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Bluto · 09-27-2010, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrominger

I full time in a 2008 classic without slideout, in N Arizona. Last year I didn't have any problems with mice, but this year there was a population explosion due to a rainy winter. I have caught over 12 in traps in a few months.
I can say about the peppermint oil, it is very expensive and doesn't work for more than a few weeks if at all.
Right now I am focusing on plugging up holes where they get in. The biggest problem is the outside drawer on the bumper. The channels where the wheels run are hard to plug up and afford easy entry for the critters. If one loosens the bolts inside the drawer that act as drawer stops the drawer can be removed. One can then see at least 4 large hole that provide entry into the trailer. For some reason, there are two holes at the far end of the drawer well that the rails of the drawer slides into. If they were plugged, the drawer could not be closed.
Any suggestions?

I took the drawer completely out and cut pieces of aluminum screening to fit a little larger than the holes and glued them in place with clear silicon.
I did that in all the access places like the inside of the little side boxes that are in the banana wrap. I wanted to leave them open for air circulation but block the area from mice and bugs. Also did the same thing in the front where the frame is joined together. The screening stays in place. It took me a whole afternoon to seal up all the holes this way. There are quite a few to cover over and some are odd shaped.

Streamer Dan · 09-28-2010, 09:37 AM

After having an uninvited guest a while ago, I decided prevention is better than cure, and I'm in the process of blocking every hole I can find. I have ordered some perforated aluminum sheet from amazon. and I'm cutting sections of this to rivet over the openings. the perforated holes are very small and still allows the AS to 'breath'. Also behind the sheet I've fixed a small section of wire bug sheet to stop anything that is small enough to get through the perforated holes. I have sealed the openings at the end of the A-frame, the holes in the rear frame accessed from the bumper compartment, various holes underneath, closed off the dump valve area, and I'm currently working out how to block the slots the step runs along, I think it will be along the lines of a temporary cover that can be removed and reinstalled when you have to extend the step, but still working on it.

dznf0g · 09-28-2010, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstrominger

I full time in a 2008 classic without slideout, in N Arizona. Last year I didn't have any problems with mice, but this year there was a population explosion due to a rainy winter. I have caught over 12 in traps in a few months.
I can say about the peppermint oil, it is very expensive and doesn't work for more than a few weeks if at all.
Right now I am focusing on plugging up holes where they get in. The biggest problem is the outside drawer on the bumper. The channels where the wheels run are hard to plug up and afford easy entry for the critters. If one loosens the bolts inside the drawer that act as drawer stops the drawer can be removed. One can then see at least 4 large hole that provide entry into the trailer. For some reason, there are two holes at the far end of the drawer well that the rails of the drawer slides into. If they were plugged, the drawer could not be closed.
Any suggestions?

You guys have me lookin'. It appears on my 30' that the drawer rail passes though a hole in the back of the drawer cassette, through a hole in a frame cross member. BUT, I see another "wall" of galvanized forward of the frame cross member. So a rodent could get into the drawer and a small portion of the underbelly, but could not gain access to the rest of the underbelly????? Nothing passes through the floor into the "house" until well forward of this wall of galvanized. It still wopuld be nice to keep them out of that space, but I'm confused how screen can be placed over these openings when the drawer rail must pass through them when closed?????

dznf0g · 09-28-2010, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

I took the drawer completely out and cut pieces of aluminum screening to fit a little larger than the holes and glued them in place with clear silicon.
I did that in all the access places like the inside of the little side boxes that are in the banana wrap. I wanted to leave them open for air circulation but block the area from mice and bugs. Also did the same thing in the front where the frame is joined together. The screening stays in place. It took me a whole afternoon to seal up all the holes this way. There are quite a few to cover over and some are odd shaped.

I also wanted to mention my method of preventing entry through the banana wrap compartments. I took the extra closed cell weatherstrip material I used for the screen door and ran it around the perimeter of the wrap doors. It doesn't seal completely, but keeps most of the water and dirt out and certainly will keep out mice (unless they like the EPDM rubber for lunch....we'll see how it works).

Silverexpress · 12-02-2010, 12:54 PM

Had a problem last year which was challenging but the following solution did work. Get some moth balls, place a few in some margarine containers with some holes punched in the top and place them around inside. Come spring remove the containers and air out the trailer some and you are good to go. The rodents hate the smell of mothballs and it can destroy their sense of smell. Anyway it has worked for many RVers.

dznf0g · 12-02-2010, 02:19 PM

I always used mothballs in my old SOB with great success. After about 10 - 12 years of using them (with no mice), the odor remained permanently... the "Boss" has banned them from the AS!

dznf0g · 12-02-2010, 02:23 PM

PS....Don't tell her, but I'm still using them in the rear bumper drawer. Maybe they'll keep them out of there.

pstrominger · 12-07-2010, 09:22 PM

I think I figured out what the problem is when I saw a photo of the board of directors of Airstream. They all had strangely pointed noses, and there was a hairless tail poking up from behind one of the chairs. No wonder all Airstream trailers come equipped with secret mouse entry doors.

