I did an oil change on my pickup and found a healthy mouse nest being built with the battery cover felt. I've reloaded my empty bait traps... and am wondering what else I can do. Do the ultrasonic deterrents work? What are you guys using/doing that seems to work for you?

The 5 gallon bucket of water with the ramp and spinning pop can is supposed to work very well. Glue traps are effective if that doesn’t bother you.

I focus on not attracting rats/mics such as I don't keep food (e.g. dog food, cat food, alfalfa pellets for livestock, etc) in the garage or outdoors unless in a rat proof container.

My neighborhood has ridge rats so I have rat bait stations every 30 to 50 ft around the perimeter of my house and one in my garage. Killed lots of rats outdoors and only 1 in the garage.

BTW, I did the math and the amount of poison to kill a rat would only be lethal to a toy dog or puppy if they ate the whole dead rat. I don't have a toy doy or puppy and neither do my neighbors.

Consumer Reports did a "How to Protect Your Car From Rodents" article earlier this year. Good advice on avoiding attracting rats/mice and also how to get rid of them. The Honda cayenne pepper tape sounds interesting.

moth balls or de-con or a victor trap

Yeah, thanks. I'm pretty rural, so the bastards are a constant problem. Bait stations work well when I keep them full. But, for some reason the population this year is pretty epic, most of the neighbors have commented same.

Keeping them away from your vehicles is different from keeping them away from your buildings, which is what everyone seems to be replying to. Manufacturers have started using soy products in vehichle wire insulation and tubing, and that attracts them. Lots of info online about that. Having traditional traps around is not going to prevent them from eating your wire and tubing. Everything I have tried has not worked, wish I could help you so I could help me.

Our camper gets stored/winterized and not touched from November to April when campgrounds here in the northeast open back up. We make sure we empty it out and remove any type of food, open all the cabinet doors and we do use the plug-in ultrasonic devices….not sure if they actually work but we haven’t had any mice or signs of em yet. The camper does stay plugged in so power for the devices isn’t an issue and the batteries keep charged. As a side note, our vehicles parked in the same driveway haven’t had any mice either that I can tell….but the shed nearby certainly has

I've had good luck with Irish Spring soap for mice. But if it is voles or rats, they'll eat the soap.

We have a professional exterminator set bait stations outside for the voles. It has been very effective.

My preference is kill traps for mice and voles. Poison works but predators might eat the dead rodent and then itself be killed.

I use dryer sheets in one of my toolboxes that was previously infested with the bastards, and so far that has kept them at bay for several years. I have had the same problem with them getting into the underhood sound deadening on one of my cars and starting a nest, so I might try that in a few strategic places under the hood.

I’ve had two vehicles end up with rodent damage under the hood, 2018 and 2020. Ended up buying some ultrasonic repellers with flashing LED lights to wire to the battery. Haven’t had any problems since.

Here are the ones I bought from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07LCL8RY9

I use Grandpa Gus’s mouse repellent pouches.

I put a new one in my Frunk every couple of months.

You can find them on Amazon.

I have two tractors, two motorcycles, one side by side, and one ATV stored in my barn.
I've done the ultrasonic repellant plug-in cubes, and conventional traps.

The ONLY thing that works well and doesn't also require daily tending of the traps is mouse death buckets.
They work for weeks at a time without having to reset and rebait.
Every couple of weeks I use a surplus kitchen pasta tool and scoop the deceased mice out of the buckets.

If you add enough semi-non toxic RV antifreeze into the water in the bucket, they work all winter without freezing. (safer with pets, RV vs regular antifreeze)
Sometimes I add a half cup of birdseed, which floats on the top of the bucket liquid.

Plans are here: https://www.trap-anything.com/...made-mouse-trap.html

I keep a LED light under the gearbox and it’s on 24x7.

Big problem is pack rats and they hate light.

Kind of a PIA to do but I keep the hood open on my truck that stays out under a carport and no mice since.

I know of several people who do this and swear it works.

quote:

Originally posted by cee_Kamp:
The ONLY thing that works well and doesn't also require daily tending of the traps is mouse death buckets.

Plans are here: https://www.trap-anything.com/...made-mouse-trap.html

Going with this and 911boss's recommendations. Thank you all for the interest and comments!

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
The 5 gallon bucket of water with the ramp and spinning pop can is supposed to work very well. Glue traps are effective if that doesn’t bother you.

Yeah we have a few of them, and they sure do work.

You don’t have to tend them daily, but it is preferable to check them every two to three days and scoop out the dead ones lest they start to stink.

Strobe lights, bright and plugged in 24/7. I tried the various scents, nothing really worked, I’ve got an ultrasound in the garage, but have a strobe in there as well.

Ultrasonic do not work, had some building a nest in my side by side. I have cameras set up and the ultrasonic device that also rattled did nothing to deter them. I put rat poison in areas they would be in.

The electric rat traps work well as long as they can be placed where they will not get wet. They electrocute the rats and leave little mess. They have gotten expensive but they work and all you do is dump the body and set it up again.

I just put Ramik blocks around my battery compartments. Seems to be effective.