Mice

I couldn't figure out why my snow plow switch (to a Haldex hydraulic pump) wasn't working......until I looked in the battery box (M925) and found this....(see if you can see it in the 1st picture). They built a nest after coming in through the battery box vent hole (which now post mice is packed with steel wool). I had installed a 200 amp fuse in circuit......luckily there was no short, as picture 2 shows how much insulation was chewed through.
We've had an explosion of mice this year in Wisconsin and have dealt with them aggressively......and they still get into everything.

I am battling them here too. I heard(we have a thread here somewhere) that they don't like peppermint extract.

I've tried the peppermint thing, didn't work for mine.

I have seen them knaw almost clear thru a piece of 1.5" ABS
vent pipe in a clients attic...

Moth balls are the only thing I have found to deter them and tomcat bait plus caulking holes in the cab shut and putting boots on shifter/ high low lever. Tried Irish Spring soap they ate it gone, peppermint oil they drank it.

I have my trucks on a farm where the mice are plentiful. I am trying something new this year. A full on combo of-mothballs on cab floor, mothballs on floor, peppermint oil on floors, and the final -cat pee in kitty litter speed all over the place. Place stinks real good. Keeping me out-hope the mice too.
Pete

I'm going thru the same thing ! I'm Putting poison bate in all my trucks. seemed to help last year.

Mice terminator

Same issue this year... I just popped the hood yesterday on my wife's Rover that gets driven at least twice weekly and mice pulled the hood insulation down and made a nest under the intake on the valley pan!!! The paper towel roll put in the Deuce two weeks ago when I drove it is chewed up and gone.... I can't find that nest.. I was even on my back looking under the dash. I have plenty of barn cats, chickens and fox (outside the fence line) running around that eat them, but that seems to be driving them indoors as well... We've gotten more in traps this year, then all of last year.

Tomcat works for the most part, what it doesn't kill Gimpy's dog has a field day with. I buy the big tub of Tomcat and just throw the blocks everywhere.

Week later I just pick up the dead mice.

Dead Mouse Theater

Cats kill more living things than anything else on the planet.
Maybe get a couple, they are cheap.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

The only problem with the baits are the mice die in a place inaccessible to get to and the smell of rotting mice is worse. I have managed to keep them out with foil tape like used for duct work. My Toyota FJ was the worse for mice. I took it apart and found the avenues, used the foil tape, and now 2 years mouse-less.

It is actually Peppermint oil, not extract. You can get it at the
pharmacy. It is about 15 dollars for a small bottle.

They got me this year also, chewed through one on my seat belts and chewed the fingers out of a pair of leather work gloves. Found the remains of the seat belt and gloves along with a ton of leaves and sticks on top of the air cleaner under the hood. I have used the peppermint oil (expensive) with little luck, guess I move on to the moth balls or sticky pads.

Mothballs, lots of mothballs. Bait stations in the storage areas, not in the vehicles. Mothballs down Mr. Groundhog's hole will make him relocate too.

Just curious why not bait traps in cab ?

I just put peppermint oil, mothballs, sticky traps, a brown paper bag, an owl and a picture of a cougar in my truck. Not sure if it'll keep the mice, birds and the bees out but the smell reminds me of the Grandparents. The challenge next year is how to get the MV smell back in.

The headlines said our mice populations are exploding. At first I thought, messy, but effective!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ulation-exploding-says-exterminator-1.2764034

Serious now, the brother got a taste of Hanta virus a few years ago and cleaning up after mice can kill a guy. I wore a respirator for clean-ups this spring and got lucky. This site should suggest respirators as well however gives some guidelines for safety. http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/

We're searching hard for solutions and found some whacky ideas, http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2014/09/30/tips-ridding-home-mice/

I've tried all kinds of bait and traps and still had a huge mouse problem at the house and the barn. I got two cats and the mouse problems disappeared. Even though the cats aren't allowed in the house, I don't have any mice in the house either. I guess the cats get them before they have a chance to enter.

The trick is to get a couple of cats that are tame enough that they will stay around but not too tame so they won't bother you when you're outside. You don't want to feed them too much so they will hunt.

Didn't we determine in a similar thread that driving your truck frequently is the best pest deterrent?