How to keep the mice away?

[epix1718]

I have a 24x48' barn next to my house, cement floor and non-insulated of where I store some vehicles/lawnmowers/etc.. I've found evidence of mouse nesting and one day while out there to retrieve something our indoor/outdoor (declawed) cat caught himself a mouse within a minute.  This got me thinking that I need to do something to at least lessen the threat of mice out there. 

Any of you old-timers have some good tricks to exile the mice?  I'm honestly quite thinking of getting an outside cat which would at least get the mice when outside the barn (barn is sealed shut but mice do find their way in)

I've heard that peppermint oil works but what are your suggestions for outside AND also something to use inside the vehicles stored out there?

Thanks!

[P15-D24]

Get more outside cat(s) 

If the area is confined (other animals can't get in) I use sticky traps.

Speaking of annoying (and deadly) critters, anyone have a good way to discourage rattlesnakes? Had a 20" juvenile in my garage last week 

[Todd B]

40 minutes ago, P15-D24 said:

Get more outside cat(s) 

If the area is confined (other animals can't get in) I use sticky traps.

Speaking of annoying (and deadly) critters, anyone have a good way to discourage rattlesnakes? Had a 20" juvenile in my garage last week 

The only way that would work for me would be to MOVE. 

[pflaming]

CATS! NO, NADA, NILCH, no cats! 

  

[Uncle-Pekka]

Cats. The. Only. Logical. Answer.

 

[epix1718]

1 hour ago, pflaming said:

CATS! NO, NADA, NILCH, no cats! 

  

Oh my!!! Please share the story behind this.

[Plymouthy Adams]

be proactive....while keeping them out is almost a useless idea...they will scurry in right behind you while to door is open..keeping them killed off is not...I still prefer little neck snapping traps along with some well hidden and away from access any domestic animal, the bait/pellet extermination packs.  Also of late I have had some excellent results with the electronic devices...some work, some do not...the cat would be to me more of a nuisance than the random mouse...

[Plymouthy Adams]

4 minutes ago, epix1718 said:

Oh my!!! Please share the story behind this.

man burned down his shop and blamed a cat...end of story....beginning of a new shop however..

[pflaming]

Correction, the cat culprit was suggested by a forum member, the fire however is true, truck was in that shop. 

[Flatie46]

We use to a pretty bad mouse problem years ago. Had a couple cats, they would catch one every now and then. Then we got this black and white stray. Ragged looking young male  cat. He was pretty mean, didn't care to be petted much.  He cut the population down considerably and kept em at bay.  Sadly I think a coyote got him 3 months ago. So some cats are good to pet and lay around and some love to hunt.

  Mice ate some wiring on the wife's car last month. They told me at the dealer to put moth balls on the intake. I really don't see this working. Guess I need to round up some moths and sort out the males and females. Lol

[Dennis_MN]

I used moth balls in alum pans, two in the cab floor, three on the seat, and three under the hood.  I stuffed steel wool in the tail pipe pipe.  never had a problem with the old dodge

but I would swap my ford Ranger for it in the summer and I did the same program with that.  But when I wouldn't run right, I discovered a mouse nest up the intake venting.

The old Dodge didn't have that plumbing like the ranger.

[lonejacklarry]

The trick to using domesticated cats is to stop feeding them.  When they are a little hungry they make great pest control critters.

[Don Coatney]

1 hour ago, Flatie46 said:

We use to a pretty bad mouse problem years ago. Had a couple cats, they would catch one every now and then. Then we got this black and white stray. Ragged looking young male  cat. He was pretty mean, didn't care to be petted much.  He cut the population down considerably and kept em at bay.  Sadly I think a coyote got him 3 months ago. So some cats are good to pet and lay around and some love to hunt.

  Mice ate some wiring on the wife's car last month. They told me at the dealer to put moth balls on the intake. I really don't see this working. Guess I need to round up some moths and sort out the males and females. Lol

I have never been able to smell moth balls. My fingers are too big to get there little legs apart.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I keep old prescription bottles and I then drill them full of holes and fill them with the moth balls and throw them in the car under the seat and one in the trunk etc etc.....keeps the crystals from direct contact with your car but yet stays 100% effective....

