Open Diff: Of men and mice

Field mouse. Photo by Martyn Fletcher.

Last week, I decided that the two-year-old cabin air filter in my truck had served out its useful life and was due for replacement. Swapping it out was an easy job, one that required no tools and just five minutes of my time to complete. After emptying out the glove box, I removed the plastic shroud, snaked my hands in to compress the tabs on the cover, and pulled the filter out.

It was dirty, but that’s not what caught my eye; instead, it was the large hole gnawed in the center of the filter, where a mouse had opted to remove the filter material for bedding. I vacuumed out the filter compartment, fan and vents to the best of my ability, then went down to the local parts store for a replacement. Afterward, I checked the engine compartment for other signs of infestation (or points of entry), but came up empty; near as I could tell, the critters were getting in though the vent intakes in the cowl.

A few days later, I jumped in my wife’s truck to back it out of the garage, when I was met with the sound of scurrying in the headliner. A quick check of her cabin air filter revealed that, while intact, it was covered with sound-deadening insulation liberated from the headliner itself. Furious pounding on the headliner, and a thorough vacuuming of the vent system around the filter, ensued.

After a bit of impromptu off-roading, in hopes of shaking the critters loose, I returned home to search the garage. Though I hadn’t noticed it before, there were mouse droppings on the framing, on the floor and even on my workbench, indicating that this was more than a one-mouse problem. My first inclination was to get a barn cat (preferably a one-eyed tom named “Lucifer,” with sociopathic tendencies), but my wife shot this idea down rather abruptly. She wasn’t fond of the boa constrictor plan, either, but to her credit tropical snakes don’t adapt well to Vermont winters in unheated buildings.

Instead, we’ve gone the traditional route, putting out both bait traps and snap traps. The bait traps, as far as I can tell, have been completely ignored, and only one mouse has fallen victim to the snap traps. His compatriots have proven adept at stealing dog kibble, glued with peanut butter, from the triggers, and one (Mousedini?) even managed to escape a circular trap that’s supposed to lock the mouse inside after it’s triggered. We may have put a man on the moon, but in 100-plus years, no one has managed to develop a truly effective mousetrap.

My wife and I have also moved 1,600 pounds of wood pellets previously stored in the garage to the basement, and have sealed all of the obvious entry points with rodent-resistant expanding foam, after spraying the infested areas with a bleach solution and cleaning up the droppings. Removal of one pallet may have temporarily eliminated a hiding or nesting area, but two more tons of wood pellets (loaded on two more pallets) are scheduled to be delivered in the coming weeks.

As for deterrents, Vermont mice are a stubborn lot. Dryer sheets are ineffective, moth balls are a no-go and the rodent repellent sprays (which typically smell like a blend of open septic system, rotting flesh and mustard gas) are more offensive to humans than to critters. Most people agree that the electronic repellents don’t do any good, either, which leaves me just about fresh out of ideas.

So far, I’m scoring this mice 2, Kurt 1, and we’ve taken to parking outside until I can get a better handle on the problem. What are your own experiences with Rodentia, and how do you keep them out of classic cars (and daily drivers)?

See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/09/16/open-diff-of-men-and-mice/