like that.

Sal
 
Steel wool in the tail pipes has prevented any entrance for me on all my cars for that sit for more than a week at a time (used for many years). Have forgotten to remove a few times and exhaust just blew it out. Obviously don't over-stuff it. For killing the damn things I have been lucky with the Tomcat product ( rectangular green cakes ). I keep it inside the pet-proof re-loadable bait boxes to make it safer. I keep it fresh by replacing about once a month. Been told they don't go for it if it's too stale. Do handle with rubber gloves as a precaution.
 
jim1932 said:
Glue traps work great.... Although you are then left with a live mouse you have to "Dispose of".
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Warning if you use glue traps. You need to nail them to a heavy board else the rat will flip around and make a bloody hairy mess
 
I have had glue traps disappear, they should be attached to something. Just had a bait trap move 15 feet and it was attached to the ground with a 12" long rod. The critter worked the trap off the top of the rod.
 
This works, and as a bonus, no poison, drowned mice can be left outside and crows will take them away. I have been using this kind of trap for years. In the spring when they get more active I can get 5 a day. They push their way into the shop under the rubber "seal" at the bottom of the roll up doors. Just replace the peanut butter if it gets moldy.
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I just finished putting one of them up. I still use mothballs, steel wool, and about 6 or more old fashioned snap traps out, the best bait is peanut butter, yes. I am a murdering nut case, but my cars seem to do well. The morbid part is every once in a while, visit the car and reload the traps.
 
deuce_roadster said:
This works, and as a bonus, no poison, drowned mice can be left outside and crows will take them away. I have been using this kind of trap for years. In the spring when they get more active I can get 5 a day. They push their way into the shop under the rubber "seal" at the bottom of the roll up doors. Just replace the peanut butter if it gets moldy.
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I assume this is the 5 gallon pail with the rolling can and peanut butter?
 
Yes, I have sold over 100 of them at swap meets along with car parts. 5 gal bucket, empty quart paint can, 1/8th inch rod, a stick for mice to walk up, a cotter key to keep the stick back far enough and not come out, some rubber stoppers with holes drilled in them to locate the paint can keep the rod from moving side to side . I was making them for about 5 bucks and selling them for 15. I had a free source of buckets. My neighbor got 44 mice the first week she used one!
Simple and cheap.
One person brought one back and said it didn't work and when he showed me how he was setting it up he ran the stick right in next to the peanut butter so they could stand there and eat. I showed him how the mice have to "reach" out to get the peanut butter then the can rotates and the fall into they water and drown.
Make one you won't be disappointed!
 
I would love to see a picture of your mouse dunking system Deuce Roadster. Any chance of you posting a photo of it. Thank you. Russ
 
Post 36 has 2 photos I uploaded so I could share. I think the 2 pictures show everything you need to know about building one of these "mouse swimming pools" I call "mice-B-gone".
Post 33 is my original. I should add that the can with the peanut butter should rotate very easily, the plastic bucket is a good "bushing".
 
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