Keeping mice out of your tractors engine bay over the winter and summer too.

[scootr]

Hi scootr, you mentioned eucalyptus oil. I wonder if a dab of Vicks vapo rub would work as well. They now have sheets of Vicks that might be cut up and placed in critical places. On a couple of occasions the pesky critters have gotten into my Tundra and messed up the interior air cleaner under the dash. I might try the Vapo rub there and it might clear out my sinuses lol Pag

Hey Pag, welcome. I don't see why that would not work. The main take away here is use overpowering scents, remove old nests, clean peed and pooped upon surfaces.
Leaving hoods up decreases the desirability & security of the engine compartment.

 

[Elembytes]

Always an issue here. Pesky little rodents like to nest under the hoods and in the cabs of my tractors. I do use the bucket traps that work well but that don't stop them from building nests, only catches them when they go in search of food...

Had not only wiring damage in the past but rodent nests under the hoods can be a PITA to remove.

I finally settled on scented dryer sheets. Mice hate the smell of them and stay away.

I put them under the hoods on the engines and in the cabs on the seats and floors. So far (knock on wood), they have eliminated the nesting issue and damaged wiring.

Cheap and effective and they impart a nice smell in the cabs too....

One of the biggest culprits is our beloved EPA insisting to use a Soy based product for insulation on wiring. That is a tasty treat to the little critters. Didn't happen too much until wiring insulation changed. I still place bait stations around my equipment each fall and that has tended to stop them before they got to my engine and wiring.

 

[oosik]

My M6040 is open station. No cab to worry about. I've found that most anything works against mice & chipmunks - for a while. Dryer sheets - bucket traps - peppermint oil - etc, etc. The very best is a hungry barn cat. I've gone thru several. Hawks, owls & coyotes love barn cats.

Right now and for the past year and a half - leaving my hood open has worked VERY well. It seems the little buggers don't like open spaces. I leave the hood open on all my equipment with outstanding success. Riding lawn mower - ATV - tractor - Taco Wagon.

 

[beenthere]

Always an issue here. Pesky little rodents like to nest under the hoods and in the cabs of my tractors. I do use the bucket traps that work well but that don't stop them from building nests, only catches them when they go in search of food...

Had not only wiring damage in the past but rodent nests under the hoods can be a PITA to remove.

I finally settled on scented dryer sheets. Mice hate the smell of them and stay away.

I put them under the hoods on the engines and in the cabs on the seats and floors. So far (knock on wood), they have eliminated the nesting issue and damaged wiring.

Cheap and effective and they impart a nice smell in the cabs too....

Spray the nesting area with a bleach/water solution that will cover the urine scent and nesting scent left by the nesting mice. If you don't, they will come back over and over again due to this urine scent they leave behind.
Trapping is good, as well as putting out poison bait. But the bottom line is removing that scent.

Also works for raccoons that crap on the deck or other areas where you don't want them to do that. It is the raccoons way of communicating with their friends and neighbors. Called a communal latrine. Clean the raccoon crap up, then spray the area with the bleach/water solution. They will not come back to that area for a long time. At least a year.

 

[oosik]

I've never really had much dealings with raccoons here. I haven't seen a single one or any signs of them since I quit burning my garbage. I quit burning garbage fourteen years ago. Garbage goes out for collection.

 

[Alan46]

Spray the nesting area with a bleach/water solution that will cover the urine scent and nesting scent left by the nesting mice. If you don't, they will come back over and over again due to this urine scent they leave behind.
Trapping is good, as well as putting out poison bait. But the bottom line is removing that scent.

Also works for raccoons that crap on the deck or other areas where you don't want them to do that. It is the raccoons way of communicating with their friends and neighbors. Called a communal latrine. Clean the raccoon crap up, then spray the area with the bleach/water solution. They will not come back to that area for a long time. At least a year.

Silly question, would the bleach solution work under a chicken coop for keeping rats from living underneath the coop?

 

[gstrom99]

The best I found was these (see pic of a catch) box traps with the rotating paddles that reset for the next catch. I put then in partially open door between rooms to direct the mice toward the trap.

Do you have a link to where you got that trap?

 

[gstrom99]

I've never really had much dealings with raccoons here.

I had raccoons in my house attic, found that they crawled up the gutters and got in, the first winter after I moved in. Even tore open the eave vents, after I thought I sealed their entry point. I trap and get rid of every dang one that I can. It took a few years to thin the population down. The ground nesters thank me, I think.

 

[Oaktree]

I've never really had much dealings with raccoons here. I haven't seen a single one or any signs of them since I quit burning my garbage. I quit burning garbage fourteen years ago. Garbage goes out for collection.

I have a compost bin and only rarely do raccoons get into it. I do have to fence off my corn or they'll decimate that. I do burn bones, no issues with anything getting in the burn barrel other than the one year we had bear issues.

 

[Big Blue Florida]

Moth Balls in thin socks or the like. Doesn't matter the brand.

It also deters coons from under buildings.