Hi Doug,

We had a bad year for mice at our camp and we had to do a major shop-vac clean-up before we could even move in for the deer hunt 2 weeks ago.

We had to stop using poison bait because the mice were dying in hidden places and the smell was terrible. They have infested our propane range/oven so bad that we may have to throw it in the dump.

One new solution is to either totally seal a compartment (like the cupboard where we keep the dishes or food), or leave the area wide-open so the mice feel exposed and do not build their nests there. We now leave the BBQ, oven, and metal reflective sheets behind the woodstove open and it seems to deter the mice from nesting there. It only took us 13 years to figure this out.

It is also inportant to plug any holes to the outside, spray foam and steel wool do a good job in our old camp.

I forgot about this post, the battle continues!

Your changes to the pail-trap should keep the dog/cats out, but let the mice in. The overwinter dead mice, even in a pail of windshield washer fluid, are not a pretty sight.

Mike