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Mice attacks

Out here mouse can do more than just destroy things. They can carry the Hantavirus and the black plague. People can (and do) die painfully from this. Outdoor cats have been known to catch it and spread it.

I try to keep marigolds (I've heard growing garlic and onions may work as well) growing around the outside areas and that seems to keep away gophers and other rodents.

Bob
 
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lyon retention pads

I posted this on the other thread where you mentioned this problem:

"I have never tried it, but I think this guy's approach for deterring mice looks like it would work:

http://foresthillair.com/lyonretentionpads.html

Let us know if you try it."

I'm guessing maybe you found it didn't work, or maybe looked too expensive to give a try(?)
 
I posted this on the other thread where you mentioned this problem:

"I have never tried it, but I think this guy's approach for deterring mice looks like it would work:

http://foresthillair.com/lyonretentionpads.html

Let us know if you try it."

I'm guessing maybe you found it didn't work, or maybe looked too expensive to give a try(?)

Too nice to the mice -

By administering a small electrical shock when they attempt to enter your equipment, animals are discouraged and trained to stay away.

I would crank up the voltage and make it mouse lethal...:)
 
Mouse Retention Pads

Hi Precession

Thank you for the link, I just send an e-mail to them to get a little more info.

That's an idea I've had for a while so it might be the solution..

On the pictures, I can't see any wires hooked up to the aircraft so I wonder how it might work with the tires providing some sort of barrier??

I guess I'll know fairly soon..
----------------------------------
Turbo
''bruno, i can't believe this terrible story. i guess you can never stop them from being in the hangar but about keeping them out of the plane, there must be a way. how do they get in? figure that out and you have problem solved.

good luck with the lyme issue too.

Thank you for the moral support, much appreciated, I had an exterminator come to the hangar last week and he set a bunch of traps ( Feeding box actually ) around and in the hangar so that the mice will eventually change their feeding pattern..so I'll check tomorrow to see if they had a look see at the boxes...fingers crossed..

Regarding the Lyme's Disease issue, I saw our company's doctor today and he said that the red spots I had where from a contact with either poison oaks or something similar. He took the time to explain how the reds spots will look in a LD's case and where the ticks will enter the skin.

He puts me on antibiotics for 10 days so let's hope he's right..


Cheers

Bruno
[email protected]
 
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"Back in the day" (that would be pre-EPA) we used to sell chloropicrin, one of the strongest forms of tear gas. It came in a tin can, a little larger than an quart oil can. If you remember those, you are getting old. To use it, you hit the can with a hammer until you heard the glass bottle inside break. It was wrapped in something like toilet paper that absorbed the liquid. You then punched a hole in the tin can. For an airplane, it would have needed to be less than 1/32", for a grain bin, maybe 1/8". It was sold for use in grain bins and silos. We sold to a car collector who used it in all his cars when they were not being used, even in a 30s Rolls-Royce. No residue, safe because it would warn you of its presence, and totally effective. It even killed insects. I might even know of a stash of that stuff somewhere. No, don't ask...

If you can find any liquid tear gas, I would think you could devise a dispenser of sorts. With a tiny hole, the old stuff lasted about six months to a year and cost (then) about $3. So, if you need someone to blame for your problem, Richard Nixon comes to mind.

Bob
 
i can't imagine all the dangerous bacteria you are growing in the water of your ''bucket of death'' that jumped off the dead rodents. i would not want to get near it.
 
I didn't read all of the posts, so perhaps this was covered. If you bait with poison, those mice go somewhere to die. If that somewhere is in your walls, the stench can be pretty bad.
A buddy of mine did this in his cabin. The mice climbed into the insulation under his oven. Needless to say, the stench drove us out of the cabin. We threw the oven out.
Baiting can also harm anything that eats the mice, like the airport cat....
 
i can't imagine all the dangerous bacteria you are growing in the water of your ''bucket of death'' that jumped off the dead rodents. i would not want to get near it.

