mice

[danjan_5040653]

we have a 1997 eccles emerald which we keep in storage at a poultry farm. when we took the van home to prepare for a trip to North Yorkshire last week we found evidence of a visit by a mouse. I have been all over the van including a detailed inspection underneath and cannot see how it got in. I thought it might have nawed through the blown air pipes under the chassis but they're ok. Has anyone any thoughts to offer please

 

[hughdavies]

a mouse will get through a hole 1/2" by 1/2" 13mm by 13mm so you will have to look for a very small hole indeed. Some new vans have plastic mesh on the vents,small gaps where cables and pipes go through the floor.

 

[Ratman_5040614]

Hello jan & dan, i work in pest control and have dealt with a lot of infestations within caravans, the majority of the time i have found the mice entered through gaps around the waste/gas pipes under the van and also through the air vents from the fridge etc. mice only need a gap about the thickness of a pencil to gain access and once they get a hold on the slightest crack/gap they will make there own entrance(2-4mm mesh on inside of vents will deter further ingress just check with manufacturer for airflow requirements and if sealing large holes fill with wirewool before sealing), i would recommend placing several nipper traps (twix or peanut butter is best bait) throughout the van to ensure they are not harbouring within the fixtures or wall/floor fabric, using poison is a longterm treatment but it doesn't hurt to have some down also. Hope this helps, Ratman

 

[mikeE]

Somewhere I once read that farmers protect barn stored equipment with mothballs; the old fashioned camphor kind. We now hang four small nylon mesh bags - they came free with washing powder - containing four mothballs each inside our 'van when it is in storage. Makes it smell like Grannies old wardrobe, the smell soon goes when I remove the bags prior to using the 'van, but so far no mice. Biggest problem is finding the things in shops "moth balls? worra them like?" so, if you want to go down this route, buy a couple of boxes when you find them. I find they "evaporate" over about two months or so; more slowly in cold weather.

Mains electric powered mouse scarers have been available for years - we have one in what was a mouse infested garage; result no mice - so perhaps the people who developed battery powered alarms for sheds, outhouses and caravans could devise a battery powered mouse scarer for'vans.

 

[danjan_5040653]

re our request for help regarding mice in caravan. many thanks to ratman, hugh and mike for kind advice. the caravan is back in storage and we have sealed the fridge vents and put a humane trap in baited with twix as suggested. so far no more mice