Mousetrap is loaded!!

[Henry S.]

Well the weather here in the Great Midwest has finally dried up and the farmers are getting the crops out. Of course that means millions (Well, okay maybe not millions) of mice will be homeless so it's time to break out the mouse bucket, antifreeze and peanut butter. That's the trouble with living someplace where you experience all 4 seasons. When you can't cruise around topless you gotta make your own entertainment!!

[Patrick T.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

This guy takes care of all the mice in my garage!

[Edward J.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

WOW, Pat thats sure is one way to keep them out, I would think of felix the cat might be a little easier for me, since snakes don't appeal to me much!

[Henry S.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

This guy takes care of all the mice in my garage!

WOW Patrick!! He would also keep most wives out of the garage. Now, how do you keep HIM out of the Corvette?

[Roger W.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

That is the coolest mouse trap that I have ever seen.

[Steven B.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

Patrick, they work real good! I posted a few months ago about the snake in my garage---never saw him (or her) again so I don't know where it went.

I made the mistake of leaving a riding mower outside for three days and found a huge nest on top of the flywheel. I needed the snake there. Also, the boxes of moth balls I have put out over the years did not work this season. In fact the moth balls were in the nest along with acorns. The fox urine I have used for the past couple of years (in select places) seems to be working on rats and mice but now the squirrels are wise to it. Unfortunately my dogs are driving the neighbor's cats away. At least I still have the d-con --- and my hammer.

[Paul J.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

Victor!!!!!!!!!!

[Bill M.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

I keep a tally of mice our cat gets every year. She patrols outside the garage door every day of the year.

2007: 5
2008: 9
2009: 5 so far

She doesn't kill the babies, just plays with them. I guess when they grow up and fight back, it's curtains.

[John H.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

We had a staff meeting the other day with our two cats. The meeting went well in respect to assigned duties. The count so far this fall is six k.i.a. and the garage seems to be secure. I also have heard that an open pan of ammonia is a effective deterrent and our house critters will not lap the stuff up.The mouse trap,nailed to a two by four, with peanut butter on the trigger is still in each car though.

[Willard M.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

An old Maine trick is to set out a pail of water that is half full with a board set like a ramp leading up to it from the floor. The little critters walk up to get a drink and can't get out of the pail once they are in. This works better in the Fall or in heated spaces or they simply go skating instead of drowning.

[Bruce C.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

Henry, I know this is going to strike you as utterly STUPID but...is that thing REAL ?!?!????

My house backs up to about 2000 acres of crop land and the first year we were in the new house (winter 07-08) I was desparate to control mice so I wrote an ad and circulated it around the office. Here it is:



Will be allowed to sleep in my Corvette in exchange for keeping mice out of the car, contingent upon his treatment of, and respect for, carpet and leather.



Will be provided a heated and elevated sleeping pad, 2000 acres of potty space (situated immediately adjacent to my home site), two double-hung windows with plantation blinds in sleeping quarters and carpeted romper room area underneath and in front of Corvette.



Living quarters situated atop prime hunting club property with exclusive membership for the successful candidate.

Paid medical, including surgical birth control.

Contact: Bruce Chumley, 901-555-4487 days, 901-555-6510 nights."

[Todd L.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

We have 2 outside "mousetraps", 1 cat is old, knows she will be fed and has no desire to hunt anymore. The other cat takes care of mice, moles and even gets an occaisional bird.

The biggest drawback is that she "presents" (guess she likes to brag) the kill to us on our doorstep giving my wife a scare when she walks outside. the other drawback is they love to lie on cars and a nicely covered convertible is a great palce to lounge. Not the best situation ... but better than that snake!

[Henry S.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

Henry, I know this is going to strike you as utterly STUPID but...is that thing REAL ?!?!????

My house backs up to about 2000 acres of crop land and the first year we were in the new house (winter 07-08) I was desparate to control mice so I wrote an ad and circulated it around the office. Here it is:



Will be allowed to sleep in my Corvette in exchange for keeping mice out of the car, contingent upon his treatment of, and respect for, carpet and leather.



Will be provided a heated and elevated sleeping pad, 2000 acres of potty space (situated immediately adjacent to my home site), two double-hung windows with plantation blinds in sleeping quarters and carpeted romper room area underneath and in front of Corvette.



Living quarters situated atop prime hunting club property with exclusive membership for the successful candidate.

Paid medical, including surgical birth control.

Contact: Bruce Chumley, 901-555-4487 days, 901-555-6510 nights."

Bruce,
I like your ad, especially the birth control clause!!
The anti-freeze/peanut butter mouse bucket is ABSOLUTELY real. There was a post on here a couple years ago someone posted with directions/illistrations about making one. Pretty simple, this is what you need:

1. 5 gallon bucket
2. piece of 3/4" dowel rod about three inches longer than the width of the bucket.
3. 1" PVC pipe about two inches shorter than the width of the bucket.
4. peanut butter
5. 2 gallon water
6. 1x4 piece of scrap wood to use as ramp
7. And of course, you GOTTA have duct tape!!

Drill two 3/4" holes directly across from each other about one inch down from top of bucket. Thread PVC pipe onto dowel rod and insert dowel into the two holes you drilled. Use the duct tape to tape each end of dowel rod so it can't come out. You should be able to "spin" PVC pipe freely on dowel rod. Put water in bucket. (NOTE: You can use old anti-freeze if you have no domestic pets or kids around plus others have said the mice don't suffer as much but the study didn't verify that yet so the juries still out. Seriously, the one in our everyday garage has water in it in case one of us happen to "kick the bucket". The bucket in my tool shed has anti-freeze.) Smear peanut butter onto PVC pipe. Using your trusty duct tape, tape one end of 1x4 to the top of the bucket so the little critters can climb up and get to the peanut butter. Pretty much when they start eating the peanut butter and step onto the PVC they look like logrollers and end up in the bucket. Good luck, I gotta go empty mine now, last week I caught 6!! Happy Hunting!!

[Bruce C.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

Henry, that's CRAZY !!! I about fell out of my chair over the mental image of "log rollin" mice !

I gotta build one of those.

My original question, however, was over the snake - is that sucker real or fake?

Years ago, (when I was struggling to make a living in gen av) one of my Mooney customers would park a fake snake on each of his horizontal stabilizers. We'll, one day he called me with an engine squawk and so, strolling out to the airplane, clipboard in hand, eyes focused on squawk sheet, I came around the stabilizer on the right side headed for the cabin door when that snake caught my eye - I dropped the clipboard, did a couple of quick side-steps to the right and had to catch my breath before it dawned on me what I was actually looking at. I hate snakes.

Edit: Henry, my apologies...I just realized that's Patrick's snake post.

So, Patrick....what' the story on the snake? Real for Fake?

[John G.]

Re: Mousetrap is loaded!!

I remember Mom's West Highland Terrier. If a rat showed on his 'radar' that little guy was relentless in pursuing the critter. The dog would try to fake out the quarry and set up an ambush to catch it. If caught, the rat was toast and in for a head shaking wild ride! .. For the rats that were known to be caught, the dog became an 'ace' (6 kills).

The wife's cat takes care of patrol duties now. Young and aggressive he gets right after it. Heck of a good terminator. At times a 'trophy' shows up on the walk.