Much better having it in the bucket of death than in the garage, plane, hangar, house, car, or anywhere else. At our house, we use the bucket outside, sticky foot inside, and regular snap traps in the garage. In the spring we would get 3-5 per day. To get rid of them, I put them on the rock wall and it takes about 30 minutes for the local crows to clean up. Now they squawk when there is no free lunch!

I have seen upside down cones used on trees to keep rats out. It should be possible to build something like that and mount it to the wheels.
 
A good friend just cashed his insurance check for a totaled out Ercoupe! Seems mouse urine ran down in the center section and corrosion did its nasty trick. It was found during a pre buy inspection since he was selling it, made him plenty happy since it was insured for more than the selling price!.
 
.....

I have seen upside down cones used on trees to keep rats out. It should be possible to build something like that and mount it to the wheels.

Some of our neighbors use a rolled up "wall" of metal as a mouse deterrent for climbing up gear legs.

Web pic of something similar -

attachment.php


The retractable planes are especially vulnerable since there are usually more openings at the top of the gear leg into the internal structure.
 
Mice can jump 18 inches, there are youtube videos. Some classic car recommendations are to use 20" valley aluminum unrolled and standing on edge around the vehicle. We could do this with A's around the wheels and put the tail wheel on a stand. The seam must not be climbable. Flush, closely spaced rivets? Dangling wires, antenna and such make attractive jump targets, so they should not lead to an entry point.

I have many mice at home in the winter. If I park a car outside in the cold, the engine heat attracts mice. They can find and attack in a couple of hours. One fall, I took some loaded traps to the garage and began placing them. I left a couple unplaced traps on top of a cabinet, it was high and open, it looked mouse free place to me. Not to them - the two unplaced traps both caught victims overnight. The other 8 placed around in hiding places were not touched. Don't underestimate the curiosity or bravery of these little guys. Leave some free food nearby too to build complacency. :D
 
"mouse zappers"

For the heck of it, I shot Richard Lyon an email to see if he had any interest in commenting here about his product. Like I said before, I personally don't have any experience with the product, but here's his reply (posted with his permission):

Thanks, for mentioning my mouse retention pads to vansairforce. I don't think I am allowed to post a reply to them. I have made these pads for 26 years, with good results. I originally called them "mouse zappers". However in todays market, I had to lower shock current to satisfy liability insurance co. As i am nearly 88 years of age, I would be willing to sell the business and inventory. Also would teach someone to manufacture them. I have some sizes in stock. Thanks, again. Richard L. Lyon Mgr. Forest Hill Airpark (3F5)

Richard Lyon
Forest Hill Airport
foresthillair.com
 
Mouse Pads

Hi Precession

I did get a reply from Richard and I must say that it is tempting but the thing holding me for now is the potential damage it might do to avionics in the A/C.

A/C are way more sensitive to electrical shock than they used to be..

Any comments from VAFers???

Thanks

Bruno
[email protected]
 
I think I need to make a trip over to the Forest Hill Airport. I am working not far from there. Richard Lyon sounds like a very interesting guy.
 
I feel your pain, I solved the mice in a Cessna 170 by building a box out of Stainless Steel. One end was a door with a latch. I made the box as tall as possible. It also had a floor, and I would pull the tail wheel into the box and shut the door. Mice could not get into the gear legs, so the tail wheel box solved the problem.

Mice can have 18-20 pups every 30 days and it take 30 days for a mouse to mature. So you can see if 50% were females, how fast it takes to make a "swarm". I am not sure if you have enough mouse traps.

Dave
 
Update

As mentioned in a previous post, an exterminator came to my hangar and set up a bunch of ''shoebox'' feeding stations and today I had to secure them to the ground with 8 '' nails so that the darn raccoons will stop playing football with them..

Looking at the pieces of ''Deadly food'' inside most of them there appears to have had quite a few visitors to the feeding party so I guess there must be a few fur balls with stomach burns in my neighborhood...

Sorry if it might cause the odd crows or whatever else to have an untimely encounter with their creator but I'm pass that point now...I don't like it either but I've got to get a hold of this problem..