Seriously, my neighbor lives full time in a Jayco trailer, and over the summer he caught a total of 2 mice in his trailer, while I caught 12-15 in my 2008 34' Classic Airstream. My neighbor does have a dog, and possibly spends more time in his trailer than I do in mine. There are giant holes in my Airstream for the mice to get in, behind the drawer in the bumper and elsewhere. They don't make any effort at all at the factory to make it hard for the critters to get in.

I'm having someone fashion sleeves made of 1/4" galvanized mesh that will go into the holes behind the drawer, so mice can be prevented entry while the drawer can still be closed. It is not an easy job.

musketeer · 02-20-2011, 05:25 PM

I have had a terrible time with mice in my Airstream, this year I have none. Thank you, Cab Fresh! It come in a box with three small bags of sented wood shavings, it smells like a balsam christmas tree. It took a couple of weeks to work completely, but since October I have been mouse free. Like mothballs, etc it is supposed to interfere with their ability to smell and thus "navigate". I used to use a "Tin Cat" type of wind up mouse trap. it doesn't use bail and can catch multiple mice. I was taking 40-50 of the devils out each winter!

Silverwanabe · 02-20-2011, 06:29 PM

This is one issue I have never experienced.
Knock on wood.

I have had ants in both trailers, but never mice.

Have had the Avion since 87 and AS since 07.
I guess parking on a concrete driveway may have helped.

I do not wish mice or cockroaches on anyone.

tlsmit1 · 02-20-2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musketeer

I have had a terrible time with mice in my Airstream, this year I have none. Thank you, Cab Fresh! It come in a box with three small bags of sented wood shavings, it smells like a balsam christmas tree. It took a couple of weeks to work completely, but since October I have been mouse free. Like mothballs, etc it is supposed to interfere with their ability to smell and thus "navigate". I used to use a "Tin Cat" type of wind up mouse trap. it doesn't use bail and can catch multiple mice. I was taking 40-50 of the devils out each winter!

Never tried it myself, but I have a friend with a vintage auto who used to have serious mouse issues every fall -- he also swears by Cab Fresh.

tlsmit1 · 02-20-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airstream25

Irish Spring soap did not work for us. The mice ate it.

We have a cabin in the woods -- the soap is Irish Spring, and yes, it gets eaten. But not as much as the Ivory gets eaten...

Dan and Liz · 10-26-2011, 07:44 PM

Freshcab available online. Not cheap, but we used it liberally last year and no problems at all.

Orson · 11-03-2011, 10:14 AM

Before the AS I used Bounce, and it worked beautifully.

perryg114 · 11-03-2011, 01:50 PM

I am not sure you can keep them out. A mouse can get through a hole about the size of a dime. Bait traps work pretty well. Those sticky traps work pretty well also. Ocassionally we even get them in the house. One got in my shop the other day and got into some ant poison. He was almost gone when I found him. The bait traps cause them to hemorage and as a result they go outside and look for a source of water and hopefully die outside your trailer.

Don't get me started on mud dobbers.

Perry

pstrominger · 11-06-2011, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

I took the drawer completely out and cut pieces of aluminum screening to fit a little larger than the holes and glued them in place with clear silicon.
I did that in all the access places like the inside of the little side boxes that are in the banana wrap. I wanted to leave them open for air circulation but block the area from mice and bugs. Also did the same thing in the front where the frame is joined together. The screening stays in place. It took me a whole afternoon to seal up all the holes this way. There are quite a few to cover over and some are odd shaped.

I don't understand how you could close the drawer after that. I gave up on sealing the holes in the drawer well, sealed around the drawer with metallic duct tape, so the drawer cannot be used, but the critters were still getting in. What really helped was when I began setting traps under the trailer. Before I did that, I was catching a couple of mice in my trailer per week. After setting the traps outside, I only got 3 inside since about May. I put the traps inside hollow cinder blocks to protect them from wind etc.

easyride · 11-06-2011, 12:43 PM

Last couple of times out,I have briefly seen a black snake in my trunk,he`s only about 2' long,have no problem with the mice. As long as my wife doesn`t know about the snake,and he stays out of our bed,everything is just great. Dave

Garamax · 11-06-2011, 01:11 PM

Have been using scented fabric softener dryer sheets. No mice. Winter stored indoors on concrete floor.

la nomade · 11-13-2011, 02:49 PM

as long as it does not freeze i put water in a bucket , peanut butter all around the inside in spots here and there..and a wood ramp,they clime up,try to reach the p.butter, fall in and drown...poor things..but its them or me...i also put traps with p.butter,and poison near the pump compartment etc..living in the middle of the woods i have to take drastic measures...moth ball and Dawny do not work for me ..by the time it snows and freezes mouses have moved way and established themselves somewhere else....

pstrominger · 11-21-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garamax

Have been using scented fabric softener dryer sheets. No mice. Winter stored indoors on concrete floor.

Yeah, well... I winterized mine last week, set 3 traps. Put Bounce dryer sheets everywhere. 5 days or so later, there was a mouse in one of the traps. The other traps had their baits stolen, something I never believed was possible for a mouse to do. One was sprung and one was unsprung.

I live next to a wilderness of pinyon-juniper woods in N Arizona. I think the mice are not house mice, but something like harvest mice or deer mice. But they like to invade human dwellings and will take advantage of an opportunity.