Pest proofing my garage / workshop
- Thread starter Hornet99
- Start date
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Some of us have no choice, we have 7 Maine Coons (my wife shows and breeds them) but only one geriatric cat is allowed out, the rest live in the house and have a big outside run where they catch the odd screw or frog. The old one was once a prolific mouser though, I used to collect up to 10 field voles a day from our patio 
. She seldom goes out now and mice have got into an outbuilding and started chewing up stuff so I'm having a clear-out before I put a new concrete floor and door on it.
. She seldom goes out now and mice have got into an outbuilding and started chewing up stuff so I'm having a clear-out before I put a new concrete floor and door on it.
Stigmorgan
Established Member
We had mice get into the house and raid the dogfood cupboard, cost us a small fortune in dog food, they were getting in through the concrete floor at the point where the water pipes for the old tank and boiler penetrate the floor, poured some wet cement into the hole and bought a device that plugs in and emits a high frequency sound to deter them, was feeling pretty good about beating the little buggers but now we have rats living in the cavity walls of the house because of a large hole in the outside wall where the plastic water pipe comes in, the workmen that installed it didn't seal the hole 3 years ago when they put the new supply in and I only discovered it after rearranging the garden and moving a storage box that was infront of it.
Luckily being in a school house I just had to call the schools pest control company who came out and laid down some baited boxes. I'll leave it a few days to make sure the poison takes effect then block up the hole.
Luckily being in a school house I just had to call the schools pest control company who came out and laid down some baited boxes. I'll leave it a few days to make sure the poison takes effect then block up the hole.
Woody2Shoes
Impressive Member
I find peanut butter works really well as bait. I once caught three mice in the same trap simultaneously, and also have seen one mouse eat through the head of a dead playmate already in the trap to get at the peanut butter!
TomGW
Established Member
With a normal up-and-over door, the bottom of the door moves inwards to it’s closed position. This means that it can close against a threshold which is slightly higher and behind (inside) the door.
you could resolve the gap problem by either creating a permanent inner threshold of a raised concrete strip or a removable timber one.
Simple quick solution: get a length of 2x2” pressure treated timber, butt it up against the inside of the closed door and screw it to the floor, with silicone sealer underneath to keep water out.
I have two garages with this arrangement - the concrete floors are approx 20mm higher than the base of the doors. In my case the doors are sectional roller doors with compression strips on the bottom and these close onto outer thresholds that are 20mm lower than the floors. Result: no mice, no rain blown under etc etc.
you could resolve the gap problem by either creating a permanent inner threshold of a raised concrete strip or a removable timber one.
Simple quick solution: get a length of 2x2” pressure treated timber, butt it up against the inside of the closed door and screw it to the floor, with silicone sealer underneath to keep water out.
I have two garages with this arrangement - the concrete floors are approx 20mm higher than the base of the doors. In my case the doors are sectional roller doors with compression strips on the bottom and these close onto outer thresholds that are 20mm lower than the floors. Result: no mice, no rain blown under etc etc.
IanB
Established Member
At least it's not plagued by hornets (or at least only one of them!)
(Sorry, couldn't resist....)
(Sorry, couldn't resist....)
As my name suggests, my workshop is in a barn, on a farm. I'm never going to be 100% mice-free no matter what I do.
I have a garage sized room off of my workshop area that is newly insulated and secure, so any food of any sort (tea bags etc) is inside cupboards in there. I rarely see a mouse, but do occasionally see their droppings.
Crime prevention advice is basically make it easier for a burgular to target your neighbour's house than yours, there are other units on the farm, so I want them to be a better habitat for the rodents than me!
I have a garage sized room off of my workshop area that is newly insulated and secure, so any food of any sort (tea bags etc) is inside cupboards in there. I rarely see a mouse, but do occasionally see their droppings.
Crime prevention advice is basically make it easier for a burgular to target your neighbour's house than yours, there are other units on the farm, so I want them to be a better habitat for the rodents than me!
