Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[bitman]

Hi,

We live in the forest where there are voles (meadow mice) in abundance. They are basically nature's wildlife chow.

They have found their way into our home and are falling down to one spot in the finished basement inside a wall, starving, dying and then stinking to high heaven.

This started happening last fall. I open up the wall an got 3 dead ones out.
A while ago I started smelling dead voles again there and got one more out.

This morning I cut the drywall up at the ceiling and found where they are falling from. So I plugged it up so they wouldn't fall anymore - hopefully.

Not being 100% sure I have fixed the problem, I put a ms12a in the wall against a stud pointing at where they fall to, and closed up the drywall hole I had cut to extract them. (It's always this one spot).

When the ms12a is triggered I get an email that says, "You've got voles".

 

[Brian H]

  What a unique use for an X10 Motion Sensor. 

I know the smell. On occasion I get a mouse in a wall and OH what a Smell. 

[bitman]

It can get into your nose and brain.
I can be in my car and think I smell dead voles.     

[Knightrider]

Ron,

Did you tape and mud the panel?  What happens when the battery dies?

[Buchan]

Now thats being creative!  Good luck...

ATB!

[bitman]

Ron,

Did you tape and mud the panel?  What happens when the battery dies?

Gosh no, Just tape.
It's in a back closet wall so no biggie the ugliness.
If I can go a year without a vole I'll be more sure I've fixed it but I won't be mudding it up until I sell I expect.

And I don't plan to sell.

[Knightrider]

Bits, 
I think this outside of the box application deserves a +1

[jrwhit]

Not to discredit your ingenious use of Motion sensors, but I had a vole problem in a previous house and had incredible luck with glue boards. Is there any chance of placing a few of these around the baseboards in a more accessible location and catching them before they fall down between the studs?
After placing a few of these around the baseboards where I first saw them, I caught about six of the little critters on one board. If memory serves, I never saw another.

[bitman]

I'm pretty sure I have blocked their suicide spot.

Bless their fat little hearts, they must be having a high old time running around in the sub floor only to take a wrong turn and to a fateful 10 foot dive to their death.

.........
         .
         .
         .
         .
         .
         .
         . Thud.

[HA Dave]

When the ms12a is triggered I get an email that says, "You've got voles".

Priceless!

[dave w]

God gave us laughter for a reason, but if this thread continues I'm going to have to start wearing Depends. 

[bitman]

God gave us laughter for a reason, but if this thread continues I'm going to have to start wearing Depends. 

    

Oops. 

[beelocks]

Are you absolutely sure you don't have a lemming problem?