The owner at the site where i am going to overwinter my van says they have a problem with fieldmice getting in to vans and nesting over the winter. Curiously, they say this is more of a problem with foreign vans which mine isn't. Has anyone else had any experience of this, and what can be done to keep the little devils out?
Keeping little critters out over winter
- Thread starter cobbers
- Start date
You can expect a bit of controversy over this one. Some swear by moth balls, some baited traps and ridicule the moth ball theory. I use mothballs - never been bothered by mice. Three open containers with half a dozen or so balls each spread around the van will last all winter. With traps what happens when they have all been sprung and the next wave of mice arrive tempted by the uneaten bait ?
you need to stuff pan scourers the metal type in all the holes and vents they dont nor through the metal .people dont now how smaLL FIELD MICE ARE
there is only one way really to stop mice getting in the van
over winter.
keep it somewhere that does not have a mouse problem, :O)
if they want to get in they will been there done that forget it.
sealed all the vents, covered all the holes, removed the wheels, greased every thing that touches the ground, used mothballs, everything short of digging a moat around the van.
come the spring and the little b****rs got in again.
colin
over winter.
keep it somewhere that does not have a mouse problem, :O)
if they want to get in they will been there done that forget it.
sealed all the vents, covered all the holes, removed the wheels, greased every thing that touches the ground, used mothballs, everything short of digging a moat around the van.
come the spring and the little b****rs got in again.
colin
Lets be extremly careful on advising people to block off things around caravans. If someone was to block of a vent for a gas burning appliance the consequences could be very very serious should they forget to unblock before use.
That being said two poor guys died in an older caravan a couple of years ago in Bamford when a mouse had built a nest in the heater flue, which was of the old style where the air intake and flue where under the floor.
That being said two poor guys died in an older caravan a couple of years ago in Bamford when a mouse had built a nest in the heater flue, which was of the old style where the air intake and flue where under the floor.
You can get a battery operated rodent deterrent - which does seem to work. My friend leaves one in her holiday cottage in the winter and has had no problems with mice since using it.
Thanks to all for helpful suggestions.
Don't want to move storage locations because they are nice people and it is v convenient for home. I will try the mothball thing someone else had already suggested that. I will have a look at covering vents with some sort of fine mesh but am dubious about blocking vents completely.
As a last resort I might leave our cat in there for the winter!
Don't want to move storage locations because they are nice people and it is v convenient for home. I will try the mothball thing someone else had already suggested that. I will have a look at covering vents with some sort of fine mesh but am dubious about blocking vents completely.
As a last resort I might leave our cat in there for the winter!
If you have room at home to store them, dont forget to remove the seat cushions, just in case the mothballs dont work. I put mothballs in ours last winter, didnt have any rodents but thats not conclusive proof that they work, might not have got any anyway.
thats why i said use wire wool it dont block vents
androdants dont like chewing wire store mine on the farm no probs
androdants dont like chewing wire store mine on the farm no probs
Hi Cobbers, As a professional pest controller I would suggest firstly trying steel wool (the course pan scourers used in indian and chinese kitchens if you know the type)to prevent entry. Mice cannot gnaw through steel. Failing that, if you go to Wilkinsons or similar and purchase some Snap E's mouse traps (black plastic base with yellow strike bar) they are very effective with peanut butter in the bait cup. I place mine in all the floor lockers and front locker- they tend not to get any further. Put them on a sheet of polythene first though for obvious reasons. I always back that up with bait. Try to get hold of a bait containing as the active ingredient "difenacoum" or even better "brodifacoum" Some animals are what we call in the profession "trap shy" but the aint grub shy so you will nail them one way or another. The best mouse is a dead mouse!
Deans idea may work very well, and it will still allow a small amount of air movement to help keep the interior fresh over winter, but it is vitally important that the scourers are removed at the beginning of the season to allow the correct amount of ventilation when the caravan is in use.
hi all
they got in my van one winter by chewing though the grey waste pipe and entring the van via the sink plug hole seen how small that is. and one year I inadvertantly left the cleaning bucket out behind the wheel, when we got back to the van in spring there were 9 dead mice in the bucket, they had fallen in and could not get out some of them had been partly eaten by the mice that had fallen in after them very gruesom but it illustrates just how big the scale of the problem can be.
in the 5 years that the old van was perminantly sited I never really solved the problem of winter mice, they allways seemed to get in somewhere the best I ever got was to kill them once inside and before they did very much damage.
