Mice in stored wood

[Woodcutter Tom]

Anybody have a good method for keeping mice out of your stacks of split wood? I find the critters making nests.

Right now my splits are outside and top covered. Sometime this summer I hope to build a wood shed. I am sure the mice will want to nest in there also.

 

[peakbagger]

Getting a cat or adopting a snake is about your best option.

 

[paulnlee]

Mice, chipmunks, red squirrels and pounds of walnuts and my wood is in sheds

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Getting a cat or adopting a snake is about your best option.

I f'ing hate snakes. And I don't like cats.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I f'ing hate snakes. And I don't like cats.

Then basically you like mice.

 

[Lakeside]

If you choose to trap the mice, I advise the -- it worked when the exterminators did not.
Victor® Electronic Mouse Trap
https://www.victorpest.com/victor-electronic-mouse-trap-bm250s

Or you could also try the water bucket method // not so good for the winter though.

 

[Zack R]

Tell your neighbor to get a cat.

I'm not into cats but my neighbor has one (no fences between our houses) and I see the cat wandering around the wood piles from time to time, taking care of any little mice or other critters. Get the benefit of a cat without the drawbacks.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

I found evidence of mice droppings in my stacks so I know that they are there. Since my wood piles are in a urban setting, I feel like I should control them since I don't want a major infestation in my or the neighbors yards.

I've got four of these set around various points at the base of my wood shed:

Amazon product ASIN B004Q041W8
And I've got several clamp traps in other sites in the yard baited with this:

(broken link removed)

Everything has worked amazing so far, I've had lots of dead mice and 1 vole which was different but still a pest.

 

[gzecc]

I found evidence of mice droppings in my stacks so I know that they are there. Since my wood piles are in a urban setting, I feel like I should control them since I don't want a major infestation in my or the neighbors yards.

I've got four of these set around various points at the base of my wood shed:

Amazon product ASIN B004Q041W8
And I've got several clamp traps in other sites in the yard baited with this:

(broken link removed)

Everything has worked amazing so far, I've had lots of dead mice and 1 vole which was different but still a pest.

Stick with the clamp traps. Unfortunately your going to also kill birds that scavenge (pick up) the dead mice.

 

[Prof]

I have 3 cats--one hunts and does a good job of killing things--about 2 rodents a day. She doesn't like to eat them and lines them up on the porch or brings them inside alive (not her most endearing trait). Birds she devours and snakes she plays with in the yard or brings inside (again, not her most endearing trait). Nevertheless, there are still many mice around. So I take a small plastic bin (about 10 gal) and drill 2 large holes on each end, about an inch and a half. I place 4-5 mouse traps with peanut butter inside and put a stone on top so it doesn't blow away. I smear a bit of peanut butter on each hole and place it near the stacks. Not to brag, but I've doubled the cat's daily kill. The two other cats are not without their virtues, but wouldn't last a week in the apocalypse.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

Stick with the clamp traps. Unfortunately your going to also kill birds that scavenge (pick up) the dead mice.

The bait traps I use actually keep the mouse inside after they eat the food so I just check every day to remove anything that is in the trap. And yes I like the clamp traps better! If I pay attention to them I can reset them multiple times a day after they've gotten a kill and can end up getting several mice on one trap over the course of a day!

 

[kennyp2339]

Simple grab one of these organic mouse processors, there usually free, can be trained and only need occasional food & water.
OP - you mentioned building a woodshed, I don't know if its because my woodshed is closer to the house making it easier for my mouse processor, or its because things are so dry and hot in there during the summer that mice don't want to live in it, but I always have a mouse nest in my outside uncovered wood stacks that only sit in that spot for a year, but never have mice in the wood that sits in the shed for 2 years.

 

[SpaceBus]

Most cats will only kill your mice population if they are hungry. Females will kill just to feed their owners, which are adopted kids to the cats. This is why they bring them inside and to your door, alive. The female cats never see you hunt or kill, so they will try make to sure you don't die. Unrestricted cats can also destroy your local bird population and perhaps get infections from the mice. All in all cats are lousy mousers if you keep them fed, especially males. Get a rat terrier or bait traps if you have a rodent problem.

