Mice prevention

[BeatCJ]

Originally Posted by astrnmrtom

2. Bait. Maintain at least a couple pet/child resistant bait stations under your rig. Use block style bait that get's contained in the bait station.

Any recommendations on products and where to get for us non-professional users.

[goallight]

Figured I would give an update. I think I have finally staved off this mouse invasion. Feel a little like Tom vs Jerry or Willie E Coyote but think I got it. The roll of fabric I posted initially worked very well; however for anyone else fighting this battle I have a couple recommendations

1. Flex Tape is your friend. It is strong and makes closing up various size openings easier.
2. Make sure you use a good quality fabric designed for rodents.
3. If you think you plugged all openings, check again. Remove all panels and look behind them. Wires and plumbing are run everywhere. When you are done double checking and think you got them all. check again
4. Make sure you are sealing both inside the trailer and outside the trailer. Goal is to prevent them from ever getting in from the beginning
5. I have my trailer professionally baited and this made it easier to identify how effective it was working. Droppings turn blue from the poison and I noticed less and less over time.
6. Stay diligent cleaning as you are fighting the battle. This one is obvious

May be a little over the top but I got magnetic heat vent covers and I am even sealing those up while trailer is not in use just in case.

[NelsonOB1]

I had a bad infestation this fall. Trapped over a dozen whilst at hunting camp. Mainly in bathroom sink cabinet.

Little buggers ate through my shore power supply cable. Somewhere between the RV connector and the panel. Could not find the location but had to run new cable.

Thx for the tips. I will be putting in use.

[astrnmrtom]

Originally Posted by goallight

Figured I would give an update. I think I have finally staved off this mouse invasion. Feel a little like Tom vs Jerry or Willie E Coyote but think I got it. The roll of fabric I posted initially worked very well; however for anyone else fighting this battle I have a couple recommendations

1. Flex Tape is your friend. It is strong and makes closing up various size openings easier.
2. Make sure you use a good quality fabric designed for rodents.
3. If you think you plugged all openings, check again. Remove all panels and look behind them. Wires and plumbing are run everywhere. When you are done double checking and think you got them all. check again
4. Make sure you are sealing both inside the trailer and outside the trailer. Goal is to prevent them from ever getting in from the beginning
5. I have my trailer professionally baited and this made it easier to identify how effective it was working. Droppings turn blue from the poison and I noticed less and less over time.
6. Stay diligent cleaning as you are fighting the battle. This one is obvious

May be a little over the top but I got magnetic heat vent covers and I am even sealing those up while trailer is not in use just in case.

Wow, nice work. You have the right attitude in that you take your enemy very seriously. If I could hand out Jr Pest Control buttons, I'd send you one. You know, like the plastic Jr Pilot wings they give kids on airline flights. (Or used to anyway)

Until you REALLY get a rig sealed up, and get into a pest maintenance frame of mind, you are really just rolling the mice dice. The enemy is on duty 24/7/365, and will eventually win against a casual opponent. I know it sounds silly when I keep answering mice questions by saying you are battling a professional enemy. We prefer easy solutions, something we can apply, then go off to continue our everyday lives. Meanwhile our opponent fights for survival. It's why I prefer the name Pest Maintenance, instead of Pest Control.

I frequently found myself being impressed with just how resourceful insects and small animals can be. I learned to respect the tiniest ants after I discovered them out smarting me because I'd underestimated them. I swear I've heard little tiny giggles when they beat me.

I'll never forget the time I got a work order for ants in a room on the second story of a building. I traced their path to the outside and to the ground nest. There was a little black line of ants going from the ground, up the side of the brick building to the eaves, where they found a gap, entered, followed rafters and framing members to the top corner of the room, where they came down to feast in a recycle bin full of pop cans. How they found that bin on a second floor interior room amazed me. Tiny brains the size of pinpoints. That's the kind of enemy we face, mice are no different. I always chuckle when I hear people say mice don't like X, or mice find Y irritating so will avoid and area because I've seen so many places where mice frequent that a human would consider irritating. Making runs in fiberglass insulation is one, where they travel to and fro face first in the stuff. If THAT kind of discomfort won't stop them....