I am sorry if I sound a bit negative but as they say been there done that bought the tee shirt, never again. my new van sits out the winter in a nice dry heated garage well away from those pesky rodents.
colin
they got in my van one winter by chewing though the grey waste pipe and entring the van via the sink plug hole seen how small that is. and one year I inadvertantly left the cleaning bucket out behind the wheel, when we got back to the van in spring there were 9 dead mice in the bucket, they had fallen in and could not get out some of them had been partly eaten by the mice that had fallen in after them very gruesom but it illustrates just how big the scale of the problem can be.
in the 5 years that the old van was perminantly sited I never really solved the problem of winter mice, they allways seemed to get in somewhere the best I ever got was to kill them once inside and before they did very much damage.
I am sorry if I sound a bit negative but as they say been there done that bought the tee shirt, never again. my new van sits out the winter in a nice dry heated garage well away from those pesky rodents.
colin
Remember the seemingly disproportionate number of holes in caravan floors are there as drains for any leakage of Propane or Butane gas.
These gases are heavier than air and sink to the floor of the caravan should they occur.
It is these drain holes that prevent any gas leak building up to dangerous concentrations.
Caravans are vulnerable to gas leaks as the appliances and installation pipework are subjected to road vibrations whilst being towed.
I would not block these drain holes.
These gases are heavier than air and sink to the floor of the caravan should they occur.
It is these drain holes that prevent any gas leak building up to dangerous concentrations.
Caravans are vulnerable to gas leaks as the appliances and installation pipework are subjected to road vibrations whilst being towed.
I would not block these drain holes.
I`ve also heard that sheets of "BOUNCE" the sheet fabric conditioner that goes in tumble dryers spread around the van under seat storage areas close to the vents is also effective although I`ve never tried them. I have been using moth balls for years and never had a problem yet, this winter I`ll put both in.
Mel
Moderator
Our van is kept on our drive. Never had a mouse problem and not worried about it until I read this thread! Next door have about 4 moggies that seem to view our garden as their own. Perhaps they act as a mouse deterrent. I'll stop chasing them off!!
mel
mel
hi folks
a little anicdote for you all,
I built my garage to house the m'home so thats how I can keep the van in it (the vans actually smaller than the m/home was)but anyway I transgress one winters morning the wife went out to the garage to get some bread out of the chest freezer and came running in saying there was a rat in the garage it was far to big to be a mouse, "she said" so I went out to look nothing? pulled out the freezer, toolchest,motor bike, everything exept the m/home could not find anything at all. begining to think she was on something or other when I went into the m/home just to do a final check and there sat on the table was -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"A HAMSTER" a long haired black and brown one, poor little thing looked half staved. none of the local kids had lost one so we bought all the kit called it hamish and kept it, it went everywhere with us in the van and lived for 3 years, aaaaahhhhhh.
now for the point if a flaming hamster can get in a m/home how the hell are you going to keep teeny weeny field mouse out of a van.
colin
a little anicdote for you all,
I built my garage to house the m'home so thats how I can keep the van in it (the vans actually smaller than the m/home was)but anyway I transgress one winters morning the wife went out to the garage to get some bread out of the chest freezer and came running in saying there was a rat in the garage it was far to big to be a mouse, "she said" so I went out to look nothing? pulled out the freezer, toolchest,motor bike, everything exept the m/home could not find anything at all. begining to think she was on something or other when I went into the m/home just to do a final check and there sat on the table was -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"A HAMSTER" a long haired black and brown one, poor little thing looked half staved. none of the local kids had lost one so we bought all the kit called it hamish and kept it, it went everywhere with us in the van and lived for 3 years, aaaaahhhhhh.
now for the point if a flaming hamster can get in a m/home how the hell are you going to keep teeny weeny field mouse out of a van.
colin
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