 

[johneh]

Most cats will only kill your mice population if they are hungry. Females will kill just to feed their owners, which are adopted kids to the cats. This is why they bring them inside and to your door, alive. The female cats never see you hunt or kill, so they will try make to sure you don't die. Unrestricted cats can also destroy your local bird population and perhaps get infections from the mice. All in all cats are lousy mousers if you keep them fed, especially males. Get a rat terrier or bait traps if you have a rodent problem.

Don't tell my 2 toms they are not good mousing. They
keep this old farmhouse free of rodents, chipmunks, and squirrels.
Have had and will have one or two house cats and a couple in the barn
Last winter the barn cats took to hunting at night and sleeping in
the house by the fire during the day

 

[Sawset]

Most cats will only kill your mice population if they are hungry. Females will kill just to feed their owners, which are adopted kids to the cats. This is why they bring them inside and to your door, alive. The female cats never see you hunt or kill, so they will try make to sure you don't die. Unrestricted cats can also destroy your local bird population and perhaps get infections from the mice. All in all cats are lousy mousers if you keep them fed, especially males. Get a rat terrier or bait traps if you have a rodent problem.

Yikes. Our precious little kitty here I would say is one hell of a predator btch. Mice get her attention. I doubt she cares whether I'm starving, or drunk, or whatever, as long as she feels safe. I have a dozen bird houses, cat and coon proof. There are far far more bird eating coons, coyotes, and snakes, than cats around here. We have no mice around since the cat came to stay. Maybe different cats are a reflection of different owners. If she was foo foo lazy, then we would have to talk.

 

[Bad LP]

Outside I don't care about them. When the wood comes in I do care. I have bait traps set up in the wood storage room and I don't have a problem. I know the little buggers get in thru the garage door gasket.

Last weekend I had my first red squirrel in the basement. He came in thru the floor drain that ties into the perimeter drain at the footing and drains to daylight. He ain't getting in that way again. LOL.

 

[Simonkenton]

This is my backup wood pile and it holds a lot of wood. I like to use it. Hard to tell, but there are 2 stacks side by side.
And the rats like it too! It is in a carport so the wood gets very little rain. Down there at the bottom of the wood pile, a bobcat or raccoon can't get in there and kill the baby rats.
I was plagued with rats in this wood pile for 4 years. They move from the wood pile into the car engine, and they build nests in the heat a/c duct work, in the blower fan. Costs $75 to get the nest cleared out. And if they start chewing on the wiring, the sky is the limit on the cost but it is going to start with a tow truck.

I battled the rats with kill traps and I killed a bunch. I also caught a dozen of 'em in the Havahart trap and deported them.
I live in the woods on 48 acres. These are wild rats that live in the woods so there is an infinite number of them. Kill 'em all one week, and about 10 weeks later pregnant Mrs. Rat moves back in and you are back to Square One.

One day I was up at my mechanic's shop, shelling out $75 for rat nest removal, and I got talking to my mechanic. He said he has a vintage T Bird and a vintage Mustang in his garage at home. A rat would love to build nests on a car engine in a garage. He said there are 4 receptacles in that garage, and he plugged in one electronic rat repeller in each receptacle and he has never had a problem with rats. He just bought highly recommended rat repellers off of Amazon, cost between $25 and $50 each.

Good enough for my mechanic good enough for me. I ran a 50 foot extension cord out to the carport and plugged in 3 rat repellers. That white one I got at Lowes for $25, the other two off of Amazon. Two of them are aimed right at the wood pile and the little bitty white one is aimed right at the car.
That was 18 months ago and the rats are gone!

And, I had rats all inside my basement and in my crawl space. I put 5 rat repellers in the basement and 4 in the crawl space and the damn rats are gone from there as well.

Yes I spent about $410 on electronic rat repellers. Best money I ever spent. I had already spent $300 getting rat nests cleared out of the cars. These electronic rat repellers are great!

Here is one in my basement. I figure that the different brands of rat repellers have a slightly different frequency so I have bought a half dozen different brands.