Again, good work. I especially like the fact you really drilled down on finding entry points. THAT is the best thing anyone can do. Now, I'll repeat one final reminder: Never, think you've won. Always make a pest inspection part of your regular visit. Any time I visited my rig in storage, I took a flashlight, pulled some drawers, opened cabinets and looked for signs of activity. I'd freshen the bait in my monitor traps and refill bait stations. Any time I do an oil change, greasing or maintenance I inspect for entry points. It pest maintenance.

[leethomas]

astrnmrtom
I appreciate your advice and would like your opinion on one prevention method I've seen everywhere I've camped. Do the lights under the trailer really work as a preventive measure?

[goallight]

Originally Posted by astrnmrtom

Wow, nice work. You have the right attitude in that you take your enemy very seriously. If I could hand out Jr Pest Control buttons, I'd send you one. You know, like the plastic Jr Pilot wings they give kids on airline flights. (Or used to anyway)



Until you REALLY get a rig sealed up, and get into a pest maintenance frame of mind, you are really just rolling the mice dice. The enemy is on duty 24/7/365, and will eventually win against a casual opponent. I know it sounds silly when I keep answering mice questions by saying you are battling a professional enemy. We prefer easy solutions, something we can apply, then go off to continue our everyday lives. Meanwhile our opponent fights for survival. It's why I prefer the name Pest Maintenance, instead of Pest Control.



I frequently found myself being impressed with just how resourceful insects and small animals can be. I learned to respect the tiniest ants after I discovered them out smarting me because I'd underestimated them. I swear I've heard little tiny giggles when they beat me.



I'll never forget the time I got a work order for ants in a room on the second story of a building. I traced their path to the outside and to the ground nest. There was a little black line of ants going from the ground, up the side of the brick building to the eaves, where they found a gap, entered, followed rafters and framing members to the top corner of the room, where they came down to feast in a recycle bin full of pop cans. How they found that bin on a second floor interior room amazed me. Tiny brains the size of pinpoints. That's the kind of enemy we face, mice are no different. I always chuckle when I hear people say mice don't like X, or mice find Y irritating so will avoid and area because I've seen so many places where mice frequent that a human would consider irritating. Making runs in fiberglass insulation is one, where they travel to and fro face first in the stuff. If THAT kind of discomfort won't stop them....



Again, good work. I especially like the fact you really drilled down on finding entry points. THAT is the best thing anyone can do. Now, I'll repeat one final reminder: Never, think you've won. Always make a pest inspection part of your regular visit. Any time I visited my rig in storage, I took a flashlight, pulled some drawers, opened cabinets and looked for signs of activity. I'd freshen the bait in my monitor traps and refill bait stations. Any time I do an oil change, greasing or maintenance I inspect for entry points. It pest maintenance.

Thank you. I wish I had the pin. I could add it to my kids junior ranger pin board hanging in the trailer . Definitely not assuming I won the war. The enemy is just regrouping mentality is my train of thought. Still scouting out areas daily. I have drawers pulled out to remove hiding spots, high powered flashlights so I can check everywhere, and also check outside for any new entry points they may create. I Also added more temporary seals for areas I can’t permanently close up like the air grill under the refrigerator.

[goallight]

Originally Posted by leethomas

astrnmrtom

I appreciate your advice and would like your opinion on one prevention method I've seen everywhere I've camped. Do the lights under the trailer really work as a preventive measure?

From what I read it doesn’t do anything. Personal experience; I tried leaving lights and tv on in the trailer and it didn’t help at all.

[Passin Thru2]

It is hard to prove a negative however over the last year we have camped over 100 nights in BLM, forest service, NPS and similar campgrounds and boondocks spots where mice and pack rats are prevalent and we have yet to have a mouse or rat in the trailer or more importantly in the motor area of the pu.

I have lights that I place under the trailer and pickup that are a very low light until motion is detected and then they flare very brightly. I believe this helps keep the mice from getting used to a constant light. Since the lights are usually on the low light they don’t bother the neighbors as much as some of the real bright lights some people put under their rig.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08DHNMV...roduct_details

Based on another campers recommendation I also installed the following under the hood of the pickup this year. These combine a varying strobe light pattern with an ultrasonic noise (which does not seem to bother our dogs).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Knock on wood - so far so good.