I would call that more of a very informative article, packed with a
lot info and thought.
BTW, if your coach is anything like mine, there is a full on highway
for the critters to get in. On my coach, the back side of the gray and
black tanks are fully exposed to the outside elements, and that leaves
full excess between the frame rails for them to get in, among other
smaller spaces in the same are. Having an insulated basement, I
figured that the coach can handle moderately cold weather. Having
discovered this kind of foolish absurdity, I can not use the coach in
freezing weather, until I figure out a way to mitigate that issue, and
then pay someone to do the work, since I can't do it myself. I'm glad
that I discovered it before any cold weather camping, as it sure would
have been an ugly mess if the tanks froze and blew apart.
Please take a look and let me know if you have a similar issue. Maybe
it was just my coach that never got completed/enclosed properly...
As for the signature, unfortunately, Yahoo does not have an option for
a signature. I just copy and paste mine.
John
'95 Safari Serengeti 38ft, Cummins C8.3-300, Allison
6spd
On 7/11/19, bilmac36 bilmac36@... [Safarifriends]
wrote:
'> Tom! I enjoyed that ‘lecture.’ All good information. And trust but verify
> definitely applies to these critters. Thanks for additional ideas. And I’ll
> 2nd the statement about them sticking! And they degrade to stick very
> quickly. So I’d add if you know you have a critterbor two then you want to
> check your rig at least every other day if you put out traps.
> Oh side note, I had a squirrel that was enjoying climbing up inside my back
> cap just aft of the engine, essentially above my lift gate access to the
> engine. I rolled rabbit cage wire and placed up in this crawl space (the
> width of the coach) then used the expanding foam to seal the area. This and
> a pellet rifle solved my squirrel issue.
> Thanks for the good info.
> R/wm
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 11, 2019, at 12:18 AM, astrnmrtom@... [Safarifriends]
>> wrote:
>>
>> The only way to stop-em, is to block-em. Get a bright flashlight, a
>> creeper and some safety glasses and roll around underneath looking for any
>> hole regardless of how small. You can stuff the hole with steel wool, or
>> stainless steel wool and hit it with expanding foam. Sometime a person
>> inside shining a flashlight can reveal holes to a person outside or vice
>> versa.
>>
>> Note that mice and rats can dislocate their shoulders and hips to fit
>> through any hole their skulls can fit through. Don't just look, but feel
>> around any area where hoses wire bundles penetrate a compartment wall. An
>> easy place to miss is behind the dash where large wire bundles come up
>> through the floor. Don't assume that just because the factory foamed
>> around them that it is a good seal. I found a gap in the center of my wire
>> bundle under the dash by sticking my finger in the center of the bundle.
>> Looked sealed visually. I thought I had mine sealed up tight and found
>> evidence of a mouse inside this summer. Grabbed my creeper and checked
>> again. This time I followed where my heater hoses to my hydronic system
>> passed through into the compartment had a finger sized gap between the
>> factory foam, and the hose. Couldn't see the compartment wall but I
>> reached up over the top of the propane tank and felt it with my finger.
>> One of my duties for the last 16 years of my work life was pest control
>> and I'm pretty good at knowing what to look for, but those little guys
>> always give me a run for the money. They can get into places I can't even
>> see. Just when i think I've got them beat, one proves me wrong so don't
>> expect this to be an easy battle. It takes patience and determination, the
>> same thing they have looking for a way in.
>>
>> When in storage, I have bait stations with block style bait under the rig
>> and a couple traps inside baited with peanut butter to monitor for
>> activity. I keep one trap in the main basement compartment, and one in the
>> bottom of a cabinet in the center of the rig. Always place traps on a
>> piece of thick cardboard because if you don't get the dead mouse out right
>> away, they rot and turn to smelly goo that can seep into floor surfaces
>> and is a bear to clean. I don't use snap traps because hearing one go off
>> in the middle of the night while satisfying, make it hard to go back to
>> sleep. I use ones that trap the mouse and can be tossed in the trash when
>> tripped. I also use electronic traps. One that they crawl into to get to
>> peanut butter at one end, and they are electrocuted. They cost about $20,
>> run on AA batteries and are reusable. The down side is if the mouse rots
>> in there, it can corrode the plates and they are harder to clean.
>>
>> I'll give my standard talk regarding so called repellents and home
>> remedies. Use them if you want, but always monitor with traps. As I like
>> to say - trust but verify. If it works for you then great. In our classes
>> we had experts show slides of mice sleeping under electronic mouse
>> chasers, and curled up in nice beds made of shredded dryer sheets. The
>> mistake most people make with rodent control is looking at the problem
>> with a human perspective.. We know we will avoid something that is
>> unpleasant and we assume pests will do the same. The problem is, they must
>> survive on a daily basis by foraging for food, water and shelter in a
>> hostile world. Rats travel and live in sewers so why would the smell of
>> perfume or mint interfere with them finding what they need? Humans do the
>> same to survive and all you need as proof is photos and videos of people
>> scavenging for food at landfills in poor countries, its just the average
>> person doesn't know what life is like when you struggle just to survive.
>>
>> The other thing people don't realize is rodents cause millions - if not
>> billions of dollars of loss and damage worldwide. I electronic pest
>> chasers or drier sheets worked, food processing plants, granaries,
>> restaurants and food storage facilities would be buying them by the pallet
>> load. They'd be the default rodent treatment in countless places. They
>> aren't - but then again, there's certainly no harm in trying if you want.
>>
>> You'll note I use block style bait, not pellet type. I do so because mice
>> hoard, and can spend a lot of time packing away uneaten bait in a stash
>> before eating enough to die - you spend money to fill their pantries
>> before you kill them. The block type locked in a bait station forces them
>> to chew.
>>
>> Good luck with your rodent control. Sorry if I stepped on any toes with my
>> lecture.
>>
>> Tom
>> 1998 Serengeti 3706
>> 300hp Cat 2126
>> Allison 3060
>>
>