Broncos and MICE.

[MayhemMike]

Irish Spring soap or body wash mixed with water in a spray bottle. Monthly spray down in the engine compartment seems to work for me. IMO the real issue is a vehicle sitting inactive for extended periods that is the real reason vermin set up shop in them.

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[Bugkillah]

Get them BEFORE they get in, I love the outdoor cat method. If no cat, you need rodent stations on exterior of house and near driveway (assuming cars are outside in driveway), filled with rat poison. Depending on the state you live in, rodenticides are becoming an RUP (restricted use pesticide) which requires a license to purchase. Private message me, I have years experience.

 

[indio22]

Irish Spring soap or body wash mixed with water in a spray bottle. Monthly spray down in the engine compartment seems to work for me. IMO the real issue is a vehicle sitting inactive for extended periods that is the real reason vermin set up shop in them.

That is true - my Bronco sat for a few months while I recovered from surgery. That's when the racoons first invaded the engine bay. Problem with racoons is, once they form a pattern, those &*+#'s will not stop.

 

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

Hey group. I’m driving a 22 Badlands with 57,000 miles on it, all done by me. I live and work in Death Valley National Park for the park services. In the nine years I’ve worked here I’ve never had this problem. My Bronco started throwing error codes and running rough the other day. Took to Ford in Vegas and they found a family of mice living under the hood, and eating my wiring harness. What a mess. I’ve always opened the hood when parked overnight and never had a problem. I’m worried that when I get the truck back it will happen again. Any ideas?

I have had RV's and this is a big issue. You will hear about Irish Soap, fabric sheets and other stuff....that does not work. The only reliable thing that others and I have used (me 100% successful) is Peppermint Oil. You can get it at Amazon (get pure peppermint oil), dilute it in a spray bottle. One a month (or twice if need be) mist down your entire engine bay; firewall, top of engine, hoses, wires, wiring harness, radiator shroud. IT WORKS! Before I did this I would have rat and mice poop under the hood.....not anymore and zero damage. At home I also have bait boxes out and glue traps just to keep them off the property.

 

[brkdncr]

Hood open is about the only thing that works. Wiring protection works but is a big job.

maybe dump a snake sack on the engine bay.

 

[helifino16]

Sounds like you need a yard cat.

 

[MilesTeg]

Making the assumption it's under the hood and foxes, and other large critters, are not getting under the hood. You could seal it in a Tupperware bowl with a small mouse sized hole - zip tie the lid shut.

The mice eat the poison, then go die where they become poison themselves to the predators (because of the poison in their stomachs). Poison should only be used as a last resort.

It's pretty easy to kill predators this way, including pets.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

Rat X is safe for people, pets, and other animals that might eat the carcass. No poison in it but it kills mice and rats.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/ECOCLEA...odent-Control-Animal-Bait-100516268/205743655

 

[swamp2]

The wire sheaths are made of a soybean material, which is what the little critters like to eat.

False on multiple levels. That's an "Old Wives Tale".

1. The narrative of “soy-based wiring insulation” seems to have emerged in the mid-to-late 2010s, when some automakers reportedly experimented with incorporating “bio-based” plasticizers or resins (some derived from soy oils) in wire insulation in the name of sustainability. Ooooh "evil green" initiatives...
2. Today, if you look at what OEMs and their harness suppliers state the wire sheathings are made from petroleum derived polymers most frequently PVC, but depending on temperature and chemical resistance requirements also XLPE, silicone, Teflon and other engineered plastics.
3. The peer-reviewed academic study titled "Assessing Rodent Gnawing of Elastomers Containing Soybean Oil Derivatives" (2020) tested a variety of elastomers and plastics (some with soybean-oil derivatives, some without) to see if rodents (mice) would gnaw more on the soy-containing samples. The result: including soybean oil or its derivatives did not significantly affect the rodents’ gnawing behavior.
4. Rodents naturally chew wires regardless of material because of their instinct to gnaw to control tooth growth. Wiring (and other rubber/plastic/foam in cars) is just easy, soft-ish, accessible chewing material and the copper inside likely further controls tooth growth. With modern cars, there’s simply more wiring and more plastic/rubber parts than decades ago. This increases opportunities for rodent damage.

Q.E.D.

 

[CarGuy]

The mice eat the poison, then go die where they become poison themselves to the predators (because of the poison in their stomachs). Poison should only be used as a last resort.

It's pretty easy to kill predators this way, including pets.

Not enough in a mouse to kill a larger animal, e.g., fox. These are options.

 

[bassist]

Just line the engine compartment with glue traps.

 

[Bdisco]

I hate mice they have defuzzed some of the battery blanket on the Bronco.

The Porsche and other vehicles get stored in a https://www.carbag.com/ when we head to Florida for the winter. 12+ years so far they have not chewed through. Have found nuts and nests under the bag in the Spring.

 

[CarGuy]

I hate mice they have defuzzed some of the battery blanket on the Bronco.

The Porsche and other vehicles get stored in a https://www.carbag.com/ when we head to Florida for the winter. 12+ years so far they have not chewed through. Have found nuts and nests under the bag in the Spring.

I store my Porsche (and another car) in my garage with just a cover. Never had a mouse in the garage. Only thing I can think of is the fox family living under my shed on the hunt each night. Also noticed my backyard vole problem disappeared

 

[EasternSierra]

Not enough in a mouse to kill a larger animal, e.g., fox. These are options.

It doesn't work that way. Secondary kill of predators eating poisoned prey is a well-documented problem going back many decades. Farmers I knew lost all their barn owls that way thanks to their neighbors using rodent poison.

Now maybe somebody has come up with a new poison that doesn't do that, but the burden of proof is on the advocate for that particular poison.

 

[CalvinT]

Making the assumption it's under the hood and foxes, and other large critters, are not getting under the hood. You could seal it in a Tupperware bowl with a small mouse sized hole - zip tie the lid shut.

I'm thinking about the poison working it's way up the food chain after a preditor eats the dying rat.

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