Episode 1 The Culprit. Smart fucker, he wouldn't touch the bait or eat the peanut butter on the traps
He had 3-4 tunnels under the tack room. I blocked all but 1, hopefully. While reading about
gophers and rats and pesky critters, I came upon this : GOPHERX
Ok, I went to home depot and got some tube and tape. I did find some liquid low temp smoke that they use to detect all the openings and escape holes but I didn't buy it. If he shows up again, I'll grab some Seafoam fogger and spray it in the intake to see if that will create enough smoke to show any back door entrances.
Episode 2: The Nuclear option:
We'll see if he's in for a dirt nap.
I've tried many different things, which don't work, or leave a dead rodent rotting in a wall or crawlspace. The one thing I've found that usually works is a glue trap placed in a strategic location. You have to keep something heavy, or sharp, to finish them off when you find them in a trap.
ReplyDeleteTraditional trap and peanut butter has always worked like clockwork.
ReplyDeleteRat trap with bacon always works for me. Mount it somewhere hard to get: if they have to work for it, they will.
DeleteRE: nuclear option.
ReplyDeleteDad used to use the Honda CRV to gas the pack rats he caught. Mom took it in for a tune up, and when it came.back he went ahead and did the exhaust trick. CRV ran so good and clean it would not kill the rays! Hahaha!
Tom762
Get yourself an excellent and accurate air rifle. You can pretend you're on an African safari. Make a game out of it.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a plant on the outskirts of town that made corn syrup. Train ran past my house containing cars of corn. I was remodeling my kitchen and looked out into my neighbors back yard and saw rats going in and out. I called him to inform him that he had a problem and he got all irate telling me he didn't have rats in his house.
Dug out my Feinwerkbau air rifle and in 5 minutes I killed 3 of them. Told him he had a clean up in his back yard. He was all apologetic.
Couple really cool devices that whacks them using a co2 cartridge but they're expensive. Like Jess said up above, you don't want to use poison. Most are too smart to use those big victor rat traps.
With something that large, maybe 22 shorts, or 22LR subsonics
DeletePresident Elect B Woodman
Five gallon pail with peanut butter smeared halfway down on the inside and 3” of antifreeze at the bottom. Use anything as a ramp up to the top edge.
ReplyDeleteCount them all in the spring.
For gophers, I used to use road flares. Dig up mound, find both tunnel entrances, shove half a burning road flare in each tunnel, shovel mound dirt back in place.
ReplyDeleteWhat I use is a "restricted use" pesticide. Phosfume is the brand name, aluminum phosphide the chemical name. Pellets about the size of M&M's that react with the moisture in the air to produce hydrogen phosphide gas. Kills anything that breathes oxygen. Handy for gassing grain bins, kills bugs, birds, rodents, and groundhogs.
ReplyDeleteUsed to do industrial pest control decades ago. Phosfume is good (Phos toxin). DO NOT GET IT WET. will be a serious fire hazard. SIngle pellets are ok just do not wet it while still active in any kind of mass. You can grind mole pellets with active ingredient of zinc phosphide, mix with peanut butter and use as a bait / poison. Will kill anything that eats it. All of these suggestions run foul of the law.
DeleteBrother used his old Willys jeep and hooked up the tailpipe to the Boomer tunnels on his property, and they're history.
ReplyDeleteWe use a product called Tom Cat for the mice at camp for when we're not there. It's an anticoagulant that makes them bleed internally and makes them seek water, outside for the most part. We also use peanut baited Victor snap traps for when we're in residence.
ReplyDeleteNemo
tom cat worked for me too. rats can be challenging adversaries, unfortunately.
DeleteThere's a you tube video of a farmer who mixes baking soda(?) and honey corn meal. Bloggers give him lotsa thumbs up. Last house we had vermin that would not fall for anything. Little bastards were so smart they pushed poison pellets right back outside the entrance. Before moving into this house a pro was called into to deal with rats. We know it worked because dozens of huge flys were here for days.
ReplyDeleteGenie ass, pure genie ass. Better than rat pellets which will kill dogs and cats if they get a hold of it.
ReplyDeleteCalcium carbide and water makes acetylene gas. Works wonders on tunneling types, sinks to the low spots. Can also be ignited for more fun. Careful though.
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteAcetylene is lighter than air.
ReplyDeleteRat snake
ReplyDeleteNorther Nevada mice
ReplyDeleteNorthern Nevada mice & pack rats have more sophisticated tastes. Tried Pbutter, it was a non starter.
ReplyDeleteThen Gorgonzola Black Label cheese..traps were snappin all night long.