Exterminate mice in truck

Hey guys,

Thinking about putting truck in the shop, closing the door and using foggers and mice traps to get rid of these destructive critters from my truck.

Hoping foggers would drive them out and they might end up going for bait and spring traps.

Any better ideas out there?

 

Where are you parking they can get to your stuff?

 

@Green Thunder

 

They got into the vents and cabin? If so, it should all be taken apart and sanitized. One member here nearly died from mice. Dude literally developed parasites in his body and was hospitalized. If they got in there I think it's time for an insurance claim to have it fixed right.

 

Truck has to be parked outdoors in the driveway for now due to a lot of home construction and I live in the country. I figure if I can come up with a method, I can repeat it in regular intervals (every 1-2 weeks) to keep things under control.

 

No evidence of cabin infiltration yet.

 

I always park outside and keep pine sol soaked rags, bars of pink dove soap, and snuggle dryer sheets tucked in various places around the engine bay. Also screened the HVAC fresh air intake. Throw a few chlorine pool tabs around the perimeter too just cuz I can.

 

Never had any issues?

I haven’t but I know they are around.

Those sound like an easy proactive solution to help keep them away.

 

catnap a stray cat feed it 1 can of the expensive wet food and let it loose in your yard.... probably better than rat traps and foggers...

 

Not so far.

 

Keep the area around the truck well lit and spray some peppermint oil around your truck.

Also, cats.

 

Thanks for the ideas, guys along with the proactive steps. Would love to solve this with a barn cat, but they only last a couple weeks out here with owls, raccoons and coyotes. I was actually looking into buying some king and eastern black snakes for the rodents and copperheads. Nothing works as good as God’s creations, ya?
For now, I’m going to try the fogger and mousetrap solution and will report back. I’m also going to put some glue traps inside the truck too just in case... thanks for alerting me of that possibility they’ve gotten inside, @2mchfun

 

Don't bait traps as it attracts things to your truck. You don't want to upgrade to a squirrel issue

 

For sure you need to screen off the air intake openings under the plastic cowling where the wipers are. That will at least stop them from getting into the cab, cab filter and ventilation system. Lots of posts and how to's if you search the forums.

 

Dang - should have done this last night like you and @2mchfun recommended - will do it for the future. Opened up shop about and hour ago to assess results. Only used glue traps, no bait.

 

do that sooner than later.
I'm shocked that you have mice around and they haven't made it to the engine bay or inside the truck. Have you pulled the cabin air filter in the glove box to see if there's any signs?

Self tappers and some gutter guard material, about an hour project.

 

When truck is parked.
Place used kitty litter that has already been pissed in (by a Cat) ... the granular kind that absorbs urine good and does not give off odors to humans.
Costco brand works. Low open bucket in driver and passenger footwells.
If mice think a cat or animal is inside they won't enter.
Give it a try.

 

Bastages! Several of us have added screens to help prevent cabin intrusion. This thread is a good place to start.

 

Wish we could get rid of mice in trucks using cat shields!

 

I live in the woods and this happens to me every fall. I can't figure out where they're coming in. I just set up a few 5 gallon bucket traps in the front seats and catch them as they come. It sucks but I really try to take out food, candy, gum, anything that might attract them and that seems to help. Someone said get a cat. I have two and they're useless so there's that.

 

<----The tractor in my avatar has been sitting in that spot for roughly 3 yrs. Last year a field mouse made a nest on the engine. I removed it and a few weeks later it was back. Did that 2 or 3 times. The last time, I cleaned everything off, blew it out with the air compressor and left a small empty peppermint oil bottle with the cap off, in the spot where the nest was. That was months ago and no signs of mice since.
Granted, it's summer now and they're not really looking for winter nesting places, but I plan to use peppermint oil again once fall comes back round. I'm thinking something along the lines of little sacks, or cat toy balls, stuffed with cotton and soaked with oil every couple weeks. Maybe hang them from the inside of the hood, so they don't touch anything hot. The truck engine bay is a lot roomier and plenty of nooks to stash stuff like that.

 

Are the cats overfed? They need incentive to go hunt.

 

Just can't find good help these days. Even the cats are lazy.

 

Thank you so much! I had shoulder surgery, so I’ll see if my wife and I can do this mod.

 

They're fat indoor cats and have absolutely no incentive except an activity to cure boredom.

 

Next day report.
Got two exterior hits near the back of the truck where my yellow lab was triggering. Nothing on traps inside the truck (prayers).
Looks like at one point, they were nestled in the cabin filter (hate it when you guys are right sometimes), but mostly the exterior side with a small split on the interior side. Thinking this could have been a previous infestation.
Cleaned up everything I could in the engine bay and cabin air cleaner with my shop vac wearing nitrile gloves. Inspected wiring and I think I got hella lucky. Will reposition my troops and do it again tonight.

 

I got one or more in my company car years ago. Left the doors open one weekend with no luck. Finally it/they died and the cars stunk like hell for weeks. It was in the dead of summer, temps over 100 and I had to drive with the windows open it was so bad.

The smell finally dissipated but always had a funky smell after that.

Good luck is all I have to say.

 

I would unplug and drop the HVAC motor under the glove box and clean out / blow out the fins of debris and probably cabin filter material.
You don't want that seizing up on you if some material is crammed in there.
When they got into mine - during the Pandemic shutdown when parked alot - the filter was shredded good.

 

Word of caution on fogging. My dad poisoned them in the garage once, and one died in my mom's TT. It stank for a month.