There's no food in the garage, we live on the edge of town, shelter I assume is why they keep coming..... and dying.
Has anyone experience of roller shutter doors? This is an option
Richard_C
Established Member
These work well, and a side effect is they stop the wind whistling under in cold weather. Makes it a nicer place to work. Not sure it will be wholly mouse proof though but might deter a few. I get them this time of year, likely field mice seeking shelter after harvest.
Have you tried keep out signs, picture of a mouse with a red line through it pinned to the door? Works just as well as anything else (i.e. Not at all, but shows you tried)
The little beggars have got into an outbuilding and chewed through loads of stuff, plastic pots of rusteater so it's gone everywhere and other plastic pots and turned a perfectly good tarp into a colander...
Had a significant visitation in the house a couple of years ago. They pinched both of my hearing aids from the bedside table. (Found one in a nest under the eaves 18 months later - after I'd had to buy new ones!) Final straw was when I woke up because one ran over my face.
The Rodent Man introduced me to these traps. More effective than The Little Nipper especially as the bar only travels half the way, through 90 degrees, not 180. And we keep a jar of peanut butter specially for them.
We've got one of the electric plug-in things. No idea if it is effective! We're in the country; mice are a fact of life - but we no longer feel like we live in a pre-Piper Hamelin.
The Rodent Man introduced me to these traps. More effective than The Little Nipper especially as the bar only travels half the way, through 90 degrees, not 180. And we keep a jar of peanut butter specially for them.
We've got one of the electric plug-in things. No idea if it is effective! We're in the country; mice are a fact of life - but we no longer feel like we live in a pre-Piper Hamelin.
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I stored a 25kg bag of peanuts in my workshop, big mistake. Mouse moved in and excavated a nest in the middle. I always imagine him inviting lady friends back. "Come see my place ladies, the walls are 6" thick, the cats can't get in and ... it's made of food"
It took me about 4 years to find all the urine soaked peanuts secreted around the workshop.
It took me about 4 years to find all the urine soaked peanuts secreted around the workshop.
Get one of these and put a mix of salt and water (saturated brine), 2 litres or so. 4 parts water 1 part salt. Advantage; no smell. One of mine in the loft has been up there three years, and is still catching mice. Presume the earliest mice caught are well pickled by now, but as mentioned, no smell.
Would be illegal in the UK.
It's illegal in Norway too, but since the mice haven't informed on me yet I don't see it as a problem. And drowning isn't such a horrible death anyway, much better than a 'misfire' in a mousetrap. Advantage with this trap is that it just keep working, as the bait is not touched. And it is easy enough to make, even from wood. Another possibility is to use a tall bucket, but it will have to be emptied regularly, because otherwise the little charmers chew their way out if it's a plastic bucket. For more ideas, see Mousetrap Monday Mousetrap Monday – Shawn Woods | New Mousetrap Videos Every Week
Shawn Woods have hundreds of videos on Youtube, - most featuring all sorts of mousetraps. Quite entertaining too.
And if you want to see some loopy ideas for mousetraps, try this one: Cannon Mouse Trap - The World’s Craziest Mouse Trap. | Mousetrap Monday with Shawn Woods
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Look up 'Flip and slide mouse traps'. Found some ebay links, but they are as long as a very bad year, so just search 'Flip and Slide mousetraps'.
Keeping out mice is much like king Canute keeping back the tide. Have had some in my car (X-Trail), and am at a loss how they got inside. Traps seems to have done with them for the time being. Also, manufacturers use almond oil to keep window washer tubing supple, and no price for guessing why these are attacked by mice. Two friends have had expensive repairs on their Mitsubishi PHEVs after mice feasting.
Try the 'flip and slide mousetraps' search!
Or do like I did, order via Aliexpress Flip N Slide Bucket Lid Mouse Rat Trap - Buy Flip N Slide Bucket Lid Mouse Rat Trap with free shipping on AliExpress
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