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

[davidlott52]

Peppermint. Dilute with water. https://www.amazon.com/Peppermint-E...il&qid=1679614385&sprefix=pepp,aps,535&sr=8-5

 

[8orange]

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....

I found this works wonders!

 

[GrumpyL5030]

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....

Peppermint spray every 2 months or so under the hood

 

[GrumpyL5030]

Not sure if it's been mentioned here but I put a bar of Irish Springs soap in everything. It keeps all the cabs and travel trailer free of rodents plus they all smell nice.

I tried the pure peppermint oil everyone says that works.....soaked cotton balls with it and the mice here would eat the cotton balls.

So far no issues with Irish Springs. Been using it for years.

Irish spring.
Ahh yes, but aye like it tew!

 

[GrumpyL5030]

A little off topic, but dryer sheets work great for keeping spiders and the like out of mailboxes and parcel boxes. Change out 3 or 4 times a year!

Good to know

 

[ultrarunner]

So my brother said the shop light I put in the shed for him in conduit with a 3-way switch no longer works...

I confirm and then pull the fixture and nope... it's not working.

Its kind of of dark so I cut the cord to save and toss the rest and then see the whip gnawed through... rats again!

So the rat was all the way up at the wall at the header plate eating the only exposed 18 inches of cord in the structure.

Hook up the light and check my restored Jubilee and find the insulation gnawed on my battery cable, open the hood and the nicest nest made of dryer sheet and paper towels... sheet after sheet to perfection behind the Jubilee grill emblem.

Just then fat Mrs rat comes in and sees me, stops and observes and I say your days are numbered and slow as you please backs up and leaves.

Rodents in the farm are a continuous battle... they are always in the traps.

That's what the new 20' cargo container arrived this week so time will tell if rat proof.

Jubilee has not been out during the 3 pandemic years.

 

[sdef]

I have not read this entire thread. We do have mice I have been fighting who seem to have an affinity for the "shoe tags" I tie to each 5 gallon can of stored fuel that is outside under a tarp. I caught a lot of mice in traps but not enough to help much. I was able to finally fix (crossed fingers for several months now) this issue by "laminating" the tags front/rear with clear packing tape and replacing the string ties with plastic tie wraps. I now use a grease pencil for writing on the lamination.

The first several years of my tractor's existence saw it stored outside under a tarp-like affair. I placed a small bag of moth balls in the engine compartment and another small bag in the open cab and never had a problem.

 

[Gator6x4]

Go to Tractor Supply or some other supplier and get yourself a bucket of Tom-Cat rat and mice killer. Place the cubes around at various locations In your buildings.

 

[jyoutz]

Go to Tractor Supply or some other supplier and get yourself a bucket of Tom-Cat rat and mice killer. Place the cubes around at various locations In your buildings.

Yes, but use them in the bait station boxes. They are deadly to dogs and other animals.

 

[Gator6x4]

Yes, but use them in the bait station boxes. They are deadly to dogs and other animals.

If I have dogs and other animals getting into my equipment storage area and causing damage they can also pay the price for trespassing and doing damage.

Raccoons are more destructive than rats.

 

[m5040]

I used these windup traps and have caught 1/2 dozen at times before I got back to check them. Sometimes 2 mice go in and the 2nd jams the trap. Other then that they work great at weeding down the population to zero.

 

[5030]

I stick with the scented dryer sheets, the stinker the better. The Snuggles brand are the biggest stinkers I have found so far and they are cheap too. A couple sheets placed in strategic locations, under the hoods and in the cabs do it real well but they do stink up the entire barn as well.

They are gross stinkers.

 

[ultrarunner]

If I have dogs and other animals getting into my equipment storage area and causing damage they can also pay the price for trespassing and doing damage.

Raccoons are more destructive than rats.

My last Tomcat order was 2016 and it worked well but since banned in California

For some things I could order with Washington delivery but Washington tends to ban much of the same things California does.

Rabid Racoons destroyed the interior of my 1968 Mustang Convertible... it was in carport under cover and had no idea until I lifted the cover one Spring

 

[Alan46]

My last Tomcat order was 2016 and it worked well but since banned in California

For some things I could order with Washington delivery but Washington tends to ban much of the same things California does.

Rabid Racoons destroyed the interior of my 1968 Mustang Convertible... it was in carport under cover and had no idea until I lifted the cover one Spring

Sorry for your loss! I had a 65 coupe for 35 years, I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt !

 

[MROlson86]

I have two things I do to keep nesting critters out of things. First I give them no refuge, maybe leave the hood open, things like that, it diminishes confined spaces for nests. I also trap aggressively using two Tom Cat brand traps that are large enough for rats or chipmunks. They are tunnel type traps, they get everything down to a shrew. Good luck.

 

[jyoutz]

My last Tomcat order was 2016 and it worked well but since banned in California

For some things I could order with Washington delivery but Washington tends to ban much of the same things California does.

Rabid Racoons destroyed the interior of my 1968 Mustang Convertible... it was in carport under cover and had no idea until I lifted the cover one Spring

Order them online from TSC

 

[JethroB]

Evil can't stand the light or noise. I have an LED light and a radio playing in all my outbuildings. Works on 4 and 2 legged critters. Still use cinnamon cotton balls for the crafty mice though

The bright lights and a radio seem to be a good deterrent for birds too. Birds getting/nesting in my shop is my biggest animal issue. Poop everywhere and its corrosive.

 

[scootr]

I got 2 feral cats 4 yrs ago. They live in the barn where I park my tractors and car.
Kitty has been sleeping on the hood. You just know there aint no mice around. Prior to barn cats we had all sorts of rodent problems like engine nests and chewed wiring.
Now my only problem is feeding and watering them ~ easy peasy and effective solution.

 

[ultrarunner]

The coyotes, foxes and mountain lions get anything that is out except for gown cattle and horses...

Neighbor lost a calf and another several goats... you would think in a urban fringe area it would be different.

 

[Gator6x4]

The coyotes, foxes and mountain lions get anything that is out except for gown cattle and horses...

Neighbor lost a calf and another several goats... you would think in a urban fringe area it would be different.

You and your neighborhood need to consider introducing the predators to a new friend acquired by your animals.

5 Livestock Guardian Dog Breeds | Nite Guard

Livestock guardian dogs are bred to protect. Let’s help you select the best livestock guardian dog to protect your cattle, goats, sheep, or chickens.

niteguard.com