Mice Control

[banjosimpa]

I park my RV in my driveway adjacent to a wooded area.  I have been using peppermint oil, small 3 or 4 oz bottle with spray nozzle.  Bought on sale for $5.00 local drug store.  It is effective, using small cotton balls, 2 or 3 in each lower bay......but needs to be applied weekly or more often.  I believe not diluted but not sure.

Question:  What is the effective way you control mice?  Using concentrated or diluted?  Saturate cotton balls or other material placed in cabinets or lower bays?  Apply direct to cabinet interior walls?

I keep lower bay and entry door closed at all times.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Al Rice

 

[Rene T]

I've tried everything and there is nothing to control them that has worked for me. The only thing that does work is to kill them. I use a mouse bucket trap. 100% effective. I use to use RV antifreeze so the fluid did not freeze in the winter. Then in the spring, I would dispose of the mice. I've had up to 12 dead mice in the bucket when I opened up the RV in the spring. The antifreeze sort of embalms them so there is no smell. Now what I do is go south before they enter the RV. I still set up the bucket in my garage and I end up with many mice in the bucket when I get home in the spring.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

The most effective way of control is to REMOVE ALL FOOD SOURCES,, so they will move on to better homes.>>>Dan

 

[donn]

First, stop them from getting in.  That means a lot of work on your part.  SS mesh, or Stainless steel wool in every hole.  Followed by rodent proof spray foam.  Remember, they can squeeze through an opening the size of a nickle, so you need to be dilligent to seal everything.  Might take a couple trips around and under your RV to get them all.

 

[JudyJB]

Also, pull out all drawers and look for holes behind them.  The cabinet that holds the sink, a cabinet, and drawer in my bathroom is a wonder.  I had a smell there, so took the drawer out, stuck my camera back in the drawer hole and found a maze of hoses, wires, and drains, some of which went through the floor to the underside of my motorhome.  No wonder little critters can get in! 

Your best bet is still the old-fashioned mouse traps.  You just need to check them every few weeks.

 

[John From Detroit]

THe problem with many RVers is they like Dogs. BIG dogs  Way too big for the RV Dogs.

Me. I have a cat

Mice.. For some reason... Seem uninterested in this RV

 

[SMR]

This is what I would do to winterize our past travel trailers and the motorhome. Before I did anything I would take out all the food and clean it out really good. Also as suggested above try to get all entry points sealed up.

I used 100% pure peppermint oil on cotton balls inside the camper, mothballs in the basement (of the motorhome)  and by the tires. I also had ultrasonics inside and one underneath pointing up at the engine of the motorhome and on the trailers I would point it up. I would add more peppermint oil every month.

Our house was next to a cornfield and mice were a big issue after harvest and always a concern during the winter.

 

[cerd]

I've tried everything and there is nothing to control them that has worked for me. The only thing that does work is to kill them. I use a mouse bucket trap. 100% effective. I use to use RV antifreeze so the fluid did not freeze in the winter. Then in the spring, I would dispose of the mice. I've had up to 12 dead mice in the bucket when I opened up the RV in the spring. The antifreeze sort of embalms them so there is no smell. Now what I do is go south before they enter the RV. I still set up the bucket in my garage and I end up with many mice in the bucket when I get home in the spring.

What do you use for bait? PB around a can with a rod through it?

Your best bet is still the old-fashioned mouse traps.  You just need to check them every few weeks.

Victor makes "easy set" mouse traps. They are the same principal as the traditional traps, but they use a plastic tray instead of the old copper hooks. They have adjustable sensitivity based on where you set the hook in the groove. The copper ones sometimes had burrs, making them less effective depending on the batch. I have seen numerous times when the mouse was able to lick all of the PB out of the tube without setting the trap off. The plastic ones are also strawberry scented so you dont even need to apply bait. Since I don't need to bait them, I dont have an estimate of how many times it doesn't go off, but I will say that I have been able to trap significantly more mice throughout the year than the old copper traps.

Funny thing is that they are only rated 2.5 stars on the Victor website because people say that they are too sensitive; that they go off before they can set them down. Most likely, they didn't read the instructions that say how to adjust the sensitivity. I keep the hook in the middle of the channel without issue.

I tried peppermint infused botanicals and the mice actually ate it. But I did find a hidden 9x9 square hole under my shower that the MFG left open for the P trap. No wonder the mice were getting in so easily and chewing up the carpet and wiring under the cabinets. I added an aluminum pan underneath it and didn't have an issue this past year.

 

[Rene T]

What do you use for bait? PB around a can with a rod through it?

Yes, I use peanut butter.

 

[grashley]

I use the bucket trap with peanut butter on a can.  The two mice who did get in last year did not last long.