Getting Rid of Rodents

[H3ADBANG4L1F3]

So the truck has been parked in the driveway for about a month and a half. With the cold weather approaching the mice have found the truck to be warm and toasty. Tried bucket style traps for a week with no results, still getting mice both in the cab and engine bay. Added sticky traps today to try and help. How do y'all get rid of these little buggers before they wreak havoc on the wiring/etc.?

 

[Chad R]

Irish spring soap or something that smells of mint.   Rodents don’t like the smell

[Ωhm]

 

TIN CAT

 

 

 

[jeff351]

I have a stray cat who has befriended me. She likes to sleep inside the parts XJ in my driveway while I pull parts off for my 97+ conversion. She also learned how to use the dog door in my garage. No mice here! 

[H3ADBANG4L1F3]

2 hours ago, Chad R said:

Irish spring soap or something that smells of mint.   Rodents don’t like the smell

 

I've got some peppermint oil that I'm using, seems to have reduced their activity but not stopped it.

2 hours ago, jeff351 said:

I have a stray cat who has befriended me. She likes to sleep inside the parts XJ in my driveway while I pull parts off for my 97+ conversion. She also learned how to use the dog door in my garage. No mice here! 

 

We've got at least two neighborhood cats that hang out in and around our house/driveway, and our poodle is a mouse hunting machine. Unfortunately it seems there are too many for them to deal with! I cleaned out my shed for the winter and found a little over a dozen mice. 9 escaped before I could bring the poodle over to dispatch the rest. None left the shed alive once she was on the case.

[H3ADBANG4L1F3]

2 hours ago, Ωhm said:

 

TIN CAT

 

 

 

These work for you? I'm not a fan of the releasing part!

[Ωhm]

4 minutes ago, H3ADBANG4L1F3 said:

These work for you? I'm not a fan of the releasing part!

 

I couldn't believe how well this worked. When I got mine, a long time ago, they just said "throw it a 5-gallon bucket of water, empty it, then reuse it".

[gogmorgo]

Smells do nothing. If it smells strongly of food it could even attract them. 

Best deterrent is to park somewhere nice won’t want to go. Avoid vegetation or anything that would give them cover around the truck. They won’t want to cross open areas. If you have to park on grass, vehicles that move around don’t attract mice the way parked ones do. Don’t always park in the same place. 
Kill traps are the best method of reducing numbers. Don’t use poison, it can make natural predators or your pets sick, which will work against you. 

[cruiser54]

A lot of folks around here use lights under the hood. especially the pulsating strings of them. 

[PCO6]

I staple about a dozen or so dryer sheets together and scatter the bundles in the interior and under the hood.   I always put a bundle in the glove box and in the console. 

 

   

[89 MJ]

I second dryer sheets. They keep the critters out and your truck will smell like fresh laundry

[ThatJeepGuy]

On 11/13/2023 at 6:41 PM, Chad R said:

Irish spring soap or something that smells of mint.   Rodents don’t like the smell

 

That is a bit of a fable. I find chew marks on the soap bars I leave all around the vehicle inside and out after winter storage

On 11/14/2023 at 7:47 AM, PCO6 said:

I staple about a dozen or so dryer sheets together and scatter the bundles in the interior and under the hood.   I always put a bundle in the glove box and in the console. 

 

   

 

The smell factor is legit. I also don't see any tampering or nest building with these sheets after winter storage either

[PCO6]

4 hours ago, ThatJeepGuy said:

The smell factor is legit. I also don't see any tampering or nest building with these sheets after winter storage either

 

I've had nests twice but not since using dryer sheets.  One was in a 95 XJ I was working on but stored outside during the winter.   In the spring the glove box was fully "occupied".   The other was when I bought a MJ parts vehicle.  The vendor said, with a grin "I think the key is in the glove box".   He set me up; he knew full well what was really in there.   What a mess. 

 

That MJ was was full of surprises.  I towed it about 100 miles to get it home.   When I opened the passenger's door I found a Grey Tree Frog made the trip with me.   I have no idea if dryer sheets work on frogs.