Will keep you guys updated..

Thanks for all the advise, they are really appreciated.

Bruno
 
Try This...

Night Vision scope on a 22 loaded with birdshot may work.

Bevan

Second to flying RVs, I enjoy night time ratting/pesting with an air rifle. The NiteSite NS200 is a great night infrared illuminator as it can be switched to different rifles in 1 minute. Then can be used for coyote or hog pesting.

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVDJA7rwBFk

These work really well. I HATE RATS!!

Cheers, :)
 
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Second to flying RVs, I enjoy night time ratting/pesting with an air rifle. The NiteSite NS200 is a great night infrared illuminator as it can be switched to different rifles in 1 minute. Then can be used for coyote or hog pesting.

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVDJA7rwBFk

These work really well. I HATE RATS!!

Cheers, :)

I hate mice and rats too, so I clicked on your link. When I saw it was 20 minutes long, I never figured to watch more than a couple seconds. I watched the whole thing and wanted more!! All I could think of is I really wish that was me!! thanks.
 
I had to watch it to the end also, I wanted to see if he ran out of rats before he ran out of ammunition!
 
I had to watch it to the end also, I wanted to see if he ran out of rats before he ran out of ammunition!

Tee Hee Yeah Don, we'll never run out of rats & mice; but it sure does make me feel better giving them some payback!!! :D

Cheers to all,
 
Oh I like this!!

Here is an idea for electrocuting mice using a fence charger. Anyone who has ever touched a hot wire on a fence without warning knows they carry a lot of voltage (but not much amperage).
http://www.farmshow.com/view_articles.php?a_id=317

This is probably your most practical solution Bruno. I run cattle and have solar powered electric fences. I've watched them bounce a 1,500 lb animal back and make their ears straighten out like a mad cat. When the charge hits a mouse/rat, it would be lights out I bet.

The roller traps dropping into a bucket are effective; but I believe the success ratio would be better with the electric shocking aspect. I'm thinking the electrical shock is so quick & paralyzing one probably has a 100% success ratio. Also, placement of these in a hangar environment is most practical. My pellet blasting, even at the lowest power setting, is not good in a hangar.

Mice, rats & mud daubers are definitely not conducive to good RV maintenance.

Thanks Jim. I have extra chargers about. New project.

Cheers,
 
Shock pads

This is probably your most practical solution Bruno. I run cattle and have solar powered electric fences. I've watched them bounce a 1,500 lb animal back and make their ears straighten out like a mad cat. When the charge hits a mouse/rat, it would be lights out I bet.

The roller traps dropping into a bucket are effective; but I believe the success ratio would be better with the electric shocking aspect. I'm thinking the electrical shock is so quick & paralyzing one probably has a 100% success ratio. Also, placement of these in a hangar environment is most practical. My pellet blasting, even at the lowest power setting, is not good in a hangar.

Mice, rats & mud daubers are definitely not conducive to good RV maintenance.

Thanks Jim. I have extra chargers about. New project.

Cheers,

Couldn't one make three stations using a metal sheet then a wire basket with insulators at the bottom. Park the plane on the three sheets. Place the wire basket around the pants. Close the open ends together and clip on the positive and ground clips. Plug it in. As soon as the varmint touches the grid to climb aboard, it gets a nice reminder to stay away. It might even be possible to build the pads so the plane can be parked and each wheel pant rolls into a sort of wire mesh parking space. Then just close the gates and clip the leads.
Turn on the night vision cameras and post some video.
 
Couldn't one make three stations using a metal sheet then a wire basket with insulators at the bottom. Park the plane on the three sheets. Place the wire basket around the pants. Close the open ends together and clip on the positive and ground clips. Plug it in. As soon as the varmint touches the grid to climb aboard, it gets a nice reminder to stay away. It might even be possible to build the pads so the plane can be parked and each wheel pant rolls into a sort of wire mesh parking space. Then just close the gates and clip the leads.
Turn on the night vision cameras and post some video.


You mean like these?

http://foresthillair.com/lyonretentionpads.html
 
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