 

[paulnlee]

This is my backup wood pile and it holds a lot of wood. I like to use it. Hard to tell, but there are 2 stacks side by side.
And the rats like it too! It is in a carport so the wood gets very little rain. Down there at the bottom of the wood pile, a bobcat or raccoon can't get in there and kill the baby rats.
I was plagued with rats in this wood pile for 4 years. They move from the wood pile into the car engine, and they build nests in the heat a/c duct work, in the blower fan. Costs $75 to get the nest cleared out. And if they start chewing on the wiring, the sky is the limit on the cost but it is going to start with a tow truck.

I battled the rats with kill traps and I killed a bunch. I also caught a dozen of 'em in the Havahart trap and deported them.
I live in the woods on 48 acres. These are wild rats that live in the woods so there is an infinite number of them. Kill 'em all one week, and about 10 weeks later pregnant Mrs. Rat moves back in and you are back to Square One.

One day I was up at my mechanic's shop, shelling out $75 for rat nest removal, and I got talking to my mechanic. He said he has a vintage T Bird and a vintage Mustang in his garage at home. A rat would love to build nests on a car engine in a garage. He said there are 4 receptacles in that garage, and he plugged in one electronic rat repeller in each receptacle and he has never had a problem with rats. He just bought highly recommended rat repellers off of Amazon, cost between $25 and $50 each.

Good enough for my mechanic good enough for me. I ran a 50 foot extension cord out to the carport and plugged in 3 rat repellers. That white one I got at Lowes for $25, the other two off of Amazon. Two of them are aimed right at the wood pile and the little bitty white one is aimed right at the car.
That was 18 months ago and the rats are gone!

And, I had rats all inside my basement and in my crawl space. I put 5 rat repellers in the basement and 4 in the crawl space and the damn rats are gone from there as well.

Yes I spent about $410 on electronic rat repellers. Best money I ever spent. I had already spent $300 getting rat nests cleared out of the cars. These electronic rat repellers are great!

Here is one in my basement. I figure that the different brands of rat repellers have a slightly different frequency so I have bought a half dozen different brands.

I gotta try those. Wife stepped on one last nite, scared the shxxxt out of me(her screaming)
You're right about them coming back, they would be around the barn because of the horse feed but the horse died years ago. I shoot them when I see them. By the way, years ago wife had trouble with shifting in the Audi, shop found a squashed mouse in the tranny. Insurance covered the bill under comprehensive.

 

[Montanalocal]

Years ago an old-timer told me about repelling pack rats with mint. I cut a bunch of mint every year for every vehicle parked outside and put it in under the hood in the fall.. No more packrats chewing on wiring since.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I don't bother with the mice and stuff at all.. my wood sits in sheds, there's snake skins.. the occasional mouse house, bugs. nothing makes it into the house.. wood is pulled up from the shed to the back door staging area.. then into the house when needed. Iv never had mice, bugs, snakes in the house

 

[Chris Cringle]

I don’t bother with the critters, and they don’t bother me. In fact, I kind of like that my wood piles provide so much habitat to such a variety of life. Lizards, snakes, mice of all types, squirrels, rabbits. Spiders, insects of all kinds at all stages of their life. All this in turn attracts foxes, hawks, etc. I don’t have any problem with these creatures getting into the house. I take wood off a pile and toss it into a little tractor wagon which I then drive up to the house. The wood then goes into a wood rack on the covered porch. I take from the rack to feed the stove. So by the time it gets to the house it has been banged around quite a bit and the critters have fled or dropped off. Anything still clinging becomes a btu.

 

[Simonkenton]

If you can work it that way, then great. My wood pile in my carport is 40 feet from the house, so I can carry the wood in my arms into my house. And the rats were running rampant from there, into my car and into my house.
I like all the creatures of the woods and I don't even like to kill a rat, in fact, the rats are beautiful creatures, soft brown fur on the back and a pastel white grey on the chest. They are cute the way they twitch their noses.
That is why, I switched over to a Havahart trap so I could catch and deport the demented rodents.
But, enough was enough after $300 in car repair bills. The electronic rat repellers were the answer for me. These wild rats reproduce on a fantastic scale, I mean, they make sex like rats, and I am glad to run them off on 35 cents a month on electric bill charges

 

[Chris Cringle]

Yes, our setups are different, my wood is 75 yds from the house, no car parking nearby, so I can cut the critters more slack. Sorry I did not mean to sound like you didn’t care about wildlife.