[Flatie46]

1 hour ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

I keep old prescription bottles and I then drill them full of holes and fill them with the moth balls and throw them in the car under the seat and one in the trunk etc etc.....keeps the crystals from direct contact with your car but yet stays 100% effective....

Good idea. I had always heard that moth balls  would keep the snakes away.  I also remember a thread  years ago about if mothballs would raise octane level. It was discussed in that thread that mothballs weren't made of the same stuff they were years ago. I didn't know if they would still work for pests or not.

[MackTheFinger]

A friend once told me he didn't mind mice because when they're suddenly gone it means you have rats, when the rats disappear that means you have snakes. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

1 hour ago, MackTheFinger said:

A friend once told me he didn't mind mice because when they're suddenly gone it means you have rats, when the rats disappear that means you have snakes. 

and the spidies.....they eats the cockroaches..!

[R&D Dodge]

Hi, I use drywall quick set 45 powder and cereal, like wheat checks, oatmeal etc.  Apparently upon consumption it hardens in the arteries and they go for water and leave the area of concern.  I use trays or cut off milk jugs with small ingress holes and set in vehicle or under shelves in work areas etc.  inexpensive and seems effective, hope this helps.

 

[Dan Hiebert]

We've got a relatively well sealed 30 x 50 shop, and lots of woods, which means mice, voles, and shrews.  Shop was built as usual around here, with 8" cement footing off the slab, which limits accessibility to vermin.  But, they still get in.  Terrpalane was leaking coolant so I had a pan under it and one day found a dead mouse in it, then I saw one sneak in through the door behind me one day, so I set out "Tomcat" poison bait traps.  Forces them out to find water, where they die.  There's only one way in or out of the shop, so I put the bait there, I ensure there's no food for them in the shop, so they have to leave to forage, passing right over the peanut butter flavored bait.  I don't have anything against snare traps, just haven't bothered to get any.  We've also got a really good mouser cat, who prowls the shop whenever I'm in it, he hasn't honed in on anything in there for a while.  I haven't resorted to any repellents, haven't needed to.  I go over everything out there once a week or so to see if they're into anything.  Living where we do, one has to manage expectations, there will be mice, we just try to control where we don't want them. 

[Pete]

I've had good luck with peppermint oil for keeping mice away, and moth balls for keeping squirrels away.

Pete

 

[linus6948]

Ditto on the Peppermint oil, here is the one I use very strong, good stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PRMTNNG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Eneto-55]

There was an article about this a year ago on Hemmings, with lots of discussion/ideas.  

Of Men & Mice

 

[Dan Hiebert]

Just for giggles.  This is a "camp trap".  Relatively common in these parts, I'm told, but I hadn't see one before.

This is in one of the Wardens' camps in the North Maine Woods.  Rodent walks the plank.  The can, mounted so it spins on the rod (in this case a radio antenna), is smeared with "something", possibly peanut butter, to attract said rodent.  Rodent extends self to reach bait, falls off of spinning can into 3-4" of water in the bottom of the bucket.  Drowns.  This one hadn't been tended in a while, I wasn't about to poke around the soupy substance in the bottom.  But disposal of long untended trap contents is straightforward and you don't have to deal with fuzzy little carcasses from regular poison or snap-traps.

[RNR1957NYer]

16 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

There was an article about this a year ago on Hemmings, with lots of discussion/ideas.  

Of Men & Mice

 

I responded at the time to "Of Mice and Men", extolling the virtues of shredded Irish Spring bar soap distributed throughout my cars in potpourri bags.  A friend put me on to it, and for a couple winters I would switch out the bags with fresh soap.  Then this summer I fount this in the trunk of my New Yorker.  When I told my friend, he said "Yeah, but I bet they felt sick afterwards!" 

At least they haven't eaten the "Bounce" drier sheets - yet.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I can't believe the Irish Spring soap did not keep them totally away.....I do my best to stay away from that awful odor myself....been called a dirty rat before but can assure you I have never entered a persons car, eat the upholstery/wiring and left feces behind